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<ul><li><keyword id="685487" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="spotify" source="Orion">Spotify</keyword> recently celebrated its third birthday in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and we thought this would be a good time to look back at its journey so far.</li><li>We caught up with Amarjit Batra, Managing Director - India, Spotify and <keyword id="9454223" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="arjun-ravi-kolady" source="Orion">Arjun Ravi Kolady</keyword>, Head of Sales, Spotify India who spoke to us about all that has been happening at Spotify and their roadmap for the years ahead.</li></ul>When Spotify entered India 3 years back, the audio streaming industry in the country was just getting heated up. People were still getting used to the idea of paying a subscription for listening to music. 3 years later, things are changing. For Spotify, it has been an interesting journey. India now figures in the top 20 markets for the Swedish audio streaming platform globally in terms of user created playlists. The platform recently revealed that it saw a 165% increase in its premium subscriber base in Q421, and India and Indonesia were important drivers for this growth. <keyword id="13268245" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gustav-gyllenhammar" source="Orion">Gustav Gyllenhammar</keyword>, VP of Markets and Subscriber Growth for Spotify Technology SA also shared in a recent interview that the number of subscribers in India had doubled in 2021. Spotify added 61 million monthly active users across the world in 2021, out of which 25 million users were paid subscribers and the rest were ad-supported users, the platform said last month in a letter to shareholders. To understand Spotify’s journey in India so far and its plans for the years ahead, we spoke to Amarjit Batra, Managing Director - India, Spotify and Arjun Ravi Kolady, Head of Sales, Spotify India. Excerpts: Q) Its been 3 years since Spotify entered India. How would you say its journey in the country has been so far? Amarjit: Though the last 2 years have been challenging due to the pandemic, we as a team and as a market have been able to strive through, and we're very thankful for that. It's just been 3 years for us in India but we now see ourselves as clearly leading the market in terms of growing the streaming business and building the habit for listening to audio. India has also become an important market for Spotify and the organization is looking at India strategically, for the long-term. We have grown well both on the music and our podcast side. Three years back, podcast was relatively new in the market but I can happily say that we have been able to drive both podcast awareness and consumption in India. In fact, last year, 1 in 4 of our users were podcast users which is pretty significant and we hope that this number keeps improving. <keyword id="246" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anchor" source="Orion">Anchor</keyword> (Spotify’s podcast creation tool) has been doing well and there’s a new DIY trend in India in <keyword id="1591083" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="podcasts" source="Orion">podcasts</keyword>. We are also focusing a lot on some great original podcasts and have have some blockbuster hits last year. Arjun: If you look at it from the business on the <keyword id="35666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> side, 2 out of the 3 years we have been here have been pandemic years and we had to evolve in the way we engaged with the market, our customers, clients and agencies. But overall, it's been positive because the pandemic gave digital a massive boost. Before the pandemic, there were advertisers who were digital-first, so they doubled down on the medium. And there were advertisers who were slower to adopt digital but the pandemic made them realize that at a time when people were stuck at home, digital was how they could engage with their consumers. So, the pandemic has been a force multiplier for the digital advertising ecosystem and we’ve seen its impact on our business where we’ve seen significant growth. We’ve expanded the number of brands we've worked with, the solutions we work with and revenue has been growing at a very healthy rate overall. In India, audio is still at a nascent stage, and we see ourselves as the platform that will educate and inspire this market to build the future for audio advertising in India. Q) But when you talk to advertisers, does it still take a lot of convincing or are they sold on the effectiveness of the medium? Arjun: Audio is a subset of the larger ecosystem in which we operate. Just like the pandemic forced many people to come online, there were advertisers for whom a major chunk of their money was going to offline mediums, despite the fact that consumers had moved. According to eMarketer data from last year, total time spent on audio (music and podcast), is higher than time spent watching videos or gaming. So