Music composer Amaal Mallik has called out the opaque and uneven royalty structure in Hindi film music, saying that contracts across the industry vary so widely that even artists themselves lack clarity on what they have agreed to. Mallik made the remarks on 11 August during promotions of the upcoming Emraan Hashmi-starrer 'Awarapan 2' in the BKC area of Mumbai, for which he has composed the song 'Yeh Awarapan'.

A System Without Uniform Rules

Mallik, a vocal advocate for artists' rights, described the royalty and residual income framework in the Hindi film industry as complicated and inconsistent. 'The type of contracts you sign with a label, artist or a production house, everyone has their own levels, and no one exactly knows what they agree on or what terms they agree on,' he said.

He pointed out that the deal a top-tier composer commands is fundamentally different from what a mid-level or emerging composer receives. 'What Rahman sir will get as a deal will not be what I will get as a deal. What I will get as a deal, maybe some other composer will not get,' he noted, adding that the master share of royalty ultimately rests with the production house or label — not the creator.

South Indian Cinema Sets a Contrast

Mallik acknowledged that the revenue-sharing model in South Indian cinema is considerably more structured and transparent. 'In the South industry, they share a huge chunk with big artists. There is a balance,' he said. He credited southern producers with recognising music's role in shaping a film's commercial identity. 'In the South, there is a lot of respect given to the composers. They know that music hypes the film and gives it a positioning.'

He was, however, careful not to frame the Hindi industry as entirely at fault, calling the situation 'not fully wrong, but not fully right also.'

Radio Royalties, Streaming Income: Still Murky

Mallik flagged specific revenue streams where opacity is most acute. 'We don't get radio royalties. We don't know how much we get from streaming,' he said. He explained that annual earnings from streaming depend on an artist's catalogue size, and that a fuller picture will only emerge as new distribution avenues open up.

He also contextualised why demanding master rights in Hindi films is structurally difficult. 'The marketing of a song costs crores of rupees. Actors are also involved in the song. There are also producers making those decisions,' he said — pointing to the multi-stakeholder nature of Bollywood song production as a reason clarity remains elusive.

What Needs to Change

While Mallik acknowledged that Indian law has improved in recent years, he argued that legislative progress has not yet translated into ground-level transparency for composers. The absence of standardised contracts means each negotiation is isolated, leaving newer artists especially vulnerable to unfavourable terms. Industry observers note this is not a new concern — debates around the Copyright (Amendment) Act and royalty rights for lyricists and composers have surfaced repeatedly over the past decade without a definitive resolution. Whether platforms, labels, and producers will move toward greater disclosure remains an open question.