A Case of Mistaken Identity
First, let's clear the air. The big news is not about Microsoft's spreadsheet program becoming a record label. The 'Excel' making waves in the music industry is actually Excel Entertainment, the acclaimed Indian film production house founded by Ritesh
Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. In early August 2026, they announced the launch of a dedicated music label named Excel Music. This move is a significant step for the company behind hits like 'Dil Chahta Hai' and 'Gully Boy', but it has nothing to do with pivot tables and VLOOKUP functions. The confusion is understandable, but the real story is a major development within the Indian entertainment landscape.
The Real Story: Excel Music is Here
Excel Music has been launched in a strategic partnership with global music giant Universal Music Group (UMG). UMG had already acquired a stake in Excel Entertainment earlier in 2026, securing distribution and publishing rights for its soundtracks. The new label formalises this relationship, creating a powerful new entity focused on music intellectual property. The label's first major release will be the soundtrack for the highly anticipated 'Mirzapur: The Movie', signaling its intent to become a key player. This venture will not only house music from Excel's own film slate but also collaborate with other filmmakers, aiming to cultivate and promote musical talent.
The Core Question: Why Own the Soundtrack?
This move by Excel Entertainment directly addresses the practicalities of soundtrack rights. For modern film studios, music is no longer just a creative element; it's a valuable financial asset. By launching a dedicated label, a production house gains direct control over its music intellectual property. This allows them to manage how songs are used, licensed for advertisements or other shows (known as synchronisation or 'sync' rights), and collect royalties over the long term. A hit song from a film can continue generating revenue for decades through streaming, radio play, and cover versions, long after the movie has left theatres. Owning the rights ensures that this revenue flows back to the creators and the studio.
The Complex World of Music Royalties
Managing these rights is incredibly complex, which is why a specialised label is necessary. The music industry operates on a web of different rights and royalty streams. Performance royalties are generated when a song is played on the radio or in a cafe. Mechanical royalties are owed whenever a song is reproduced, including on streaming platforms. Sync rights are for pairing music with visual media. Each of these involves different collection societies, legal agreements, and payment structures that vary by country. Without a dedicated team and infrastructure, tracking and collecting this global income is a massive challenge, and significant money can be left on the table.
Can a Spreadsheet Even Do This Job?
This brings us back to the original, mistaken idea of Microsoft Excel. While it is not a music publisher, many independent artists and small-scale creators do, in fact, use spreadsheets to manage their catalogues and track their earnings. A spreadsheet can serve as a basic database for song titles, writer splits, and ISRC codes. However, this manual approach is prone to critical errors. Inaccurate metadata is a primary reason why royalties go unclaimed. A simple typo can cause payments to be lost or misdirected entirely. Dedicated music royalty software and administration services exist to solve this problem, automating the complex process of registration and collection that a simple spreadsheet cannot handle.
