Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

In Mumbai, Our Public Affairs Chief, Dustee Jenkins, Spotlights the Role of Spotify in the Growth of India's Music Industry

06/05/2025

Since Spotify's 2019 launch in India, the growth of the country's local artists-and music industry at large-continues upward not just in the market, but globally. Spotify's latest Loud & Clear report shows that streams of Indian artists on the platform skyrocketed by more than 2,000% in international markets between 2019 and 2023. In 2024, artists from India were discovered more than 11.2 billion times by first-time listeners on Spotify, an increase of 13% year-over-year.

To underscore the importance of India to our platform, Dustee Jenkins, Spotify's Global Chief Public Affairs Officer, visited Mumbai to attend the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) organized by India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The four-day event brought together global and Indian leaders, alongside some of India's most prominent creators, to discuss the world of media and entertainment. On the sidelines, Dustee also spent time with local creators, artists, and government officials.

Building relationships with artists and creators Dustee kicked off her week by hosting a reception attended by Indian artists and creators including pop stars Armaan Malik, Badshah, and Shaan; legendary producers and artists Salim and Sulaiman Merchant; India's first RADAR artist Mali; and podcast duo Naina Bhan and Sakshi Shivdasani of Moment of Silence, among others.

Armaan Malik and Dustee Jenkins

Dustee Jenkins and Mali

Naina Bhan, Dustee Jenkins, Sakshi Shivdasani

Salim Merchant, Dustee Jenkins, Sulaiman Merchant

NEXT

The following morning, I-Pop superstar Badshah and actor-artist Aparshakti Khurana joined Dustee for a fireside chat to discuss the evolution of Indian music and what it takes to break out globally.

I was one of the first advocates of Spotify in India, recalled Badash. What Spotify has done, which is insane, is it has made the music scene extremely democratic. Your song can reach anyone. You can really find your audience. Today it's not about a hit. It's about finding listeners. The control is in the hands of the one who is making the music.

Dustee also had the opportunity to meet singer Kavita Krishnamurthy and her husband, renowned violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam, as well as classical musician Kaushiki Chakraborty. She met with another icon of the Indian music scene, Shankar Mahadevan, to talk about the diversity of the country's music and gain his perspective on how the industry has evolved since the late '90s.

Understanding and helping to shape public policy and recognition WAVES offered an opportunity for introductions to prominent Indian policy stakeholders including Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Information and Broadcasting; Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; and Dr. Fadli Zon, Minister for Culture of Indonesia. During these discussions, the ministers recognized Spotify's contribution in broadening the global audience for Indian culture and expressed interest in fostering the continued growth of the music ecosystem within their respective countries. Dustee also delivered a keynote address for the U.S. India Business Council on the importance of Indian music on Spotify.

Supporting women in the Indian music industry The week wrapped up with a dinner where women from the music industry shared personal experiences and learned more from Dustee about Spotify's ongoing commitment to support the growth of female representation in music.

The reason we wanted to be here is because we believe so wholeheartedly in what is happening in India, Dustee reflected on her trip. The local team is working tirelessly to ensure that Indian artists not only thrive locally, but also reach the world. Their new listeners may never even have been to India, but they can connect by discovering artists from here. In fact, in 2024, 50% of the revenue for Indian artists came from outside of India, which shows the importance of exporting the country's music.
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-05-06/in-mumbai-our-public-affairs-c...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

14/11/2026

MLB Networks David Maybrown, 57, Passes Away

Longtime MLB Network employee David Maybrown passed away Thursday at the age of 57. David joined MLB Network in 2009 shortly after its launch, beginning as an i...

14/11/2026

Rotary Exciter & Resonator Clamps from ADDAC System

Modular innovators introduce two guitar-based products ADDAC System's recently introduced Four String Series makes it possible to integrate physical str...

14/11/2026

Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive

Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive Brie Clayton November 14, 2026 0 Comments Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...

