Gaana is one of India's longest-running music streaming apps, and for many listeners in Hindi-speaking markets and beyond it's still where they hear new songs. Independent artists often ask the same three things: how do I get my music on Gaana, how do I get an artist profile, and how do I get onto Gaana playlists? This guide answers all three for 2026. It includes something many older guides miss: Gaana's artist portal has been showing a maintenance page, and the Airtel-backed Wynk Music, once Gaana's direct rival, is no longer a destination to plan around.

Can you upload directly to Gaana?

No. Gaana does not accept direct uploads from independent artists. Your music reaches Gaana through a distributor or aggregator that delivers to it. Most distributors used by Indian independent artists list Gaana as a store. Before you pay for any distributor, confirm Gaana is in its store list. Our music distribution in India comparison covers the options.

The basic path:

  1. Finish your mixed and mastered track. Our music industry glossary explains the terms.
  2. Prepare square cover art at the distributor's required resolution, with no URLs, social handles or blurry text.
  3. Upload to your distributor with full metadata: artist name, featured artists, songwriter and composer names, language, genre, release date and ISRC.
  4. Tick Gaana (and JioSaavn, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music) in the store selection.
  5. Schedule the release at least two to three weeks out. Indian stores can take days to ingest, and lead time also lets you pitch.

Metadata that matters on Gaana

Gaana's catalogue is enormous and heavily skewed to film music. Good metadata is how your song gets found:

  • Language tag. Gaana listeners browse by language. Tag Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi or whatever the song is in correctly. Don't tag a Hinglish rap track as "English" only.
  • Genre. Use the closest standard genre. Don't invent one.
  • Artist name consistency. Spell your name exactly the same on every release. "Ankit Sharma Music" on one release and "Ankit Sharma" on the next creates two artist pages.
  • Featured artists. Credit features properly so the song appears on both artists' pages.
  • Lyrics. Where your distributor supports lyric delivery, submit them. Indian listeners search by lyric lines.

The Gaana artist profile in 2026

Gaana has run a "Gaana for Artists" portal at artist.gaana.com, which artists used to claim their profile, update photos and bios, and see stats. As of October 2026, that portal has been displaying a "website under maintenance" message. Gaana's artist support knowledge base remains online, and lists [email protected] as the support contact.

What to do while the portal is down:

  • Check whether your artist page exists. Search your name in the Gaana app after your first release goes live.
  • Fix profile issues through your distributor. Wrong photo, merged artist pages or songs on the wrong profile are usually fixed by your distributor raising a ticket with the store.
  • Email artist support for profile issues. Keep it short: artist name, Gaana artist page URL, release names, distributor name, the exact problem, and your official links as proof of identity.
  • Watch for the portal's return. When artist.gaana.com is live again, claim your profile, add a high-resolution photo and a bio, and link your socials.

Don't pay anyone who claims they can "verify" your Gaana profile or guarantee playlist placement. That's not how the platform works, and it may breach its terms.

Getting onto Gaana playlists

Gaana's playlists are editorially curated, algorithmic or user-made. There's no public, Spotify-style pitch form for independent artists. Practical routes:

  • Distributor pitching. Larger distributors and aggregators have relationships with Indian stores' editorial teams and accept priority pitches for strong releases. Ask yours how they pitch to Gaana and the deadline before release day.
  • Language and mood fit. Gaana editorial playlists are often organised by language, mood and occasion (romance, workout, devotional, party, monsoon, festive). Pitch a song for the context it fits.
  • Release timing. Festive seasons and wedding season change what editors want. A romantic Hindi single pitched ahead of Valentine's week has a clearer slot than one released at random.
  • User playlists. Fans and smaller curators build public playlists on Gaana. Share your Gaana link, not just Spotify, with fans in markets where Gaana is popular.
  • Momentum elsewhere. Songs that trend on Instagram Reels or YouTube tend to get noticed by every Indian store's editors.

The pitching principles in our Spotify playlist pitching guide and JioSaavn for artists guide apply here too: a clear one-paragraph story, genre, mood and language, release date and any traction.

What happened to Wynk Music?

Many older articles list Wynk alongside Gaana as a must-have Indian store. In August 2024 Airtel announced it was shutting down the Wynk Music app and pointed users to Apple Music through a partnership. For independent artists that means:

  • Don't plan releases or marketing around Wynk.
  • If a distributor still lists Wynk as a selling point, ask what it means today.
  • Airtel subscribers who used Wynk may now be on Apple Music, which is one more reason to set up Apple Music for Artists and pitch there.

Gaana in your wider release plan

Gaana is one store among several. For most independent artists in 2026, India's listening is split between YouTube, Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music and Apple Music, with Instagram driving discovery. Our music streaming platforms in India overview explains the landscape, and the Amazon Music for Artists guide covers another store that's easy to forget.

A balanced approach:

  • Deliver every release to all major Indian stores through one distributor.
  • Use pre-save or smart links that include Gaana for fans who use it.
  • Track Gaana streams in your distributor's reports. If Gaana is a big share for you (common for Hindi and Punjabi pop, devotional and regional music), give it more promotion.
  • Register your songs with IPRS so publishing royalties from streaming reach you.

Earnings from Gaana

Gaana pays the rights holder through your distributor. Per-stream rates aren't published and vary with subscription and ad revenue. Most Indian listeners are on free tiers, so per-stream earnings are modest. Treat Gaana as reach first. Our streaming income in India piece sets realistic expectations.

Common problems and fixes

  • Song not showing up after release day. Wait 48–72 hours, then ask your distributor to check delivery status for Gaana.
  • Song on someone else's profile. Raise it with your distributor straight away. Unique artist names help prevent this (trademark your band name).
  • Two profiles for one artist. Ask the distributor to request a merge, and keep your spelling consistent from now on.
  • Wrong language tag. Distributors can usually push a metadata correction.
  • Old cover art. Artwork updates go through the distributor.
  • Takedown or claim disputes. If someone uploads your song without permission, gather proof of ownership and contact your distributor and Gaana support.

Quick checklist

  • Distributor confirmed to deliver to Gaana
  • Release scheduled 2–3 weeks out
  • Correct language, genre, credits and lyrics in metadata
  • Artist name spelled identically everywhere
  • Pitch submitted through your distributor before the deadline
  • Gaana link included in smart links and bio
  • Profile issues logged with your distributor or [email protected]
  • Wynk removed from your release plan

Gaana may not be the loudest platform in indie circles, but its audience is large and distinctly Indian. Getting your metadata, profile and pitching right costs almost nothing and makes sure listeners who live on Gaana can find you.

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