This Royalty Sharing Policy (“Policy”) outlines how royalties are calculated, reported, and paid to artists and content providers who distribute content through SwaLay Digital. By using SwaLay's distribution services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms of this Policy.
This Policy forms an integral part of your agreement with SwaLay and should be read together with our Terms of Service, Content Declaration, Content Distribution Policy, Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy, Pricing & Payment Policy, and Privacy Policy, all available on our websites at https://swalay.in, https://swalay.com, https://swalay.talantoncore.in, and https://swalayplus.in.
1. How Royalties Work
When your music is streamed, downloaded, or otherwise consumed on any Digital Service Provider (DSP) such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, JioSaavn, Amazon Music, Gaana, Wynk, or others, the DSP pays a royalty to SwaLay Digital based on the terms of our distribution agreements with that DSP.
SwaLay collects these royalties on your behalf, deducts its commission (as described in Section 2), and credits the remaining amount to your SwaLay artist dashboard wallet. Royalties are calculated based on actual revenue received by SwaLay from DSPs, not on estimated or projected figures.
Please note that per-stream rates are not fixed and vary across DSPs, countries, subscription tiers (free vs. premium), and time periods. SwaLay has no control over DSP payout rates and cannot guarantee any specific per-stream or per-download earnings.
2. Royalty Percentages by Plan
The percentage of royalties you receive depends on your active SwaLay subscription plan at the time of revenue generation. The following table outlines the royalty share for each plan:
| Plan | Artist Share | SwaLay Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Plan | 70% | 30% |
| Pro Plan | 80% | 20% |
| All in One Plan | 90% | 10% |
| Label Plan | 90% | 10% |
If you upgrade or downgrade your plan, the new royalty percentage applies only to revenue generated after the plan change takes effect. Revenue already earned under a previous plan will be paid at the rate applicable at the time it was generated.
SwaLay reserves the right to introduce new plans, modify existing plan benefits, or adjust commission rates. Any changes will be communicated in advance and will not retroactively affect already-earned royalties.
3. What Counts as Revenue
3.1 Included Revenue: Royalties are calculated on the following types of revenue received by SwaLay from DSPs:
- Streaming revenue (on-demand audio and video streams)
- Download revenue (permanent digital downloads)
- Caller Tune / CRBT revenue (telecom ringback tones)
- YouTube Content ID ad revenue (where applicable)
- Lyrics display revenue (where applicable)
- Any other revenue directly attributable to your distributed Content
3.2 Excluded Revenue: The following are not included in royalty calculations:
- Revenue from Content that has been removed due to policy violations, copyright strikes, or takedown requests
- Revenue flagged as fraudulent, artificially inflated, or generated through stream manipulation
- Promotional or free-tier plays where the DSP does not pay any revenue to distributors
- Revenue withheld or clawed back by DSPs for any reason
3.3 SwaLay relies entirely on revenue data reported by DSPs. We do not independently verify stream counts or per-stream rates and cannot be held liable for discrepancies in DSP reporting.
4. First Royalty Report Timeline
After your first release goes live on DSPs, it typically takes 45 to 90 days before royalty data becomes available in your SwaLay dashboard. This delay is due to the reporting cycles of individual DSPs, which vary in frequency and timing.
Some DSPs report monthly, while others report quarterly. SwaLay processes royalty data as it is received and makes it available in your dashboard as soon as processing is complete.
Your first royalty report may not include data from all DSPs simultaneously. Reports will be updated as additional DSP data is received and processed.
5. Ongoing Reporting & Payment Cycle
5.1 Reporting Frequency: Royalty reports are generated and updated in your dashboard on a quarterly basis (every 3 months), subject to DSP reporting timelines. SwaLay aims to process and display royalty data within 30 days of receiving reports from DSPs.
5.2 Payment Window: Once royalties are processed and reflected in your dashboard wallet, you may initiate a withdrawal at any time, provided you have met the minimum payout threshold (see Section 6).
5.3 Delay Disclaimer: SwaLay is not responsible for delays caused by DSP reporting cycles, banking holidays, payment processor downtime, or force majeure events. In cases of significant delays, SwaLay will notify affected artists through the dashboard or registered email.
5.4 Statement Access: Detailed royalty statements, including per-DSP breakdowns, are available in your SwaLay dashboard. You may download these statements for your records at any time.