14/11/2026

Political Ads Spiked a Week Before Midterm Elections, Nielsen Says

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

14/11/2026

FCC Sends 2027 Upper C-Band Auction Plan Into Motion

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

14/11/2026

ZEISS Showcases Latest Cine Lenses at TorunCAMERIMAGE 202...

Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...

14/11/2026

Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products

Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products Brie Clayton November 14, 2026 0 Comments WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...

14/11/2026

Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards

Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...

13/11/2026

E1 Series Brings Its Remote-First Broadcast Model to Miami for Season Finale

The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...

13/11/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 39: Carolina Hurricanes Christine Williams & Jason Danby - Celebrating a Stanley Cup in Raleigh

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

13/11/2026

Benson Boone to Headline Entertainment at Discover NHL Winter Classic

Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...

13/11/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces Ambisonic Microphone for Immersive Spatial Audio

Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...

13/11/2026

The Studio B&H and Riedel to Power SMPTE MTS Solutions Hub

SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...

13/11/2026

HPA Sets 2027 Tech Retreat Theme Around a Changing Industry

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...

13/11/2026

Football Manager 27 Touch Joins Apple Arcade, with Plants vs. Zombies, Prince of Persia Added Dec. 3

Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...

13/11/2026

MotoGP and ESPN Announce Two-Year Media Rights Agreement for U.S. and Latin America

MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...

13/11/2026

Apple Sports Adds UFC Ahead of UFC 334

Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...

13/11/2026

NBA Names Fanatics Studios Multiyear Creative and Event Production Partner for NBA All-Star

The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...

13/11/2026

From ManningCast to McAfee to Star Wars: ESPN, Disney Pull Back the Curtain on Super Bowl LXI Plans

ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...

13/11/2026

Battle in the Bronx: YES Network Presents 2026 Cortaca Jug at Yankee Stadium

Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...

13/11/2026

HLabs reveal the CL089

Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...

13/11/2026

Freedom of Choice White Paper

Download Now! To view the white paper, please enter the following details: -- First Name* First Name Company* Country* Please select your countryA...

13/11/2026

Cruz Schedules Confirmation Vote for FCC Nominee Thumann-Severs

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Yamaha Acquires Virtual Production Specialist Disguise

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

MyStation App Emulates TV Network' Marketplace

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Blue Lucy integrates with Comcast Technology Solutions Vi...

Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...

13/11/2026

Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max

Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max Brie Clayton November 12, 2026 0 Comments First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...

13/11/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone Brie Clayton November 12, 2026 0 Comments New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...

13/11/2026

Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music

Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...

13/11/2026

Hub: Despite AI, More Viewers Still Rely on Word of Mouth and Trailers to Find New TV Shows

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...

13/11/2026

Jack Smith Joins Madhive as Chief Product and Technology Officer

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Operative Names Brian Beirne as Senior VP, Commercial Growth

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler to Advise AI Startup

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Honors Dr. Yiyan Wu with the 2026 Jules Cohen Award

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...

13/11/2026

Vizrt Acquires Chyron

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Samsung Ads to Offer 3 New Interactive Formats

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

HPA Retreat to Explore Changing Shape of Industry

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

The Studio B&H, Riedel to Equip SMPTE Media Tech Summit

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Tegna Promotes 3 Sales Executives to President and GM

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

13/11/2026

Amagi and Golden Times Media Technology to Bring Chinese...

Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...

13/11/2026

CGI and Cedar Broadcast and Communications deploy advance...

CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...

13/11/2026

The Studio BH and Riedel Communications Power the SMPTE...

SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...

13/11/2026

iWedia Brings Software-First DRAM Optimization to Android...

iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...

13/11/2026

Apple HomeView available today - UPDATE - Posted on 13 November 2026

Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...

13/11/2026

How AI Is Helping Care Teams Get Patients the Right Care, Sooner

From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients. Health systems and startups...

12/11/2026

The Software-Defined Shift: A Discussion on the Technologies Reshaping Live Sports Production

Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...

12/11/2026

SVG Students to Watch: Addison Carnow, University of North Carolina

The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...

12/11/2026

Gracenote Survey: 78% of Viewers 18-24 Want a Single Program Guide Across Streaming Services

Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...