In the wake of mounting speculation and misinformation over the financial legacy of the late singer Zubeen Garg, his longtime manager Siddhartha Sharma has come forward with a detailed clarification. Through an open letter issued on Thursday, Sharma sought to put to rest rumors about ownership of the artist’s vast body of work and the money he earned from it. According to Sharma, although Garg had recorded an astonishing 38,000 songs during his career, the celebrated singer received only modest, one-time payments for most of them. The rights, he explained, are largely owned by music labels and production houses. “Most of these songs, including nearly all of his popular hits, were recorded long before I came into his life. Zubeen da often told me that despite his songs generating crores of rupees, he personally earned very little,” Sharma wrote.
He emphasized that such facts are not hidden and can be verified with the respective producers and labels. His statement, he said, was necessary to counter growing claims on social media that have painted a distorted picture of the singer’s financial affairs. Sharma also shed light on one of the singer’s final business ventures—Zubeen Garg Music LLP, formed in 2021 in a bid to retain control over some of his later works. Under this company, a little over 20 songs were released, with an overall investment of around ₹10 lakh. Garg himself contributed ₹6 lakh to the project. However, the venture yielded limited results. “The revenue from these songs has been minimal, only a few thousand rupees per month. The money has been maintained in the LLP account, and no withdrawals have ever been made,” Sharma clarified.
The open letter further revealed that Garg held a 60% stake in the LLP, while Sharma himself held the remaining share. He pledged to ensure that the balance stake is smoothly transferred to the singer’s family. In addition, royalties earned by Garg in his capacity as composer and lyricist, credited through the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), will continue to be received by his wife following his demise, as per legal provisions. At the same time, Sharma strongly rejected allegations that he had misused Garg’s trust or funds. He said such accusations were “entirely false” and reiterated his willingness to fully cooperate with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Assam government to probe circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.