6. Minimum Payout Threshold
The minimum payout threshold for royalty withdrawals is INR 500 (Indian Rupees Five Hundred). You must accumulate at least this amount in your dashboard wallet before you can initiate a withdrawal.
If your wallet balance is below the minimum threshold, the balance will carry forward to the next reporting period and will continue to accumulate until the threshold is met.
SwaLay reserves the right to change the minimum payout threshold. Any changes will be communicated in advance through the dashboard or email notifications.
7. Withdrawal Methods
7.1 SwaLay currently supports the following withdrawal methods for royalty payouts:
- Bank Transfer (NEFT/IMPS/RTGS): Direct transfer to your registered Indian bank account. You must provide accurate bank account details including account number, IFSC code, and account holder name.
- UPI Transfer: Transfer to your registered UPI ID. Ensure your UPI ID is active and linked to a valid bank account.
7.2 SwaLay may introduce additional payment methods in the future. The availability of payment methods may vary based on your location, plan, and account status. SwaLay is not responsible for failed transactions due to incorrect payment details provided by the artist.
8. Processing & Withdrawal Fees
8.1 SwaLay does not currently charge any processing fee or withdrawal fee for standard royalty payouts. The full amount (after SwaLay's commission and applicable taxes) is transferred to your chosen payment method.
8.2 However, your bank or payment provider may charge their own transaction fees, which are outside SwaLay's control and will be borne by you.
8.3 SwaLay reserves the right to introduce processing or withdrawal fees in the future. Any such changes will be communicated to artists at least 30 days in advance and will apply only to withdrawals made after the effective date of the change.
9. Tax Deductions (TDS)
9.1 As required under Indian tax law, SwaLay will deduct Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) on all royalty payments before disbursement. The applicable TDS rate will be determined based on the nature of payment and your PAN (Permanent Account Number) status.
9.2 If you have provided a valid PAN, TDS will be deducted at the rate prescribed under the Income Tax Act, 1961 (currently 10% under Section 194R or the applicable section). If PAN is not provided or is invalid, TDS will be deducted at the higher rate of 20% as mandated by law.
9.3 TDS certificates (Form 16A) will be made available for download through your SwaLay dashboard after the end of each financial quarter. You are solely responsible for filing your income tax returns and claiming TDS credits. SwaLay does not provide tax advice and recommends consulting a qualified tax professional.
10. International Artist Payments
At this time, SwaLay primarily processes royalty payments in Indian Rupees (INR) to Indian bank accounts and UPI IDs. Support for international wire transfers and payments in other currencies is not currently available but may be introduced in the future.
International artists using SwaLay's services should ensure they have a valid Indian bank account or payment method to receive royalties. Currency conversion, if applicable in the future, will be processed at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of the transaction, and any conversion fees will be borne by the artist.
SwaLay is not responsible for any additional taxes, duties, or charges imposed by the artist's country of residence on royalty income received from India.
11. Caller Tune (CRBT) Royalties
Caller Tune (CRBT) royalties are earned when your Content is set as a Caller Ring Back Tone by users on telecom networks such as Jio, Airtel, Vi (Vodafone Idea), and BSNL. CRBT revenue is reported by telecom operators on their own schedules, which may differ from DSP reporting timelines.
CRBT royalties are typically reported quarterly or semi-annually by telecom operators. As a result, there may be a longer delay between when a Caller Tune is activated and when the corresponding royalty appears in your dashboard.
The royalty share for CRBT revenue follows the same percentage split as your active subscription plan (see Section 2). SwaLay does not control CRBT pricing set by telecom operators and cannot guarantee specific CRBT earnings.
12. YouTube Content ID Revenue
If you have opted into YouTube Content ID through SwaLay, your Content will be registered in YouTube's Content ID system. When third-party uploads on YouTube match your Content, ad revenue generated from those videos may be collected on your behalf.
YouTube Content ID revenue is subject to YouTube's own reporting and payment schedules, which typically run on a monthly cycle with a 60 to 90 day delay. SwaLay will credit Content ID revenue to your dashboard wallet once it is received and processed.
The royalty share for Content ID revenue follows the same percentage split as your active subscription plan. Please note that not all Content may be eligible for Content ID, and SwaLay reserves the right to reject Content ID registration for Content that does not meet YouTube's eligibility criteria.
