Goongoonalo Launches: India’s First Artist-Owned Music Platform Debuts

New Delhi: In a landmark moment for India’s music scene, over 35 of the country’s top musical artists have united to introduce Goongoonalo, India’s first artist-owned and artist-led music ecosystem. Launched on May 5, 2025, the platform represents a revolutionary change in how music is made, consumed, and heard – unencumbered by corporate gatekeeping and algorithmic bias.

Co-founded by poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar, Grammy-winning composer Shankar Mahadevan, and technologist Sridhar Ranganathan, and headed by CEO Sherley Singh, Goongoonalo aims to empower creators with ownership, autonomy, and direct fan interaction.

“Goongoonalo allows artists to create on their own terms without interference,” said Javed Akhtar. “This is the first platform in the world where musicians, lyricists, and singers are shareholders. We will also encourage new talent and celebrate diversity.

Echoing these words, Mahadevan described the launch as “a historic day” for Indian music, describing it as, “This is a platform by artists, for artists. Many dreams will materialize here.”

Goongoonalo aims to provide a choice to algorithm-based content by instead highlighting original music, unheard treasures, and genuine narrative. The site promises distinctive features such as lyrical archives, exclusive material, and artist tools to interact with their audience directly.

The project has received mass support from an iconic list of artists such as Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, Vishal Dadlani, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Prasoon Joshi, Amit Trivedi, and many more. “Now, we can finally finish off songs and concepts that were dumped,” composer Lalit Pandit added.

Prasoon Joshi called Goongoonalo a place “where we commission our work to ourselves,” and Shaan referred to it as “a universe created by and for artists.”

With a digital twist, Ranganathan highlighted the scalable, cloud-native infrastructure of the platform, which will bring creators and listeners face to face in real time from around the world. CEO Sherley Singh put it simply as “a living archive of culture and creativity.”

Goongoonalo is presently live at www.goongoonalo.com, where artists and fans can sign up and become founding members. With mentorship programs, collaborations, and events on the cards, Goongoonalo is set to be the cornerstone of India’s changing cultural economy.

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