Renowned musician and Padma Shri awardee Shankar Mahadevan, fresh from his Grammy win, is taking a bold step to reshape the Indian music industry. He has announced the launch of Goongoonalo, a pioneering artist-owned digital platform set to go live on January 16. This initiative is a direct response to his long-standing critique of the commercial pressures and creative compromises plaguing the music scene.
A Sanctuary for Unrushed Creation
Mahadevan has often voiced concerns about speed-driven formats and market expectations that stifle artistic expression. He revealed that Goongoonalo was conceived from the clear absence of spaces where music can be created without urgency or fear. "Music cannot be manufactured like a product," he reiterated. "The moment you start calculating success before emotion, something essential is lost."
While acknowledging cinema's role in amplifying Indian music's reach, he highlighted its invisible constraints—tight deadlines, specific briefs, and narrative demands—that leave little room for intuitive, reflective composition. Songs that evolve slowly, he noted, rarely find a home in such systems. "There are songs we carry for years," Mahadevan said, "Not because they aren't good, but because there was no place for them. This is that place."
Restoring Ownership and Control to Creators
The core structure of Goongoonalo directly tackles what Mahadevan describes as a persistent imbalance in the industry. He pointed out that creators are often expected to operate like entrepreneurs without being granted real ownership or control over their work. "Artists are not businessmen by training," he stated. "Yet we are constantly asked to think like one—without being given control."
The platform is designed to restore this balance by placing creators at the heart of all decision-making, ownership, and value creation. Sherley Singh, CEO of Goongoonalo, echoed this artist-first philosophy. "We did not want artists to fit into a platform. We wanted to build a platform that fits the artist—where creation is not rushed, rights are not diluted, and collaboration is not transactional," Singh explained.
Connecting Audiences with the Story Behind the Song
Mahadevan strongly believes that audiences have not lost their appetite for meaningful music but have been distanced from the creative journeys behind it. "People don't just love songs," he observed. "They love stories—how a song came into being, what it struggled through, what it survived."
To bridge this gap, Goongoonalo will offer more than just finished tracks. The platform will feature in-depth conversations, workshops, masterclasses, and live sessions, allowing listeners to engage with music as a living, evolving process. This approach aims to transform passive consumption into an immersive experience.
Offering advice to emerging musicians, Mahadevan cautioned against reducing creativity to a mere survival exercise. "If an artist is only trying to stay afloat, something precious is lost," he said, emphasizing that music needs space, not just validation. With its imminent launch, Goongoonalo positions itself as a vital alternative in the Indian music ecosystem, championing creative freedom, artist ownership, and long-form value over algorithmic trends and commercial haste.
