Saregama Music India left PPL's repertoire on 1 April 2025 and assigned its public-performance rights to Novex Communications. If you bought a PPL licence in the first quarter of 2025 thinking it would cover Saregama tracks at your wedding, club, or hotel — it won't after the April handover. The PPL licence is still valid for everything else it covers, but Saregama tracks now require a Novex licence (or no public play of those tracks at all).
What actually changed
Saregama is one of India's oldest record labels — its catalogue runs from HMV's vinyl era through to current releases. Until April 2025 it was a PPL member, and a PPL licence cleared its repertoire for public performance. From April 2025 onward Saregama assigned the same rights to Novex, which now issues the licences and collects royalties on Saregama's behalf under Sections 18 and 30 of the Copyright Act, 1957.
Which events are affected?
Any event from April 2025 onward that plays Saregama tracks publicly. The label's catalogue includes a substantial back-catalogue of Hindi film music (especially pre-2010), regional Indian language releases (Bengali, Marathi, Tamil), and classical and devotional music. Wedding sangeets that lean on retro Hindi hits, hotels that play vintage Bollywood for ambient sets, and clubs that drop classics — all need Novex coverage for the Saregama tracks they use.
What to do if your PPL licence pre-dated April 2025
- Don't cancel your PPL licence. It still covers T-Series, Sony, Universal, Warner, and most major Indian labels. You're only losing Saregama coverage from April 2025 onward.
- Buy a Novex licence in addition. The cost depends on your venue size, event type, and duration — see novex.in for current tariff.
- Document the transition. If you have an old PPL licence dated before April 2025 and a venue audit asks about Saregama tracks played at a recent event, you want a paper trail showing you obtained Novex coverage after the handover. Keep both receipts on file.
- Run a setlist audit. Trakinfo's search shows you the current licensing body for any track. Anything labelled "Saregama" or "Saregama Music" should now show Novex as the required body.
If you're a DJ
The licence is the venue's responsibility — but if a venue asks for your setlist and you turn up with 30 Saregama tracks on a venue that only has a PPL licence, the venue is exposed. Communicate setlists in advance for events that haven't obtained Novex coverage, or substitute Saregama tracks with PPL-covered equivalents.
Trakinfo's data
We've updated all Saregama tracks to show Novex as the required licence body. The change is reflected in track search results, browse listings, and the licensing checklist on each track's detail page.
Audit your setlist: Search any track →