India’s independent music scene has seen a surge of new formats over the past few years, but PayList.music is testing something fundamentally different. The new project positions itself at the intersection of live performance, fintech and audience participation, aiming to build a model where listeners have a direct financial stake in the artists they connect with.
The first edition takes place at antiSOCIAL in Mumbai, a venue known for nurturing alternative and emerging talent. The pilot lineup features a diverse set of new voices: 8GB RAM, Mr Kev and yel.low, Girgit, Aanchal Bordoloi, Derek and the Cats, Ravikesh Vatsa and MS Krsna. The format is built around a simple idea: artists premiere unreleased tracks and audiences respond in real time through the PayList app, where each ticket becomes a digital wallet. The amount a listener chooses to send becomes a direct payment to the performer, with no intermediaries involved.
Bimal Unnikrishnan of BRKthrough Media, one of the minds behind the project, describes it as “a unique live music experience where emerging artists drop their latest creations for the first time in public, and music lovers respond in the most direct, unfiltered way possible with money. Real cash, paid straight to the artists they connect with.”
He adds that the deeper intention is to create a space where creativity and community meet. “PayList.music is everything the modern music industry isn’t, but should be. It is instinctive, generous, honest. Creators share raw work. Listeners give raw feedback. It is a tribe obsessed with finding its musical soul.”
How it works
The show features seven emerging artists — 8GB RAM, Mr Kev and yel.low, Girgit, Aanchal Bordoloi, Ravikesh Vatsa and MS Krsna — each performing an unreleased original. Audience members access the PayList app and use the wallet value attached to their ticket to reward performances instantly.
The concert will be filmed through a multi-camera setup by the production teams behind Shark Tank and Dance India Dance, with the final cut released on YouTube to extend discovery beyond the room.
Komal Thakur, co-founder at BRKthrough Media, says the idea felt intuitive from the start. “When Bimal first shared the idea with me, it instinctively clicked. In a world where money passes through so many hands that barely a fraction reaches the creator, this felt phenomenal and simple. PayList.music stands for what we value as creators: mutual respect, freedom of expression and mutual value.”
She recalls that the team initially tested the concept informally among themselves. “We would fix a wallet amount, listen to a set of original tracks and decide who we would pay and how much. Beyond discovering new music together, it is incredible how much you learn about your friends through what they choose to back.”
A format built on instant feedback
Across India’s independent scene, there has been a growing push towards formats that prioritise discovery and artist sustainability. PayList.music is attempting to respond to both. Instead of applause, social media metrics or brand sponsorships, the model uses instant audience input as the clearest indicator of impact.
Rahul Hotchandani, part of the founding team, believes the immediacy is central to the experience. “There is nothing like the moment when an artist drops an original track right in front of you. Before the applause even dies down, you get to show them what it meant, not with words but with action. A tap, a transfer, a real-time reward for pure creation.”
Why it matters for the ecosystem
PayList.music is positioning itself less as a one-off event and more as a prototype for a fan-funded live model. The team behind the project sees it as a response to structural challenges around artist earnings, performance opportunities and the long path from creation to monetisation.
As India’s independent music landscape expands and consumer behaviour shifts toward more participatory formats, the initiative is attempting to test whether a microtransaction-based model can complement traditional live revenue streams.
The first public showcase takes place on November 25 at antiSOCIAL, Mumbai, featuring 8GB RAM, Mr Kev and yel.low, Girgit, Aanchal Bordoloi, Ravikesh Vatsa and MS Krsna. For the creators behind it, the experiment is as much about understanding audience behaviour as it is about showcasing new talent. As Bimal puts it, “PayList.music is where you find your sound, your truth, your voice, your purpose.”
