Krishna Beuraa Opens Up On Royalty Injustice: 'I Didn’t Earn Even Re 1 From My Biggest Hit'
Playback singer Krishna Beuraa exposes the harsh reality of royalty rights in Bollywood, revealing how artistes earn nothing despite creating viral hits.
The long-standing debate over who truly deserves royalties for musical creations in the Indian film industry continues to stir controversy. Playback singer Krishna Beuraa, known for his powerful voice in films like Chak De! India and Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, has spoken out about the unfair royalty system that continues to plague singers like him.
"Distribution Companies Take 70%, Even When They Don’t Pay Us"
In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Krishna revealed how "distribution companies" often exploit artistes through lopsided contracts. According to him, even when a song garners millions of streams online, the singers behind the music often see no share of that success.
"Some companies offer A-listers ₹100–200 crore to make songs, even if they lack the capability," he alleged. "But when someone like me approaches them, they demand a 70:30 revenue split, 70% for them and just 30% for me. They don’t even pay to take my song, yet they claim most of the profit," Krishna said, adding that such models not only undervalue artistes but also inflate marketing costs unnecessarily.
He also criticised the growing trend of paying artistes based on their social media following rather than their talent, calling the system "deeply flawed."
"I Can’t Even Sing My Own Song Without Permission"
Krishna further claimed that once a song is handed over to a distribution company, artistes lose basic creative rights over their own work. "If you’re releasing my song, why am I not allowed to sing it anymore? Why do I get copyright strikes?" he asked.
He expressed frustration that despite not being paid or promoted adequately, he is barred from performing his own tracks. "At least let me sing two lines in interviews so people remember the song. I can’t even sing my Chak De! India track now if I wanted to," he said.
"500 People Made Covers Of My Song, But I Didn’t Earn A Rupee"
The singer highlighted how even viral success doesn’t guarantee fair pay. Speaking about his hit track Mera Intkam Dekhegi from Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Krishna revealed that the song has crossed over 100 crore views on YouTube, yet he hasn’t received any payment or royalties.
"Neither the movie’s producer paid me, nor did I earn anything from the digital platforms. Ironically, at least 500 people have made covers of my song, but I can’t even do that myself," he said.
"A-Listers Get Crores, Others Struggle For A Stage"
Krishna also shed light on the stark disparity between established names and lesser-known artistes. "If you’re an A-lister, organisers are ready to pay ₹1 crore for a single show. But if you’re not, they’ll hesitate even for ₹15–20 lakh," he explained.
He alleged that event management companies often take undue advantage by claiming a smaller budget and pocketing the difference. "They’ll tell the artiste the budget is ₹5 lakh while charging ₹15 lakh from the client," he said.
"I Earned Only ₹1.5 Lakh From All My Film Songs Combined"
Despite lending his voice to several memorable Bollywood tracks, Krishna Beuraa revealed that his total lifetime earnings from playback singing barely crossed ₹1.5 lakh.
"I received ₹10,000 from YRF for Chak De! India. Later, Salim Merchant paid me ₹25,000 for recording the same song in another scale, but I returned that money out of respect," he recalled.
Krishna admitted that while some producers pay fairly, many artistes remain silent out of fear. "Singers are scared to ask for money. If you do, your voice might get replaced, or you may never be called again. So we keep quiet," he said.
Related Video
Salman Khan Birthday: Salman Khan Celebrates 60th Birthday in Grand Style at Panvel Farmhouse
Top Headlines
