‘India continues to love K-Pop’: Spotify India MD

Amarjit Singh, MD, Spotify India

The Covid-19 crash gave the audio streaming industry a boost as people stayed indoors with free time. Swedish audio streaming platform Spotify, which launched in India in February 2019, posted 29% year-on-year (YoY) growth in its global monthly active users (MAUs) in the third quarter of 2020, reaching 320 million. The company attributed much of its growth to its success in India. With the success of podcasts on the platform, Spotify signed an agreement with Chernin Entertainment to create TV shows, movies and digital video based on the original Spotify podcast series. The deal also allows them to view Chernin’s dozens of entertainment projects in development for potential podcasts. As Spotify launches its annual ‘Wrapped’ global campaign, which reviews audio trends throughout the year, Forbes India Talk to Amarjit Singh Batra, MD, Spotify India to find out about their plans for India and where they figure in the company’s global strategy
Q. Spotify has logged 320 million monthly active users in Q3 2020, which is said to be driven by its success in the Indian market. What are some of the factors for this?
Since our launch in India, it has been one of the key markets that has contributed to the growth of Spotify. We have been very local in our strategy and have built a strong local team. There are three key areas that we have focused on to make Spotify relevant to India. The first is to have product features designed for India, such as languages, relevant recommendations and playlists, and more, that directly impact the user experience. We also launched 25 original Spotify podcasts in India. Next, our marketing campaigns seem to have struck a chord with users and thirdly, we have a vibrant community of artists and creators in India, and we have conducted several master classes with record labels, artists and their managers on the use of Spotify to your advantage.
Q. With the deal with Chernin Entertainment, can we expect video production for some podcast series from India as well?
It’s only a matter of time before we start watching local podcasts tailored for TV series, movies, or other digital video formats. India is still finding its place in the podcast space and based on the data we see, there are certain genres that perform better than others, such as those related to society and culture (often self-help podcasts), education, business, and technology. From a Spotify perspective, we are absolutely open to these kinds of conversations in India as we continue to build a stronger lineup of Spotify Originals. Globally, we focus on an ‘audio first’ approach, and that is also where we will continue to invest locally: to identify the podcasts that our listeners want and, if there is a possibility to turn them into a TV series or a movie. , why? no.
Q. What is the future of podcasting in India?
Podcasting is still relatively young in India, but there is definitely high growth potential given the immersive and intimate nature of the medium. The popularity of this new era of audio storytelling can be attributed to three reasons. One, listeners want to be told a story, and podcasting is perhaps one of the best mediums for that. Two, listeners want to learn something new, and podcasts offer information, whether that means learning a new language or understanding how technology works. Most importantly, listeners want company, and audio can cut through video barriers. Spotify and industry trends show that podcasts will only grow, and this will not be driven by one company, but by the booming creator community in India. The cultural diversity of India will present a great opportunity for regional creators to explore this format, adding more depth and richness to the audio content. In fact, some of the best podcasts this year are in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Q. What steps has Spotify taken to advance the interests of the Indian creator community?
Since our launch in India, we have been committed to identifying and nurturing the country’s thriving independent artist community. Along with the master classes, we also offer ‘Spotify for Artists (S4A)’ which provides access to in-depth analytics to understand the artist’s audience, musical performance, and discoverability on the platform. Today 10,000 artists from India have claimed your S4A profile. Another initiative is RADAR India, which is about marketing artists who have great potential. Artists get support on social media, in-app banners, and access to playlists in other markets. The program is designed to develop the discovery and outreach of emerging talents, and artists such as Mali, When Chai Met Toast and Hanita Bhambri are among the beneficiaries of this initiative.
Q. How has the pandemic affected Spotify’s operations in India?
According to IMI, the audio streaming industry maintained relatively steady growth with more than 200 million listeners tuning in to music streaming services. At Spotify as well, our operations and business strategy remain on track, and our third quarter global financial results reiterated this. However, with a change in daily routines, what changed was what users listen to and when. While before the pandemic, listening was generally associated with travel hours, now audio is a break from screen time throughout the day. Users are tuning in to music and podcasts to keep them company during workouts, cooking, and even sleeping.
Q. What have you learned about Indian listeners’ preferences through Spotify Wrapped, 2020?
Our wrapped audio trends for India this year spoke deeply about the evolution of Indian taste for audio. India still loves K-Pop, and this has been constant since the day we launched it. Roughly 50 percent of the most-streamed tracks were Bollywood tracks, and the rest were a mix of international and non-film tracks. When it comes to genres, Desi Hip Hop was broadcast the most in the first three months of the year, and then listeners switched to Desi Pop for the remaining year. Our local listeners also consumed unique genres on the platform such as Brostep, Indie Poptimism, Deep Big Room, and more. In terms of podcasts, Indians show a strong preference for content of the genre ‘Society and culture’, with motivational programs such as TED Talks Daily, The Ranveer ShowY By the way with Jay Shetty being some of the most played podcasts on Spotify this year. Additionally, talk show formats such as Maha Bharat with Dhruv Rathee Y The Michelle Obama podcast they have also been transmitted a lot. Our local users are more likely to listen to podcasts in the evening, followed in the afternoon, and early in the morning.
Q. What are Spotify’s expansion plans in India?
We are still relatively young in India and we have a long term strategy for the market. In the near future, we are looking for a continuous location, which includes more marketing campaigns that reach audiences beyond our core markets in India, with cultural nuances that matter to them. In addition, we want to delve into the market for creators and partners. India is a huge country and there is a lot of talent to fill. To successfully expand in the market, we have to continue to build our network through master classes for artists and workshops for podcast creators. This also applies to our brand partners who use Spotify to reach specific audiences. We definitely see potential for more regional brands to work with Spotify.