Indian Idol 1 winner Abhijeet Sawant says live performances are his biggest source of income: ‘I spend most of my time on stage…it is my business’ 

When asked if he recalls how much money he made after winning Indian Idol and the release of his album Aapka… Abhijeet Sawant, he explained, “Sony would do the calculation and give me the details. I would never get into the nitty-gritties, but I am assuming that I was earning 70% of the total earnings from my songs. The label would keep 20%, and the remaining 10% was used to pay the artistes.”

The Jo Jeeta Wahi Super Star first runner-up performs at least 50 shows in a year, stressing that he continues to stay relevant because of his music. “It is not Indian Idol but Abhijeet Sawant continues to stay relevant. People relate to my story,” he asserted.

When asked how much he earns in a year, without divulging much, he said, “Maine itna kama leta hoon ki ek acchi luxurious life jee sakta hoon (I make enough money to lead a luxurious life).”

While Abhijeet Sawant’s discography has a blend of playback singing and independent albums, he emphasises that live performance is an integral part of both his musical journey and income. “Stage performances and live shows are my biggest source of income. The percentage of royalty that I earn from my songs or previous albums is pretty low. Fortunately, Sony has been very kind to me. They call me up and ask me to collect my cheque (laughs). Royalties constitute a small part of my earnings, while live performances remain my major source of income,” he said.

The “Lafzon Mein Keh Naa Sakoon” singer, who doesn’t believe in limiting himself as far as singing is concerned, stresses that performing on stage has been an integral part of his learnings as an artiste. “I do all kinds of live shows; from ticketed events to private performances, and sing for both families as well as corporates. I believe a performer and artiste should be able to do everything. Much of my learning and training as a musician happened while performing on stage. I have spent most of my time on stage because it is my main business,” the artiste added.