In a recent interview with Lallantop, well-known Bollywood music composer Monty Sharma opened up about the drastic changes in the music industry, especially when it comes to money. And one of the biggest reveals? Superstar singer Arijit Singh now charges fees of whopping ₹2 crore for a single live show.
Monty, who has composed music for films like ‘Saawariya’, ‘Black’, and ‘Ram-Leela’, shared how the industry has transformed over the years. He said that in the earlier days, making a full song cost just ₹2 lakh. This included a live orchestra, sometimes with up to 40 violinists.
Talking about his own journey, Monty recalled that once he became successful, he started charging ₹35,000 per song. “This amount was for my work alone. The rest, studio, musicians, mixing, came under additional costs,” he said.
But today, things are completely different. Referring to Arijit Singh and his fees, Monty said, “He used to sit with me for six hours straight in the studio. Now, he charges ₹2 crore for a single performance. And people do pay him that.”
According to Monty, one of the biggest reasons behind the rise in earnings for artists like Arijit is the change in how people consume music.
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“Earlier, we listened to songs on the radio or on TV. Now, everything is on YouTube and OTT platforms. The exposure is on a global level,” he said.
Monty also explained how music rights and revenue have shifted in today’s digital age. “Even if I make a song for ₹15–20 lakh, 90% of the rights go to the audio company. They are earning crazy amounts now,” he said, adding that it’s not always the artist or composer who makes the most money.
He also mentioned how expensive music production has become. Despite paying more, creators often get a smaller share of profits because music labels keep most of the rights.
Monty Sharma comes from a family of musicians. He is the nephew of Pyarelal Sharma, part of the legendary music duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and the cousin of modern composer Mithoon. His experience spans decades, and his work has been praised for strong background scores and emotional music.