‘Earned only Rs 1.5 lakh in 23-year Bollywood career’: Chak De singer says he’s paid Rs 10K for iconic songs, fired if asked for fee

He added, “In my 23 years career as a singer in the film industry, if I see what I have earned only from playback singing in films, it will be a big thing if I have Rs 1.5 lakh in this time. Private producers pay, the industry doesn’t pay because they think singers will earn from shows and concerts.”

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Krishna further alleged that music composers and big labels often replace singers if they ask for remuneration. “You can’t ask for money, because if you do, you won’t get work the next time. Now it doesn’t happen this way, some good people have come in the industry. Try and cut Rs 1,000 of Akshay Kumar. Will you dare to do that?,” he said.

He also claimed that only A-list singers earn substantial money from playback singing in Bollywood, adding that they can charge as high as Rs 3 crore for a single song. “Only A-listers earn money because composers think that they can sell the song easily to music company if an A-lister singer sings the song,” Krishna said.

He went on to add, “I can’t talk about their fees because every person charges according to them. Some take Rs 5 lakh, some take Rs 10 lakh, and some charge Rs 50 lakh and even charge Rs 3 crore to sing one song. It is all about demand once you have demand in the industry. You will get what you ask for.”

When asked about royalties and whether singers benefit from them, Krishna said, “The royalty doesn’t reach singers. Singers don’t get anything at the end of the day. The only way singers can earn is shows.”