ultimately, monetization will follow where the consumer time is being spent. We are very early in the journey. There are brands that get it. Brands like Netflix, Mondelez and Oppo are early starters. And the rest will follow. Q) Are there any growth data points you can share when it comes to Spotify’s India performance? Amarjit: While I can’t share numbers, I can tell you about the depth of our growth so far. When we entered the market, we had a presence in the metros and Tier I cities but now Spotify is streamed in over 7500 cities and towns. A lot of our listeners love to create playlists, and that's our unique strength. Almost 150,000 playlists are being created every day by Spotify India users and that makes us among the top 20 markets globally. Meanwhile, there’s been a 130 times growth in podcasts created through Anchor since the start of 2020 which is again a big number. Spotify now has 150+ Spotify Original and Exclusive podcasts spanning in multiple regional languages. We are seeing more and more regional language podcasts, people have created podcasts in over 13 languages on Anchor through which I feel we’ve opened up a huge potential for local language creators to come on board. We have also doubled our premium user base in the market in the last one year so it has been a good 3 years for us. Q) What do you think has helped you bring paid customers to the platform? Amarjit: When we had entered India, the audio market was still amateur. We knew consumers would first need to get into the habit of listening to audio before they would want to pay for it. But over the last 3 years, we've seen more and more of our regular users move from free to premium. Out of our 400 million plus users from across the world, over 180 million are paid subscribers. In India, we have given consumers the push towards premium by building specific premium products. We have come up with satchet-sized packs that bring people onto the platform and once they use it, we have seen them shift to the larger premium plans. Q) Are marketers excited about podcasts? Arjun: The value proposition of podcasts is very clear. People trust ads in podcasts because they trust the podcasters. So ads within podcasts work better, have better recall and better conversion. Advertisers know that if they get the right podcast host to talk about their product, it can take the brand closer to the listeners since a lot of these podcasters almost have cult-like following. So it's almost like getting a recommendation from a trusted friend. We know the effectiveness of the advertising is very high. The only challenge, especially in India, how do we measure the impact it is having, deciding the metrics. It's still early days and there’s a lot of interest. We are working with brands to educate them at this stage. Investments will follow. Q) Spotify has also had an interesting marketing journey in India. What do you think are a few things you got right? Amarjit: Our objective here has been two-fold, to grow the streaming market and to create awareness for Spotify. There are still many people out there who may not have heard of Spotify. We understand that want to make sure that people know about us. Our communications have been highly entertaining and quirky because we believe that we are in the business of entertainment. We are helping people connect with cultures, music and voices, so we want to make sure that when we communicate, our tonality resonates with people. It’s worked for us so far. We have been pretty successful in growing our user base and the perception of Spotify as a product. Moreover, one of our strongest focus is to bring unknown artists under the spotlight. A lot of our campaigns are about artist marketing where we connect our artists to their fans. Whenever a new album is released, we help to get them out in a better way. We want to make sure that India is well represented in the overall Spotify cultural diversity. Globally we want to ensure that Bollywood and Indian creators and artists are well represented and that’s been a critical part of our journey. Q) Where will Spotify’s next phase of growth in India come from? Can we become one of the top 5 markets for Spotify anytime soon? Amarjit: I can say very clearly that India is among the top markets for Spotify right now. In fact, we are exporting some of our work being done in India to other markets and sharing some of our playbooks because some of the things we have done here are unique and could work well in other markets too. Going forward, our goal is to continue to invest wide and deep; deep in terms of ensuring that we go into different types of languages and tastes of our consumers. India has one of the deepest cultural diversity and we want to do justice to that. On the width of it, we want to create opportunities and moments for people to consume different types of content, different genres of music. We want to make sure that everybody is served well. Being the market leaders, it's our responsibility to create more users and bring them from piracy to pay for music and podcasts.