13. Lyrics Royalties
If you have submitted lyrics for your Content through SwaLay and those lyrics are displayed on supported DSPs (such as Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, and others), any revenue generated from lyrics display will be included in your royalty calculations.
Lyrics royalties are typically a small component of overall revenue and are dependent on the DSP's lyrics monetization model. Not all DSPs pay separately for lyrics display, and rates vary. SwaLay does not guarantee any specific earnings from lyrics submissions.
14. Royalty Dashboard
Your SwaLay artist dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of your royalty earnings, including:
- Total earnings and wallet balance
- Per-release and per-track revenue breakdown
- DSP-wise revenue distribution
- Streaming and download analytics
- Withdrawal history and pending transactions
- TDS deduction details and certificate downloads
Dashboard data is updated as new royalty reports are processed. Historical data is retained for a minimum of 3 years from the date of generation. SwaLay recommends downloading your statements regularly for your personal records.
While SwaLay strives for accuracy, dashboard figures are based on data received from DSPs and may be subject to adjustments. Final royalty amounts are confirmed only at the time of withdrawal processing.
15. Royalty Withholding & Forfeiture
SwaLay reserves the right to withhold, suspend, or forfeit royalty payments under the following circumstances:
15.1 Withholding: Royalties may be temporarily withheld if:
- There is a pending copyright dispute, counter-notification, or legal claim involving your Content
- Your account is under review for suspected policy violations or fraudulent activity
- Incomplete or inaccurate payment details have been provided
- Tax documentation (such as PAN) is missing or invalid
- A DSP has withheld or clawed back revenue related to your Content
15.2 Forfeiture: Royalties may be permanently forfeited if:
- Your account is terminated due to fraud, stream manipulation, or repeated policy violations
- Content is found to have been distributed without proper rights or authorization
- You fail to claim your royalties within 12 months of them becoming available for withdrawal, and your account remains inactive
15.3 SwaLay will make reasonable efforts to notify you before any forfeiture action. In cases of withholding, once the underlying issue is resolved, withheld royalties will be released for withdrawal.
16. Disputes & Corrections
16.1 If you believe there is an error or discrepancy in your royalty report, you may raise a dispute by contacting SwaLay support at swalay.care@talantoncore.in with details of the discrepancy, including the affected release(s), time period, and expected vs. reported figures.
16.2 Disputes must be raised within 90 days of the royalty statement date. Disputes raised after this period may not be entertained.
16.3 SwaLay will investigate all disputes in good faith and aims to respond within 30 business days. If an error is confirmed, SwaLay will issue a correction and adjust your wallet balance accordingly.
16.4 If a correction results in an overpayment (i.e., you were paid more than you were owed), SwaLay reserves the right to deduct the overpaid amount from future royalty earnings.
16.5 SwaLay's determination on royalty disputes, after investigation, shall be final and binding, unless overridden by a court of competent jurisdiction.
17. Limitation of SwaLay’s Liability
SwaLay acts as an intermediary between artists and DSPs. Our liability with respect to royalties is limited to the amounts actually received by SwaLay from DSPs for your Content, less applicable commissions and taxes.
SwaLay shall not be liable for any loss of revenue, anticipated royalties, or damages arising from DSP reporting errors, payment delays by DSPs, changes in DSP payout rates, Content removals by DSPs, or any other actions or omissions of third-party platforms.
In no event shall SwaLay's total liability to you for any claims related to royalties exceed the total amount of royalties actually paid to you by SwaLay in the 12 months preceding the claim.
18. Changes to This Policy
SwaLay reserves the right to update, modify, or replace this Royalty Sharing Policy at any time. Material changes will be communicated by updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, by sending a notification to your registered email address.
Your continued use of SwaLay's services after any changes to this Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must discontinue use of the Platform and request removal of your Content.
We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how your royalties are handled.
19. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or disputes regarding royalties or this Policy, please contact us:
SwaLay Digital
(A part of TalantonCore LLP)
TalantonCore HO, Graphix Tower - 2, A-13, Sector 62 Ground Floor, Noida
Sector 62, Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar- 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India
General Inquiries: swalay.care@talantoncore.in
Royalty Support: swalay.care@talantoncore.in
Websites: https://swalay.in, https://swalay.com, https://swalay.talantoncore.in, https://swalayplus.in
We will make every effort to respond to your inquiries within 48 hours during business days.