In 2023 and 2024, Saregama made headlines by pulling its entire catalog from platforms like Spotify and Wynk during royalty disputes. This is the nuclear option. When Saregama withdraws its music, Spotify loses the "Old Hindi" genre entirely. Suddenly, users realize that their "Golden Era" playlist is empty.
And it sold millions.
Consider the When a Bollywood film flops, its music disappears from the charts. But the Saregama catalog grows every year. A child born in 2020 discovering Sholay in 2030 will stream "Mehbooba Mehbooba." Saregama gets paid for that. Every time a politician uses "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" at a rally, Saregama gets paid. saregama
In an industry obsessed with the "next big thing," Saregama has bet everything on the "last big thing." It is a testament to the idea that music is not just a product, but a public good. As long as there are parents who want to introduce their children to their youth, and as long as there are algorithms that reward the familiar, the 120-year-old company will endure. In 2023 and 2024, Saregama made headlines by