“Sapphire” by Ed Sheeran is a festival of a song, Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Music Royalties

When I first heard Ed Sheeran’s Sapphire, I had to pause everything. Not just because the track is sonically addictive (which it is), but because this song is a masterclass in global music collaboration, and as someone working in music royalties and rights management, I couldn’t help but listen with a whole different lens.

Let’s start with the big picture: Sapphire was born in India, crafted alongside Arijit Singh, the soulful voice of a billion hearts, with an ensemble of Indian musicians. The song weaves Punjabi lyrics into Ed’s signature acoustic-pop style, and the video is a vibrant tribute to India’s sensory landscape. From ghatams and sarangis to sweeping shots of Indian cities, it’s not just a song -it’s a celebration.

And yes, there’s a blink-and-you-miss-it Shah Rukh Khan cameo, because what’s an Indian crossover without a dash of Bollywood royalty?

Music Royalties: When East Meets West (On Paper)

Here’s where it gets especially interesting for me.

Cross-country collaborations like this one demand meticulous royalty infrastructure , and if done right, they represent the future of fair, transparent, and borderless music compensation.

Songs like Sapphire raise key questions:

• How are royalties split when songs include artists across countries, cultures, and licensing bodies?

• Who’s tracking performance rights in India, where live performances, TV, and radio still have massive reach?

• And what about the use of traditional Indian instrumentation, are the composers or instrumentalists properly credited through neighboring rights?

In my experience working with songwriter rights and international royalty flow, this kind of release is a logistical Rubik’s cube. You’re looking at multiple PROs (like PRS in the UK, IPRS in India), different publishing partners, and variations in copyright law. These collaborations push the boundaries of what our global music rights systems can handle, and that’s a good thing. Because it forces us to evolve.

A Moment for India, A Lesson for the Industry

Ed didn’t just stop at a studio session with Arijit. He got a Punjabi tattoo, shared chai, performed in Hindi, and even grooved with college kids in India. It wasn’t a box-checking cultural tour, it felt personal and intentional.

As a musician and a music industry professional of Indian origin working internationally now, Sapphire felt personal. It reminded me that local traditions deserve global platforms, and that when Western artists collaborate respectfully and legally with Indian talent, they’re not just blending sounds, they’re honoring intellectual property and cultural equity.

Final Thoughts: Royalties Aren’t Boring — They’re Revolutionary

To many, royalties might sound like the backend of the music business. But when I hear songs like Sapphire, I’m reminded why royalties are actually the heartbeat of sustainability for creators, especially in collaborative, international work like this.

Because recognition isn’t just about who sings lead, it’s about every contributor being compensated fairly, whether they’re behind a harmonium in Kolkata or in a studio in London.

And that’s the kind of music industry I want to keep building, one where Sapphire isn’t the exception, but the blueprint.

As Ed Sheeran sang: You’re glowing, You colour and fracture the light, You can’t help but shine 🇮🇳

Written by Anisha Saikia

Music Industry Professional | Rights Management | Global Desi