For film, TV, advertising, brand films, games, podcasts, YouTube and wellness apps
License or commission Indian classical music for film and TV
KalaSudha licenses Indian classical music for film and TV from its recordings and concert footage, and its artists make new music to order. We agree every use with you in writing beforehand.
What KalaSudha licenses and makes for productions
Productions that need Indian classical music can license KalaSudha's studio and live concert recordings and its filmed concerts. Our artists also compose scores and record sessions for films, TV series, adverts and games, and perform on camera. We license and make music for:
- filmmakers and documentary producers
- TV producers and music supervisors
- advertising agencies and brands
- game studios
- podcast producers and YouTube creators
- meditation, yoga and wellness apps
- brand and corporate film producers
Our artists include players of sitar, tabla, sarangi (a bowed instrument close to the human voice) and santoor (the hammered dulcimer of Kashmir), as well as singers.
We license a recording or footage only with the consent of the artists on it. You receive a written agreement first, then the licensed files or the new parts. Part of every fee goes to the KalaSudha artists development fund, which pays for concerts, releases and the promotion of the art forms.
What you can license or commission
Licensing recordings
License a studio or live concert recording for a film, documentary, video game, podcast, meditation app or yoga app. Our catalogue holds live recordings from KalaSudha concerts, including Kala Festival. We license each recording only with the consent of the artists on it.
Concert footage
License filmed concert performances from KalaSudha's video releases for a documentary or a TV programme. The videos further down show the footage on offer. Once we agree the use with you in writing, we deliver the footage files.
Commission an original score
Commission an original score for a documentary, a film, a video game soundtrack, a brand film or a corporate video. Our composers include the tabla player Dr Sam Evans, the sitarist Jonathan Mayer and the raga pianist Deepak Shah, who has composed background scores for films.
Studio and remote session musicians
Hire session musicians for a film soundtrack, TV series or advert. Our session musicians include the sarangi player Satwinder Pal Singh, the tabla player Hanif Khan and the santoor player Vinay Desai. For each project, we agree whether the artist records in their own studio or we record them, and we deliver the parts.
Musicians on camera
Book our artists to play or sing on screen in a film, series or advert. Before filming starts, we agree each artist's fee and credit with you in writing, and how you may use the performance.
Raga and authenticity advice
KalaSudha and its artists advise on the raga, instrument and time of day that suit a scene. A raga is a melodic framework. Hindustani (North Indian classical) tradition gives many ragas a time of day, their samay. We also check that the music, and any playing seen on screen, stays true to the tradition.
How licensing and commissioning work
- Press Send an enquiry and tell us about your production.
- We reply with a quote. A licence quote depends on the recording and on how, where and for how long you use it. A commission or session quote depends on the artists, the length of the music and the dates.
- We hold the rights in the recordings we produced. For a recording or footage, the artists on it consent first. Before any use, a written agreement sets how, where and for how long you may use it. For new work, it sets each artist's fee, credit and use, before work starts. YouTube creators get the same written agreement before they upload.
- For new work, the artists compose and record in the studio or remotely, or perform on camera.
- We deliver the licensed files, or the parts after each studio or remote session.
Videos
Concert footage from our video releases
Artists
The artists we work with
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I commission an original Indian classical score for a documentary?
To commission an original Indian classical score for a documentary, send KalaSudha an enquiry and we reply with a quote. The quote depends on the artists, the length of the music and the dates. Each artist's fee and credit, and your documentary's use of the score, go into a written agreement before work starts. Our composers then write the music, and we deliver the parts after the recording sessions.
Where can I hire sitar or tabla session musicians to record for a film soundtrack?
You can hire sitar and tabla session musicians for a film soundtrack through KalaSudha. They include the sitarist Jonathan Mayer, a session musician whose work crosses into film music, and the tabla player Hanif Khan, who records sessions for albums and film scores. For each project, we agree whether the artist records in their own studio or we record them. A written agreement with you sets each artist's fee, credit and your use of the recording before the session.
How much does it cost to license a raga recording for a film?
What KalaSudha charges to license a raga recording for a film depends on the recording and on how, where and for how long the film uses it. Send KalaSudha an enquiry and we reply with a quote. A commission or session quote depends instead on the artists, the length of the music and the dates. Part of every fee goes to the KalaSudha artists development fund, which pays for concerts, releases and the promotion of the art forms.
Can I license live concert recordings of Indian classical music for a documentary?
KalaSudha licenses live concert recordings of Indian classical music for documentaries, from its own concerts, including Kala Festival. We also license filmed concert performances from our video releases. We license a recording or footage only with the consent of the artists on it. Before any use, we agree with you in writing how, where and for how long your documentary may use it.
How do I find a composer who writes Indian classical music for film?
KalaSudha's composers for film include the raga pianist Deepak Shah, the tabla player Dr Sam Evans and the sitarist Jonathan Mayer. Deepak Shah has composed music and background scores for films in Bangla, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bhojpuri. Dr Sam Evans composes music for film and documentaries, and Jonathan Mayer works as a composer across film music, jazz and orchestras. To commission one, send KalaSudha an enquiry.
How do I clear the rights to an Indian classical music recording for my film?
To clear the rights to an Indian classical music recording from KalaSudha's catalogue for your film, send us an enquiry. KalaSudha holds the rights in the recordings it produced. We grant a sync licence for the film only with the consent of the artists on the recording. Before any use, we agree in writing how, where and for how long your film may use it. Filmed concerts from our video releases take the same consent and written agreement.
Can I license Indian classical music recordings for a video game?
Game studios can license Indian classical music recordings for a video game from KalaSudha's catalogue of studio and live concert recordings. We license a recording only once its artists consent. Before the game uses the music, we agree in writing with the studio how, where and for how long it may appear in the game. For music written for the game itself, a studio can commission an original score from our composers instead.
Where can a meditation or yoga app license Indian classical music?
A meditation or yoga app can license Indian classical music from KalaSudha's studio and live concert recordings, including those from Kala Festival. Before any use, the artists on the recording must consent, and we agree in writing with you how, where and for how long your app may use it. After that agreement, we deliver the licensed files. Send KalaSudha an enquiry, and we reply with a quote based on the recording and that use.
Tell us what your production needs
Press Send an enquiry to ask about a licence, a score, a session or an on-screen performance. We reply with a quote.