TuneCore announces fourth annual grant to reward INR 100,000 to selected independent artist

The Grant can be utilized to fund music production or marketing efforts supporting the selected artist’s project

Mumbai, 12^th April 2025: TuneCore, the leading development partner for self-releasing artists—owned by Paris-based Believe, one of the world’s leading digital music companies—has launched the fourth annual TuneCore Grant, providing one independent Indian artist with INR 100,00. The annual grant has been instrumental in strengthening the independent music movement in India by providing financial assistance to emerging artists across languages and regions. This year the Grant will accept entries from 10-30th April with the recipient of the Grant to be announced early May 2025. Artists can apply for the Grant of INR 1,00,000 on the TuneCore India website.

This year, the Grant has evolved in response to the changing needs of independent artists in the region. According to data from Luminate, 99,000 unique songs are delivered to streaming services each day, with 98% of these releases accruing less than 1000 streams annually—the critical threshold for artists to monetize their music on DSPs. Independent artists are facing a new challenge – how to break through the clutter by increasing their music’s production quality and employing marketing campaigns that put their music in front of the right listeners.

This year, the Grant will provide an endowment of INR 100,000 to help one artist fund a project they aim to release this year. The funding can be used by the artist to bring the project to life or to support marketing efforts promoting their project.

Speaking about the thought process behind the evolution, Akhila Shankar, Head of TuneCore South Asia commented, “With each edition of the Grant we have seen its real world impact on independent music in India. TuneCore Grant Punjab led to a 40% increase in the number of releases in the language. In 2024, TuneCore Grant South saw an 11% increase in releases across the 4 major languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Today, across all major languages we see a steady number of releases—it is now time for TuneCore to help artists solve their next big challenge: how to increase the production quality of their music and more effectively reach the listeners who will respond to it.”

Vivek Raina, Managing Director, Believe India and South Asia, added, “Independent artists are the backbone of India’s vibrant music ecosystem, and initiatives like the TuneCore Grant play a crucial role in empowering them. With the industry evolving rapidly, access to quality production and effective marketing is more important than ever. This Grant is more than just financial support—it’s a step towards enabling artists to create, compete, and thrive in an increasingly competitive space. We’re excited to see how this year’s recipient uses the opportunity to push creative boundaries and reach new audiences.”

Entries are open to all Indian artists, regardless of language or genre, who aim to release a single, EP, or album this year. The winner will be selected by a panel of industry experts including Sannidh Shah (Independent Music Editor, Spotify India), Rumpa Banerjee (Head of Marketing, IPRS), Arjun Shah (Founder, Shark & Ink), Magesh R (Creative Head, Think Indie) and more. Entries are open until 30th April via the TuneCore India Grant Micro Site.