For more than a decade, streaming platforms reshaped how people listen to music. Subscription services promised instant access to millions of tracks, new discovery tools, and an end to piracy. What they did not promise — and have proven unable to deliver — is fair compensation for creators or true ownership for listeners. In older models, buying a CD, a vinyl record or a download meant the listener owned a copy of the music. Those rights are gone in the subscription era. Subscription services transfer control over cultural products away from creators and audiences and into the hands of platform owners who dictate when, where, and how music can be heard.

Spotify pays royalties to rights holders based on a share of total streams rather than a fixed amount per play, a system that disproportionately benefits the biggest hits and leaves smaller artists with fractions of a cent per stream. Independent advocates have pushed for a “one cent per stream” model and more transparent contracts, arguing that the current system disadvantages musicians who do not command mass play counts. The platform has also rolled out programs that prompt artists to accept lower royalty rates in exchange for algorithmic promotion, a practice some industry groups liken to historical “payola” — pay-for-play arrangements that emerged without clear disclosure or safeguards. 

There are also ethical concerns beyond economics: the company’s leadership has invested in a defence technology firm developing military systems, drawing criticism from musicians who do not want the creative work and listener support for their music to be tied to technologies of war. Major acts have pulled their catalogues in protest, joining broader movements that reject the idea of art supporting violence or geopolitical conflicts.

For all these reasons — we are stepping away from Spotify for the Homegrown Handpicked. Beginning from the first month of this year and going forward, we’ll be using YouTube for our playlist where links are direct and accessible without requiring a subscription. Here’s the curation for this January 2026:

Yawar Abdal’s new single is a Kashmir-rooted track with elements of Urdu poetry woven into its verses, attributed to lyricists Asad Mir and Mirza Ghalib, blending folk expression with classical sensibilities. The lyrics echo the classical imagery of comparing the world to a children’s playground and invoking figures like Majnun and Laila to reflect on love’s illusions — while the recurring address madno (beloved) and poetic metaphors of purity, youth, and pervasive presence move through the song. The official music video was directed by Abdal himself and features ensemble cast performances underlining the song’s roots in traditional songcraft.

Gorillaz just released 'Orange County', paired with 'The Hardest Thing', ahead of their ninth studio album 'The Mountain', via their new label KONG. Written by Damon Albarn, 'The Hardest Thing' opens with the voice of the late Tony Allen, whose presence anchors the track’s focus on grief, parting, and the act of saying goodbye. 'Orange County' follows with Albarn joined by poet and vocalist Kara Jackson and sitar player Anoushka Shankar, with production by Gorillaz and Bizarrap. The two tracks are presented side by side as a single eight-minute piece. It's been released digitally and as a limited-edition double A-side 7” vinyl.

Oort is the electronic project of Rahul Das, also known for his work as SundogProject. Rooted in left-field electronic music, Oort’s sound draws from industrial techno, IDM, experimental electronica, ambient, and traces of hip hop and trap. The new release 'Moth' moves through dense, dark electronic textures, built on flickering synths, distorted rhythms, and heavy low-end pressure. The track sits close to Das’ SundogProject palette but pushes deeper into shadowed territory, reflecting Oort’s interest in darker electronic forms and club-adjacent experimentation.

Coming from his earlier work on Everbloom with Hope Awake — a project that merged ambient passages with metal, shoegaze, and post-rock —Shaan Chandra’s new moniker Celestatia pushes that language into a more ambient territory. The track blends the rhythm of chillstep with the heavier textures of progressive rock, metal and shoegaze. The artist uses distortion and a dynamic structure to create a powerful and expansive atmosphere that's still bright and melodic. 'Bliss' marks a clear shift from Chandra’s earlier metal format into something more fluid and exploratory.

Bangla Box is a funky ode to Bengal’s street sound system culture by Pablo Dutta translating the music played from festival trucks into heavy bass music for clubs. The vocal sample is taken from Jatra, the form of Bengali folk theatre that is part of the region’s rural and urban life. The track draws from sounds commonly heard during Hindu religious festivals, when idols are transported from workshops to pandals and later taken to the river for immersion. These sound systems are also present at weddings, folk performances, and public celebrations across Bengal on both sides of the border. The artwork references 'Pagla Dashu', a popular Bengali children’s book, tying the track to memory, childhood, and everyday cultural life.

Anchored in Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s line “Aur bhi dukh hain zamaane mein mohabbat ke siwa,” this reads the poem through a materialist lens. Over spare, weighty production, it centres labour, hunger, and job precarity, arguing that economic need shapes how people live, love, and survive. Ahmad Parvez’s vocals are grounded in Urdu lyricism, while DeepC layers drums and synths that feel industrial over KIMKID’s guitars and bass, keeping the sound rooted and physical. The video takes a clear political position, tracing conflict back to class relations and struggles over resources. This is Faiz without romance here labour and survival take the center stage.

Bhaktaaa’s latest single is a hard-hitting hip hop release that focuses on hunger, ambition, and the pressures of chasing financial freedom, with lyrics built around the grind, discipline, and the survival mindset of street narratives. Produced, performed, and mixed & mastered by Bhaktaaa himself, the record channels high-energy hip-hop through aggressive bars and uncompromising delivery that reflects the drive and daily struggles of hustling toward one's goals.

Deborshi Purkayastha’s new single 'in my dreams i hold your hand in eternity' was born out of a Bryan Adams concert idea. Conceived amidst that live moment, the song was produced at his home studio in Goregaon with a music video shot on a Google Pixel 9A. The track moves with intimate and uplifting melodic core over perky syncopated breakbeats underscoring its title’s sense of hopeful yearning.

Aadatein marks Delhi-based singer-songwriter Ritwick’s return with a Hindi indie pop/rock track that follows a young man dealing with unreciprocated affection and the act of watching someone he likes choose someone else. Musically, the track combines rock-and-roll structures with synth elements, gradually opening into an ambient, distorted guitar solo, with a music video that mirrors the themes of the song.

'Nepo Kids' is a collaborative album by Sangram Malik and producer Eshaan. The record emerged from a sustained exchange of ideas between the two artists, following their earlier collaboration on 'Orissa' from Malik’s album 'Weight of a River'. While the intention was to make a house album, there were no fixed rules about form or structure, allowing the music to develop organically during the sessions. The album was completed in under three months and draws on rare vinyl, analogue synths, and recorded instruments.

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