Lyricists (authors), composers and music publishers. Singers and labels are paid through other bodies: ISAMRA for performers, PPL India for recording owners.

Is joining IPRS enough to get paid?

No. You also need to register each of your songs (works) with IPRS, with the writers and their shares. Many artists join and never register their works, so nothing gets matched to them.

Can I join IPRS if I have only released independently?

IPRS's current eligibility rules and documents are on iprs.org, so check there before you apply. Independent writers do join, and guides for independent producers describe the process.

Can a songwriter in India sign away their royalties?

Since the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012, authors of songs used in films and sound recordings cannot assign away their right to an equal share of royalties from uses outside cinema halls, except to legal heirs or a copyright society such as IPRS.

How much does IPRS pay out?

IPRS reported collecting ₹804.5 crore and distributing ₹628.3 crore in royalties in FY 2025–26, to more than 13,700 members, with over 22,000 registered members in total.

Publishing and IPRS, step by step

What "publishing" actually means

In the music business, publishing means the rights in the song itself: the lyrics and the composition. It has nothing to do with printing books. Every time a song is broadcast on radio or TV, streamed, or performed in public, the people who wrote it are owed royalties, separately from whoever owns the recording.

A music publisher is a company that manages songwriters' rights in exchange for a share of their publishing income. You don't need a publisher to collect your royalties in India; you can join IPRS directly as a writer.

What IPRS does

IPRS (the Indian Performing Right Society) is the copyright society that licenses the public use of songs in India and collects royalties for the people who wrote them. Radio stations, TV channels, streaming services, venues, hotels and event organisers pay licence fees, and IPRS distributes that money to its members according to how their songs were used.

The scale is real. In FY 2025–26, IPRS collected ₹804.5 crore and distributed ₹628.3 crore to more than 13,700 members. It has over 22,000 registered members.

IPRS also has reciprocal agreements with sister societies abroad, so when your song is used in another country, royalties can flow back to you through IPRS.

Who IPRS pays, and who it doesn't

Role	Paid by IPRS?	Where they're paid instead
Lyricist (author)	Yes
Composer	Yes
Music publisher	Yes
Singer or musician	No	ISAMRA (performer royalties)
Owner of the recording (label or you)	No	Distributor, and PPL India for public performance

If you're a singer-songwriter, you may be owed money from both IPRS (for writing) and ISAMRA (for performing).

Why the law is on your side

For decades, film songwriters routinely signed over all their rights for a one-time fee. The song earned for years; the writer was paid once.

The Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 changed that. Authors of songs used in films and sound recordings now keep a right to an equal share of royalties when their songs are used outside the cinema hall, for example on radio, TV or streaming. That right can't be signed away, except to legal heirs or to a copyright society like IPRS for collection. If a contract asks you to waive it, that clause runs against the Act.

How to join, step by step

IPRS updates its process from time to time, so treat this as a guide and check the current requirements on iprs.org before you apply.

Decide your role. Are you joining as an author (lyricist), a composer, or both? Register in every role you actually perform.
Prepare your details. Guides for independent producers describe needing an application form, ID proof, a PAN card, a passport-size photo and your signature. There may be a membership fee.
Apply. Submit the application with your documents. After verification, IPRS issues a membership number and access to its online member portal.
Register your works. This is the step most people skip. Joining doesn't register your songs automatically. Log in and register each song you've written.

How to register a song properly

For each song, you'll typically need:

The song title, exactly as it appears on streaming platforms.
Every writer, with their role (lyricist or composer) and their share.
The performing artist and the release details.
Any publisher involved.

Getting splits right

A split is how ownership of the song is divided between its writers. There's no automatic rule; it's whatever the writers agree. Common approaches:

Equal split: everyone in the room gets an equal share. Simple, and it avoids arguments.
By contribution: for example, lyrics 50% and composition 50%, then divided among whoever wrote each part.

Whatever you choose, agree it in writing before you release, and make sure every co-writer registers the same split. If the shares registered by different writers don't add up, payments can get held up. A one-page split sheet signed by everyone is enough. Download the free split sheet.

The mistakes that stop the money

Joining, but not registering songs. No registered works means nothing to match your usage to.
Mismatched names. If you're "R. Sen" on IPRS, "Riya Sen" on your distributor and "RIYA" on Spotify credits, matching gets harder. Use one consistent name.
No written splits. Arguments after a song does well are common and avoidable.
Assuming the distributor handles it. A distributor collects for the recording, not the song.
Signing contracts that waive royalties. Read anything that mentions your publishing or "all rights" carefully. Module 5 covers contracts.

Your checklist

List every song you've written or co-written.
Agree and sign a split for each one.
Apply to IPRS in each role you perform.
Register every song on the member portal, matching titles to your releases.
Check your statements regularly, and query anything missing.

A few hours of paperwork now can mean royalties for as long as your songs are played.