As Spotify turns 3 in India, here’s a look back at its journey so far

Swedish music streaming service <keyword id="685487" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify">Spotify</keyword> on Wednesday announced a slate of new podcasts from <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, including four new Spotify <keyword id="2119317" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Originals">Originals</keyword> and one exclusive podcast partnership. The Originals include <keyword id="11059435" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-talk-show">Tamil talk show</keyword> "The RJ Balaji Podcast", <keyword id="6357660" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindi">Hindi</keyword> comedy podcast "Andar Ki Baat by Amit Tandon", psychological horror show "Darr Ka Raaz with Dr. Phobia" and true crime series "Crime Kahaniyan". The company has also signed an exclusive deal for multiple children's podcasts produced by gaathastory. "Over the last year, we've seen an increased shift toward audio across demographics in India. In a video-saturated world, podcasts are a medium that nurture imagination, and can accompany <keyword id="674406" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Listeners">listeners</keyword> no matter where they are, or what they are doing," <keyword id="1901642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amarjit-SIngh-Batra">Amarjit Singh Batra</keyword>, Managing Director - India, Spotify, said in a statement. "We are continuing our effort to bring relevant, relatable local content with a focus on storytelling, crime, and talk shows with talented creators and hosts," Batra added. This diverse content acquisition aligns with the brand's strategy to cater to as many listeners in India as possible through relevant, relatable and exciting audio content, the company said. Globally, Spotify has more than 2.2 million podcasts on the platform. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/for-the-third-consecutive-day-a-new-unicorn-is-born-from-india-as-pharmeasy-joins-the-billion-dollar-club/articleshow/81943929.cms">For the third consecutive day, a new unicorn is born from India as PharmEasy joins the billion dollar club</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/barbeque-nation-ipo-shares-list-at-2-discount/articleshow/81944700.cms">Barbeque Nation bears the brunt of an uncertain future – shares list at 2% discount</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/rbi-has-increased-mobile-wallets-limit-with-2-lakh-and-need-full-kyc-also-for-mobile-wallets/articleshow/81946037.cms">You need to do full KYC for mobile wallets too – but you can store twice the amount of money</a>

Spotify announces new podcasts for Indian listeners including four new Originals and one exclusive podcast partnership

<ul><li>Spotify announced the launch of its ‘lite’ app in India to cater to users with limited internet connectivity or entry level devices. </li><li>The 10BM music streaming app is a toned down version of the original Spotify app but has only been launched for Android devices, leaves iOS phones out of the loop.</li><li><keyword id="7625445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify-Lite">Spotify Lite</keyword> can be installed alongside the original Spotify app and is available to both, Free and Premium, users.</li></ul> India’s a hotbed for a whole bunch of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/uber-ola-oyo-spotify-instagram-youtube-kindle-lite-apps-you-must-have/articleshow/69767158.cms">‘lite’ apps</a> — like Uber Lite, Instagram Lite and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Google-for-India-Googles-new-inspired-by-India-product-YouTube-Go/articleshow/54541798.cms">YouTube Go</a> — and now <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-launches-in-india/articleshow/68173763.cms">Spotify</a> is throwing its hat in the ring by launching a simplified version of the music streaming app, Spotify Lite. The only catch is that it has only been launched for Android users and the company has plans to launch an iOS version of Spotify Lite just yet. “We are committed to the long-term development of the music streaming industry, and the launch of Spotify Lite is another strong step in that direction," <keyword id="1901642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amarjit-SIngh-Batra">Amarjit Singh Batra</keyword>, Managing Director of <keyword id="6118216" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify-India">Spotify India</keyword> said in a statement. Spotify Lite can installed alongside the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-vs-apple-music-vs-netflix-vs-amazon-prime-prices/articleshow/68297160.cms">main Spotify app</a> on a device so that users can alternate their usage depending on their requirement at a particular time. It’s also available to both Free and Premium users of Spotify. 
 
 <div type="Youtube" id="4XMxHotOA1g" title="Spotify has a new playlist of ideas on how to sell music-- all thanks to India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4XMxHotOA1g/mqdefault.jpg"></div>




 ‘Lite apps’ To capture users in rural areas who may not have the best data connectivity or users who are using entry level devices, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chrome-lite-firefox-lite-india-launch-for-slow-speed-internet/articleshow/68402566.cms">‘lite’ apps</a> advertise themselves as the toned down version of the original apps they represent — but use less storage, consume less data and don’t impact the phone’s processor and battery as much. Keeping in line with that mandate, Spotify Lite is simpler than the original Spotify app while keeping most of the features but packaged to be considerably smaller at a size of 10MB. The company claims that 90% of the features from the original app are still a part of Spotify Lite. But animations and visual effects have been toned down since they aren’t ‘critical to the core experience’. The app also gives users the option to clear the app’s cache if their phone is running low on storage. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chrome-lite-firefox-lite-india-launch-for-slow-speed-internet/articleshow/68402566.cms">Google and Firefox join the bandwagon of light-weight apps aimed at emerging markets like India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-launches-in-india/articleshow/68173763.cms">Spotify silently launches in India with premium membership options starting at ₹13</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/apple-music-spotify-jiosaavn-gaana-subscription-price-in-india/articleshow/68737328.cms">Apple Music is now cheaper than Spotify in India</a>

India's patchy internet forces Spotify to go 'Lite' — but leaves iOS users out of the loop

There has been a tremendous increase in the sales of pre-owned vehicles. Ranging from vintage classics like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Royal+Vintage+Austin+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Royal Vintage Austin </a>to out-of-production Ambassador, Hindustan Contessa, Premiere Padmini and mass models such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Maruti+Suzuki+Alt&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Maruti Suzuki Alt</a>o, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Toyota+Innova+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Toyota Innova </a>and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mahindra+Scorpio&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Mahindra Scorpio</a>, there has been a stupendous hike in the re-sale market. 
 
