Khair Muhammad Kumbher: Building a collective voice for Pakistan’s independent music industry

Pakistan’s automotive, textile and e-commerce sectors have established trade associations to represent their interests,

Pakistan’s automotive, textile and e-commerce sectors have established trade associations to represent their interests, but independent musicians have long lacked a similar platform. Khair Muhammad Kumbher, Vice Chairman of the Pakistan United Music Producer Association (PUMPA), and his colleagues are working to address this gap through collective representation, international collaboration and efforts to combat digital music fraud.

Giving independent musicians a voice

Before PUMPA emerged, independent artists, music producers and labels in Pakistan had limited opportunities to collectively negotiate licensing arrangements, understand copyright protections or communicate their concerns to government authorities and digital platforms.

Many independent labels and producers operated on a small scale, often without the resources or industry connections available to larger businesses.

Kumbher says the objective was not to compete with existing organisations but to create a platform where independent music professionals could discuss shared challenges and work towards common solutions.

Connecting Pakistan with the global industry

On February 18, 2026, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) admitted PUMPA as a member alongside SPILNA, a newly established Ukrainian association representing music companies.

WIN connects national independent music associations across regions including North America, Europe, Australia, Japan and Latin America. Its chief executive, Noemí Planas, welcomed the addition of Pakistan and Ukraine, describing their inclusion as an expansion of independent music representation into new territories.

PUMPA subsequently joined WIN’s Asia-Pacific Alliance and participated in regional meetings, providing opportunities to learn from the experiences of established international music associations.

According to Kumbher, these interactions demonstrated that many challenges facing Pakistani artists, including limited representation and copyright-related difficulties, had also affected other markets before they developed stronger industry structures.

Tackling the growing threat of music fraud

International engagement also highlighted the increasing risks posed by digital music fraud. Artificial intelligence can be misused to imitate singers’ voices, while artificial streaming services artificially inflate play counts and divert royalty payments. Fraudulent distributors may upload music belonging to other rights holders, and manipulated metadata can make ownership information inaccurate or misleading.

Such practices can also trigger platform investigations and account suspensions, potentially affecting legitimate artists alongside those responsible for manipulation.

Kumbher says the organisation recognised that Pakistani musicians could be particularly vulnerable because of limited local monitoring and awareness.

Establishing the Anti Music Fraud Task Force

In response, PUMPA established the Anti Music Fraud Task Force (AMFTF), with Kumbher serving as Head of Operations. His responsibilities include monitoring suspicious activity, handling cases and overseeing the development of detection tools.

The task force examines potential warning signs such as duplicated audio fingerprints, unexplained ownership changes, misleading artist names and unusual streaming patterns. Suspected cases are recorded, reviewed by human investigators and reported to relevant platforms or distributors when appropriate.

It also advises musicians to register ownership correctly, maintain written agreements documenting revenue splits, avoid purchasing artificial streams and verify distributors before entering contractual arrangements.

According to AMFTF, its detection tool is being used by labels, distributors and rights holders in several countries. Kumbher emphasises that technology supports investigations but cannot replace human judgement.

Priorities for the future

In November 2026, Kumbher is scheduled to represent PUMPA at the IMCJ Asia-Pacific summit in Tokyo and WINCON in Toronto. The association has also reportedly received approaches concerning music industry events in Southeast Asia in 2027.

Domestically, PUMPA is seeking simpler copyright registration procedures, consultation on taxes affecting online earnings, fair licensing arrangements for Pakistani music catalogues and improved collection of neighbouring rights.

Kumbher believes Pakistan’s music policies must reflect the realities of digital distribution, through which a producer in a small town can reach audiences across the world.

For PUMPA, the long-term goal is to ensure that independent musicians have the representation, protection and industry infrastructure needed to participate fairly in the global music economy.