Himesh Reshammiya’s Pay-to-Own Music Rights Model
Himesh Reshammiya forgoes his composer fee and pays producers to acquire music rights for his label. Here is how the model works.
Most Bollywood composers send an invoice. Himesh Reshammiya, by his own account, is far more likely to send a cheque. In a conversation with Komal Nahta, the singer-composer unpacked the business model behind his label, Himesh Reshammiya Melodies, and it flips the usual film music arrangement on its head.
The deal, in plain numbers
When Himesh signs a film as composer, his label acquires the music rights instead of leaving them with the producer or another buyer. If a music label has offered a producer ₹5 crore for a film’s songs, and his composing fee would be ₹2 crore, he forgoes the fee and pays the remaining ₹3 crore himself. The producer still receives market value; Himesh walks away with the asset.
That is the core of the model he described: remove his fee, pay the market price for the rights, and let Himesh Reshammiya Melodies hold the masters. For him, the long-term upside of ownership outweighs the short-term fee.
Why ownership changes the math
Music rights in Bollywood are no longer just about CDs or ringtones. They generate recurring income through streaming, YouTube, reels and licensing deals, which means a label that owns a popular soundtrack can keep earning long after the film’s theatrical run ends. By paying producers up front, Himesh is effectively betting that the songs will stay valuable.
He was clear about the risk. Some filmmakers will want more for their music rights than he is willing to pay, and he will lose a few projects because of it. As he put it, “I am not insecure. I am very happy with what I have.”
Convincing the Barjatyas
The model was put to work on Yeh Prem Mol Liya, Sooraj Barjatya’s next film starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari. Himesh recalled that the family initially asked him to compose the music and discuss the rights later. His response was simple: “I will do a great job and that’s my model.”
He admitted that convincing everyone in the Barjatya family was not easy, but said the conversations were warm. His pitch: listen to the music first, get creatively clear, then get monetarily clear, and deliver on the word you have given.
The slate riding on it
- Yeh Prem Mol Liya – Sooraj Barjatya, with Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari
- Naam – To Live Is War – Mahesh Bhatt’s film starring Veer Pahariya
- Gunmaaster G9 – starring Emraan Hashmi
- Arjun Naga – Anil Sharma’s project
- 1920: Cold Winter – Vikram Bhatt’s horror film
In each case, Himesh Reshammiya Melodies holds the music rights. That gives the label a pipeline of releases across romance, action and horror rather than a single isolated bet.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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