Ministry of Culture and YouTube sign MoU to amplify and champion Indian Traditional Folk and Tribal Music on a global stage

Preserving and promoting India’s diverse folk traditions are the core missions for the Ministry of Culture: Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, with YouTube to promote and amplify Indian traditional folk and tribal music on a global stage in New Delhi today. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Smt. Gunjan Soni, Managing Director – India, YouTube graced the event.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that preserving and promoting India’s diverse folk traditions is a core mission for the Ministry of Culture. This collaboration with YouTube represents a significant step forward in nurturing our creative economy and empowering our artists. Our goal is to ensure folk musicians have the tools and platforms needed to achieve greater visibility, sustainability, and recognition both nationally and globally, Union Minister added.

Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture said that, the Ministry’s focus is on democratizing access so that folk artists from all corners of the country can proudly uphold their culture and traditions, while growing into independent creative entrepreneurs. Shri Aggarwal further added that by integrating YouTube’s global reach with the Ministry’s scaled infrastructure, the Ministry is not just providing a stage, but are helping lay the groundwork for millions of folk artists to become self-reliant and run successful endeavours.

Commenting on the announcement, Gunjan Soni, Managing Director – India, YouTube, said that YouTube is built to help artists and creators, from every corner of India, to share their talent with the world. Folk music is a vibrant part of India’s rich cultural tapestry, and this partnership with the Ministry of Culture is an invaluable opportunity to preserve and amplify these essential traditions. She further mentioned that YouTube is thrilled to combine the Ministry’s deep cultural engagement and IMOC’s infrastructure with its unique capacity to support and showcase artists on a global platform and democratize access for creators everywhere. The goal is to empower these talented artists not just with digital skills, but with sustainable pathways to connect with new audiences worldwide, build thriving careers online, and ensure their invaluable art form resonates for generations to come, she added.

The initiative is aimed at empowering the country’s rich community of traditional and folk musicians by providing them with access to digital tools, knowledge systems, and wider audiences. It focuses on strengthening the ecosystem of Indian traditional and folk music through digital skilling, awareness of intellectual property rights, enhanced collaboration opportunities, and sustainable career pathways for artists.

India’s folk, tribal and traditional music heritage, while diverse and vibrant, has often faced challenges in terms of global visibility, digital distribution, and awareness of rights in the modern content landscape. This initiative seeks to bridge these gaps by facilitating structured training programs, access to infrastructure, and continuous institutional support.

The Ministry of Culture will provide strategic leadership and oversight for the program, focusing on the folk music creative economy, with a joint task force guiding execution and impact assessment. Through the Ministry’s selected autonomous institutions of art and performance, this initiative will provide access to facilities, including recording equipment where feasible, and regional connections, and will also co-develop localized educational materials and identify mentors.

Under the MoU, YouTube will complement these efforts, by assisting the Ministry and its affiliated bodies to facilitate training artists of folk, tribal and traditional on digital content creation best practices, channel management, monetization strategies, copyrights management, and understanding audience insights through YouTube analytics.