May 2025 – Mumbai, India —
Believe, one of India’s leading music distribution and artist development companies, is helping shape a growing shift in how music supports and elevates storytelling on streaming platforms—most recently with the release of The Royals on Netflix India.
With The Royals, Believe has built a campaign that places the soundtrack at the centre of audience engagement. Rather than being a supporting element, the music is woven in as a cultural and narrative driver—from curated digital rollouts and immersive content to high-impact activations like IPL integrations and International Dance Day takeovers. Titled ‘The Crown Has a Soundtrack’, the campaign positions the album as an active part of the show’s world, extending its emotional and cultural reach.
This approach mirrors a broader movement in India’s OTT landscape, where music is beginning to reclaim the kind of cultural resonance once dominated by Bollywood. For decades, Hindi cinema shaped pop culture not just through its stories, but through iconic music that lived on well beyond the films. As viewing habits shifted to streaming, that centrality of music diminished—but projects like The Royals show how that gap can be bridged. Shilpa Sharda, Director of Believe Artist Services for India and Southeast Asia commented on how The Royals’ soundtrack sets an example for Netflix’s future releases, “With The Royals on Netflix, we’ve seen another impactful chapter in our collaboration take shape. Netflix continues to set the standard for original series music, often matching the scale of top Bollywood productions — and this soundtrack is no exception. The track ‘Who Rules The World’ is already gaining strong traction, and the full album promises even more. What stands out is the music marketing — executed with the full scale and precision of major film campaigns. For us at Believe, it’s a milestone that reaffirms our core belief: in OTT, music isn’t just in the background- it’s a lead character.”
Audiences aren’t just streaming the music—they’re living it. From dancers reclaiming power with “Who Rules The World,” to beauty creators using it as a score for transformation, and DJs remixing it into late-night sets, the soundtrack is no longer a companion piece. It’s a cultural moment. The Royals actor Bhumi Pednekar shares, ” With the drop of Who Rules The World, it was such a joy to see people really take to the song through the compliments showered on social media or some of the amazing dance challenges I’ve seen people take up. It truly shows how each track captures the spirit of the show, complementing the magic of the show with just the right harmony for the right scene. It’s no wonder that it has resonated so deeply with audiences already. It’s really an album with no skips.”
“It was honestly so heartwarming to see how the music from The Royals took off—even before the show dropped. From buzzing IPL edits to reels, the soundtrack found its groove with the audience right away,” said The Royals actor Ishaan Khatter. “Just like the series, the music is playful, stylish, and full of personality with a hint of nostalgia – it adds that extra flair to the characters and their royal world. Big shoutout to Netflix and Believe for letting the music lead the vibe,” he adds. As the OTT content landscape continues to evolve, Believe is making the case for a soundtrack-first strategy that puts music back where it belongs: at the cultural core.
The Royals Original Soundtrack is now streaming on all major platforms.