There has been a jump of more than 100% in the number of pre-owned passenger vehicle transaction, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=OLX&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">OLX</a> claimed. The amount has increased to gross merchandise value of $1 billion as compared to $470 million last year. 
 
The top metropols still contribute to 52% of the sales . However, rest 48% is constituted by the transactions that are done from over 4,000 towns and villages such as Pathanamthitta, Ankleshwar, Dindigul and Pimpri. 
 According to <keyword id="1901642" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amarjit-SIngh-Batra">Amarjit Singh Batra</keyword>, chief executive officer at <keyword id="6360657" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="OLX">OLX</keyword> India, the trend might continue as there are supply-side constraints at present. 
 
"On the seller side, listings are growing by 45 per cent, but on the buyer side, the growth is in excess of 100 per cent. More than half are first-time car buyers with an average age of between 24 and 35 years," Batra told ET. 
 
Around 1.2 million enquiries for about 370,000-odd vehicles listed on the platform are received by OLX on a monthly basis. The company claims that it has managed to the capture 72% of the 3.3 million pre-owned car mark in the country. 
 <keyword id="44883" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maruti-Suzuki">Maruti Suzuki</keyword> Alto, Swift, Dzire, <keyword id="20630" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Honda">Honda</keyword> City, Toyota Innova, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mercedes&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Mercedes</a> C and E Class are some popular models sold on the platform. <keyword id="6357420" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="mercedes">Mercedes</keyword> has the largest number with 1480 listings followed by <keyword id="6355119" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BMW">BMW</keyword> (1243 vehicles) and <keyword id="6363321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Audi">Audi</keyword> (878 vehicles) in the luxury segment. 
The pace at which pre-owned passenger vehicle transactions are taking place online shows that the automobile segment has emerged as the strongest and most liquid category for OLX. 
(image: indiatimes)

OLX claims 100% sale of
pre-owned vehicles

In case you didn’t know, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> has entered India’s used goods business, indirectly. The Seattle-based <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">e-commerce</a> firm’s India-subsidiary <keyword id="124959" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Junglee">Junglee</keyword> has launched a pilot in Bengaluru which lets you sell second-hand goods across categories including mobile phones, tablets, pre-owned watches and books among others. It will soon expand to other metros depending on its success. 
 Fun fact, <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> used <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Junglee&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Junglee</a> as its launch-pad for its India entry. However, India’s largest used-goods marketplace <keyword id="6360657" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="OLX">OLX</keyword> doesn’t seem troubled. It’s available in 45 countries and has over 2,000 employees in offices across the world. 
 
“It’s not Amazon firstly, it’s the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Junglee&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Junglee</a> brand. Also, Amazon doesn’t do this in any other market in the world. We run in over 40 countries. Tell me, should I be scared?” <keyword id="817469" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="OLX-India">OLX India</keyword> CEO <keyword id="1901642" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amarjit-SIngh-Batra">Amarjit Singh Batra</keyword> said with a confident smile. 
 
“You shouldn’t take that brand lightly. However, unless <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> decides to put significant investment, I don’t see any traction”, Batra added. 
 
Peer-to-peer commerce is undoubtedly a bold bet for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a>. The new development brings Junglee directly in competition with the likes of Olx, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Quikr&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Quikr</a> and <keyword id="6357395" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="eBay">Ebay</keyword>, which has been struggling to crack the Indian market. 
 
When asked if he’s worried about Jeff’s money-power, Batra smiles, “OLX has been the most successful e-commerce website in the used goods space. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> have actually taken the playbook of OLX and used it amazingly well for their brand.” 
 
