The Indian Music Industry

What The Indian Music Industry does

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) is a nonprofit industry association founded in 1936 and headquartered in Mumbai. It serves as the apex body representing recorded music labels in India and operates as an official IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) affiliate. IMI's core customers are music labels and record companies; its functional mandate is collective industry representation, copyright advocacy, anti-piracy enforcement, market research, and standards development. It has 11-50 employees and is funded by membership fees from music labels rather than product or service pricing.

IMI's service portfolio includes ISRC code generation and allocation, the official IMI International Top 20 Singles Chart, music piracy prevention and take-down enforcement, annual industry research reports and digital music studies, music certification standards, and membership services for labels. Beyond these operational services, IMI produces major industry events: the WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment) Summit in partnership with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Theme Music Competition (TMC), and Resonate: The EDM Challenge, all under the Create in India Challenge initiative. Strategic partnerships span IFPI (international representation), EY (joint industry research), FICCI (IPR advocacy), Interpol/CBI/ISB Institute of Data Science (anti-piracy enforcement), and platforms such as Spotify (artist development roundtables).

The organization is led by Blaise Fernandes (President & CEO) and Vikram Mehra (Chairman). IMI actively shapes policy at the intersection of music rights, emerging technology (notably AI), and intellectual property law — evidenced by its participation in the Delhi High Court OpenAI copyright case and multiple AI/IP roundtables in 2026. The addressable market context is significant: India loses approximately ₹1,000 crore annually to music piracy (67% of the market versus a 27% global average), paid streaming subscriptions stood at 14 million in December 2025 (projected to grow to 28-30 million by 2028), and 38% of Indian consumers have ever paid for music streaming compared to 86% for video OTT services — indicating substantial headroom for monetization that IMI's advocacy work aims to unlock for its member labels.

Name

The Indian Music Industry

Legal name

The Indian Music Industry

Website

https://indianmi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) is a nonprofit IFPI-affiliated industry association founded in 1936 that represents recorded music labels in India, providing collective advocacy, copyright enforcement, anti-piracy measures, ISRC code allocation, official charting, research reports, and major events such as WAVES Summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

akta.pro primary industry

AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG)

Keywords

• Music industry association
• Music label advocacy
• Copyright enforcement
• Music piracy prevention
• Industry research reports

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) is the apex trade association representing recorded music labels in India, operating as an IFPI affiliate. Its core offerings include ISRC code generation for unique identification of sound recordings, the IMI International Top 20 Singles Chart, music piracy prevention and enforcement services, industry certification standards, annual research reports, and membership services for record labels. IMI also organizes industry events including the WAVES Summit and competitions such as the Theme Music Competition and Resonate: The EDM Challenge.

Product overview

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) is the apex industry body representing recorded music labels in India, operating as an IFPI affiliate. IMI offers a portfolio of services including ISRC code generation for unique recording identification, official music charting (IMI International Top 20 Singles Chart), music piracy prevention and enforcement services, industry research and annual reports, music certification standards, and membership services for music labels. Additionally, IMI organizes major industry events including the WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment) Summit, Theme Music Competition (TMC), and Resonate: The EDM Challenge as part of the Create in India Challenge initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISRC Code Service IMI provides International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) generation and allocation services for music recordings in India, enabling unique identification of sound recordings and music video recordings. Available to music labels, producers, and recording rights holders.
• IMI International Top 20 Singles Chart Official music chart tracking the top 20 international singles in India, providing industry-recognized music popularity rankings for labels, distributors, media, and consumers.
• Music Piracy Prevention and Enforcement IMI conducts anti-piracy operations, take-down enforcement, and advocates for stronger IP protection laws to combat music piracy in India. Available to member music labels and the broader industry.
• Industry Research Reports IMI publishes annual reports, digital music studies, and policy briefs on the Indian music industry, including market trends, piracy impact analysis, and economic contributions. Target audience includes labels, policymakers, media, and researchers.
• Music Certification Services IMI offers certification standards and application processes for music releases, ensuring quality and industry compliance for recordings in India.
• Membership Services IMI provides membership to music labels with benefits including advocacy, networking, industry data, and collective licensing representation.
• Resonate: The EDM Challenge Global Electronic Dance Music competition at WAVES Summit organized by IMI and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, showcasing EDM production and live performance talent to a worldwide audience of producers and performers.
• Theme Music Competition (TMC) Competition under the Create in India Challenge at WAVES, seeking the 'Song of India' that represents Indian classical music or fusion compositions. Targeted at musicians, composers, and creators across India.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IMI collaborates with the Ministry of I&B to organize WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) events including Resonate: The EDM Challenge and Theme Music Competition as part of the Create in India Challenge.
• Interpol / CBI / ISB Institute of Data SciencemoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IMI participated in the Digital Piracy Conference organized by Interpol, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and ISB's Institute of Data Science on piracy enforcement.
• IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMI is an official IFPI Affiliate, representing the Indian recorded music industry as part of the global music industry organization. This affiliation provides international representation and standards for IMI and its member labels.
• EY (Ernst & Young)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEY and IMI jointly publish industry reports on the Indian music market, including research on music consumption patterns, paid subscriptions, and streaming trends in India.
• FICCImoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMI partners with FICCI on digital piracy seminars, IPR issues, and industry consultations to advocate for intellectual property rights protection.
• SpotifyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMI participated in a Spotify roundtable on promotion of emerging artists, discussing collaboration between music industry bodies and streaming platforms.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BVMI (Bundesverband Musikindustrie): Germany's recorded music industry association, comparable to IMI in representing labels, publishing official charts and annual market reports, and conducting anti-piracy and IP advocacy.
• RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America): US trade body representing record labels, performing the same advocacy, anti-piracy enforcement, certification (Gold/Platinum), and market research role as IMI does in India.
• Music Canada: Canada's recorded music trade association, performing equivalent chart administration, certification, market research, and advocacy functions to IMI in the Canadian market.
• RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan): Japan's recorded music industry association, directly comparable to IMI in representing Japanese labels, publishing charts and market data, and engaging on IP enforcement.
• IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry): Global apex body of the recorded music industry, of which IMI is the official India affiliate. Directly comparable as the parent trade association coordinating national recorded-music bodies, anti-piracy advocacy, and global market data.
• BPI (British Phonographic Industry): UK recorded music trade association equivalent to IMI, operating BRIT-certified chart, anti-piracy campaigns, and policy advocacy on behalf of UK labels.
• ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association): Australian recorded music trade association running ARIA Charts, ARIA Awards certifications, and label advocacy - functionally the same role IMI plays in India.
• SENA (Stichting Stemra / Dutch recorded music body): Netherlands' recorded music industry body, performing equivalent label representation, royalty administration, and IP advocacy comparable to IMI's mandate in India.
• SNEP (Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique): France's recorded music industry trade body, structurally analogous to IMI in representing French labels, publishing market data and certifications, and engaging in IP policy.

Emerging players

• PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited): UK music rights collection organization performing rights-adjacent functions to part of IMI's mandate; comparable in industry-infrastructure role though focused specifically on public-performance royalty distribution rather than full-spectrum association services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/indianmusicorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indian-music-industry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Indian Music Industry