The Indian soundscape is no longer led by a single Bollywood axis. It is fragmented, fast-moving, and increasingly shaped by independent artistes. Over the past decade, indie music has gained visibility and cultural weight, powered by streaming platforms, social media, and a growing appetite for personal sound. Kamakshi Khanna, known for her pop and R&B sound, traces a turning point to 2020. “The Covid lockdown was a huge moment for indie, because people were free to check out new music.” What followed, she says, was scale.
That growth has been driven by access. Anand Bhaskar, who fronts the Hindi rock band Anand Bhaskar Collective, says the old gatekeepers have weakened. “Distribution has been democratised. Streaming killed most of the gatekeeping. India is now the second-largest streaming market globally. Bollywood, labels, or radio are no more the requisites for you to become popular if you write good music,” he says. A laptop, basic production skills, and a clear voice can now travel further than a studio-backed track once could. Algorithm-led discovery, Bhaskar says, has also led to a cultural shift, with artistes prioritising identity over playback singing.
Nowhere is this plurality more evident than in the rise of regional music. Punjabi tracks dominate national charts, while artistes like Talwiinder bring global production to local idioms. New Delhi’s Bloodywood folds the dhol into metal, while Kerala’s Thaikkudam Bridge fuses Malayalam folk with rock. In Kolkata, Fossils continues to shape the Bengali rock identity. Guitarist Allan Ao sees this as both a creative and cultural correction. “There is a saturation in mainstream music now, so people are turning to music from the south, Punjab, and Bengal. The hip-hop scene has also grown. These days, producing music and getting it out to a wider audience is easier through services like DistroKid,” he says.
However, even as discovery has accelerated, live shows still remain the primary source of income. For Khalid Ahamed of Parvaaz, whose music blends Kashmiri and Urdu lyrics with rock, the time is promising but unstable. “One needs to explore new things and be dedicated to the art,” says Ahamed. “There will be days when there won’t be gigs, but sticking together as a band in hard times matters.” Festivals, he adds, have become crucial. “Many festivals [such as Bandland and Lollapalooza] have come up since the pandemic.” But structural gaps remain. Bhaskar points to a missing middle in India’s live circuit. “We lack venues of 200–2000 capacity. The ticket-paying culture must grow. People pay ₹5,000 for international concerts but hesitate for ₹499 indie gigs,” he says.
Uday Benegal of Indus Creed believes platforms like Lollapalooza have expanded visibility for artistes who choose independence. He also points to emerging talent. “Kids are developing incredible musical skills. Sanidhya Das, who is 11 years old, plays with the maturity of an adult,” he says, adding that young performers are already playing live gigs.
Arijit Singh’s trajectory reflects an indie shift, with global collaborations with Martin Garrix and Ed Sheeran sparking conversations around autonomy. “If Arijit goes indie, it will be fantastic,” says Benegal. Driven by technology, language, and identity, the indie surge is still figuring out how to sustain itself.