UMG’s new releases in India will go exclusively to paid streaming subscribers for first 72 hours

Universal Music Group‘s new releases in India will be available exclusively to paying streaming subscribers for their first 72 hours.

After their first 72 hours, they will also become available on ad-supported services.

The change begins in the market at the end of August and covers new music from major domestic and international artists on both global and regional streaming platforms operating in India.

Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, announced the move on the company’s earnings call on Thursday (July 30).

He said it was part of a push to build what he called healthier music markets in China and India, the world’s two most populous countries.

Grainge said: “Beginning at the end of August, UMG’s new releases from major domestic and international artists will be launched exclusively to paid streaming subscribers for their first 72 hours on both global and regional streaming services.”

“After that, they will become available on ad-supported services too. Fans will still have access to the music they love, and artists will see the benefit of improved compensation,” Grainge added.

Grainge said both China and India had deep pools of creative talent and widespread smartphone adoption.

He presented the India move as a version of an approach UMG has already used in China.

In 2019, he said, UMG worked with major Chinese streaming services to move both domestic and international music behind a paywall.

“Many skeptics predicted it would have a negative impact on music consumption and market development,” said Grainge. “The opposite happened.”

“Many skeptics predicted it would have a negative impact on music consumption and market development. The opposite happened.”

Sir Lucian Grainge

By 2025, China had overtaken Germany to become the world’s fourth-largest recorded music market.

Grainge said recorded music revenue in China grew by more than 20% year-over-year in 2025, driven by premium subscriptions and superfan experiences.

IFPI put that growth at 20.1%, making China the fastest-growing market in its global Top 20.

Grainge said China was now the world’s second-largest digital music market after the US.

UMG has also been investing directly in Chinese talent and catalog.

In its most recent quarter, the company signed pop star Jason Zhang and acquired the Carrier Creative catalog.

That catalog spans more than 1,000 recordings from the 1980s and 1990s, including work by the group Little Tigers.

UMG appointed Timothy Xu to lead its Greater China region in 2023.

UMG has operated in India since 1999.

There, Grainge said, the company has built a multi-label system covering different genres and dialects.

It has also invested in and partnered with businesses spanning artist management, live entertainment, film, television and regional repertoire, according to Grainge.

In January, Universal Music India acquired a 30% stake in Bollywood production house Excel Entertainment, in a deal valuing the company at approximately $267 million.

In March, it formed an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the label launched by singer and composer Anirudh Ravichander.

“While other companies have been pulling back from new frontiers, we’ve continued investing in the countries, genres, and artists that will produce the next generation of global stars,” said Grainge.

“China has shown what’s possible when healthier music ecosystems take hold. We want India to follow a similar path and believe many other high-potential markets will too,” Grainge added.

Timothy Xu, in a June interview with MBW, said he believed Chinese pop would be the next genre to break globally, after K-pop.Music Business Worldwide