New Delhi: 

A landmark moment for the Indian music industry, over 25 legendary artists came together to launch Goongoonalo, the country’s first-ever artist-owned cultural platform. The app, unveiled at a grand ceremony at the Studio Theatre, Jio World in Mumbai, is set to reshape how music and creative content is produced, owned, and experienced.

The platform’s first exclusive release will be an original track by Shreya Ghoshal, under the Goongoonalo Originals banner. Future events will feature workshops by Arijit Singh, lyric labs with Irshad Kamil, and production sessions with Salim–Sulaiman. An innovative feature, ‘Fanverse’ will allow fans to design merchandise, participate in crowdfunding, and join virtual meetups.

Salim Merchant, too, spoke of a creative renaissance and the significant opportunity this venture provides, “We’ve grown used to composing based on others’ stories. But this app lets us express what we feel and think.”

With room for every genre from folk and classical to fusion and electronic, Goongoonalo hopes to become the digital soul of Indian creativity, veteran composer Hariharan aptly commented.

Shankar Mahadevan concluded by giving a hint at the many unique collaborations that will take place on this platform, which can only be described as the ‘new digital form of India’s cultural soul.’ 

Unlike conventional platforms where rights are controlled by production houses or record labels, Goongoonalo ensures that all content belongs to the artists themselves. Sherley Singh, the app’s CEO, emphasized, “This changes the equation. Here, the artist owns their song—and any revenue is shared with them directly.”

Describing his long-held dream, Sonu Nigam also shared, “When I came to Mumbai in the 90s, we wanted to do something different. Now, Goongoonalo is the platform that offers the creative freedom we were looking for.”

Sridhar Ranganathan, who’s one of the founding members, talking about the process and struggle, mentions, “We’ve been working on this app for the past four years. Bringing all artists together was challenging, but after years of effort, this platform is ready.”  He further urges,” Artists and fans can register at www.goongoonalo.com to become part of this creative family.”

About the platform:

More than just a streaming: service, Goongoonalo promises original music, poetry, storytelling, mentorship sessions, jam spaces, open mics, and direct fan interactions as well. Calling May 5 a “historic day,” Javed Akhtar said, “Goongoonalo gives artists the freedom to create without the constraints of producers or music companies. It’s the first of its kind globally, where musicians, lyricists, and singers are shareholders.”

The initiative for artists and by artists is backed by musical powerhouses including Javed Akhtar, Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Prasoon Joshi, Salim–Sulaiman, Shaan, Vishal Dadlani, Lalit Pandit, Anand- Milind, Papon, Aruna Sairam, Manan Shah, Anusha Mani, Shweta Mohan, Hariharan and more.

Sridhar Ranganathan leads the tech and Sherley Singh has been chosen as the CEO.

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