Head of South Asia, TuneCore
Co-host, The Indian Music Charts Podcast
Biography & Career Highlights
Akhila Shankar is a music executive and award-winning marketer with over a decade of experience across India’s media, entertainment, and audio industries. Her career spans leadership roles in music distribution, streaming, marketing, and global podcasting—working with platforms, record labels, agencies, artists, and live promoters.
She has been recognised repeatedly for her contributions, including Exchange4Media’s Content 40 Under 40 (2020), Marketing 30 Under 30 (2021) and Social Samosa’s India’s Best Marketers & Media Planners (2021). Akhila has also represented India on the global stage at events like SXSW (Austin) and Øya Festival (Oslo), and co-hosts the award-winning Indian Music Charts Podcast, a leading commentary platform on India’s evolving music landscape.
Early Career & Music
Akhila Shankar began her professional journey in advertising (2009–2014), working across clients in music and F&B, where she built a strong foundation in brand strategy, audience behaviour, and content-led marketing.
In 2014, she transitioned full-time into music by joining Saavn (now JioSaavn). As part of the early leadership team, she played a pivotal role in building the platform’s music marketing division from scratch—focusing on independent artists, community-building, and original IP creation. She helped launch some of India’s earliest digital live music formats such as live@saavn, and drove marquee podcast marketing including #NoFilterNeha, one of the country’s first mainstream celebrity-driven audio successes. Her work centered around storytelling, creator visibility, and bringing indie voices into the cultural mainstream.
Transition to Entrepreneurship
After her tenure at JioSaavn—including co-leading the platform’s billion-dollar rebrand across 22 Indian states following its acquisition by Jio—Akhila moved into global audio entrepreneurship as Director of International Growth at Luminary, the world’s largest subscription podcast network.
Here, Akhila Shankar led Luminary’s expansion from 11 to 60 markets, including India, and oversaw the launch of its first South Asian originals featuring Masaba Gupta and Konkona Sen Sharma. During this period, she also co-founded The Indian Music Charts Podcast (2023), which has since become one of the top-charting music commentary podcasts on Apple Podcasts—bringing weekly data-driven insights to India’s fast-evolving music ecosystem.
About the Company
Akhila Shankar currently leads TuneCore South Asia, one of the world’s largest independent music distribution platforms under Believe. TuneCore enables artists to release music globally while retaining ownership, providing distribution, data access, artist development support, and tools for sustainable careers. Under her leadership, TuneCore has deepened its presence in India and neighboring regions, focusing on empowering independent musicians, amplifying local scenes, and fostering equitable access to global music infrastructure.
Impact & Vision
Across all her roles, Akhila Shankar has consistently championed creators, cultural innovation, and new pathways for Indian music. She has helped build communities, elevate indie talent, and push the boundaries of digital audio—from pioneering early concert IPs to shaping major podcast and streaming narratives. Her vision lies in strengthening the artist economy through education, distribution, and international visibility—ensuring South Asian creators are not just participants in global culture, but leaders shaping it. Her work continues to integrate storytelling, technology, and community-building to build a more empowered, globally connected music ecosystem.