In <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a>’s current business model, the e-commerce giant will be offering pick-up, packing and delivery services for the used goods at the consumer's doorstep. The e-commerce giant will then charge a commission once the transaction is complete. Currently, users can list their ads for free. 
 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=OLX&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">OLX</a> CEO is quick to add there’s no love lost for the Amazon founder. “You shouldn’t trivialize <keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword>. He’s a big guy. He’s got big guts, big money, and big vision. However, to say he’s focusing on used goods is a mistake. It’s not visible in any of his discussions globally. I don’t see the rationale”, Batra adds. 
 
Mind, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> has make it clear that unlike platforms like Droom or Credr, it does not hold any responsibility in case of any grievances between the individual seller and buyer over these used goods. Quikr, too, has a similar end-to-end service called Quikr Doorstep which is available across 25 cities. 
 
Used-goods marketplace segment leader <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Olx+India&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Olx India</a> is yet to offer logistics.“There are 20 other things you can do on a platform. We follow the customer-first approach, rather than think of a problem and do some massive attempt on that”, Batra said.

OLX India CEO is not worried about Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

<ul><li>Shell Ventures, CRED’s <keyword id="192201" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kunal-Shah">Kunal Shah</keyword>, Spotify India’s CEO Amarjit Singh Batra also participated in the round.</li><li><keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> plans to use this funding to onboard 50 million new users in the next 18 months.</li><li>The company claims to have over 1.5 million driver partners, serving 15 million users</li></ul>Japanese motorcycle manufacturer <keyword id="48197" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yamaha">Yamaha</keyword> has participated in bike taxi platform Rapido’s latest $52 million funding round. The Bengaluru-based startup plans to use this funding to onboard 50 million new users in the next 18 months. Several new investors participated in the round such as Shell Ventures, CRED’s founder Kunal Shah, Spotify India’s chief executive Amarjit Singh Batra and Positive Moves Consulting. Existing investors Hero group’s Pawan Munjal, Hero Group, <keyword id="563236" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="WestBridge">Westbridge</keyword>, Nexus Ventures and Everblue Management also participated in the round. A part of the funding would be further used to invest in cutting edge technology and innovation, hiring talent and fueling its growth across the country. “Today, Rapido is the largest bike taxi player in the country operating in around 100 cities. Even though our product and business model are lucrative and have the potential to churn out an exceptional revenue, this fundraising indicates more of the investors’ confidence in us than the need for capital,” Rapido’s cofounder Aravind Sanka said. Founded in 2015 by Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli and SR Rishikesh, Rapido is a bike taxi service that is spread across 100 cities in India. The platform claims to have over 1.5 million captains, known as driver partners on the platform, serving over 15 million customers. The company largely offered business-to-customer (B2C) services until last year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the company to try out other business models as well in order to keep the cash flow running while customers moved to a work-from-home setting during nationwide lockdown. Rapido started expanding its business-to-business (B2B) offering (launched in 2018) last year, under which it offers last-mile logistics service to retail stores, e-commerce players and restaurants. It also launched Rapido Stores last month to allow both online and offline businesses to deliver products to the customers. It claims to have witnessed a strong business recovery of 85% as compared to pre-covid. Rapido has raised $130 million in funding to date from several marquee investors like Westbridge AIF, Nexus Ventures, Sabre Investment, Skycatcher LLC, BAce Fund, Integrated Growth Capital, among others. The startup was a competitor to another Bengaluru-based bike rental startup Bounce, which decided to move to an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing mode last year. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/with-pharmeasy-mobikwik-and-ixigo-all-set-to-hit-the-public-market-orios-plans-to-go-deeper-into-pre-ipo-bets/articleshow/85359703.cms">With PharmEasy, MobiKwik and ixigo all set to hit the public market, Orios plans to go deeper into pre-IPO bets</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tamil-nadu-government-is-upset-about-losing-money-on-luxury-cars/articleshow/85322536.cms">Tamil Nadu government is upset about losing money on luxury cars</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-now-has-four-edtech-unicorns-byju-unacademy-eruditis-upgrad/articleshow/85300757.cms">From Byju’s to Eruditus — India now has four edtech unicorns, thanks to a $4 billion funds flowing in since 2020</a>

Yamaha invests in bike taxi startup Rapido’s $52 million funding round

<ul><li><keyword id="685487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify">Spotify</keyword> India today announced the launch of three original podcast series. </li><li>All of these <keyword id="1591083" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Podcasts">podcasts</keyword> will go live on Spotify on December 3.</li><li>India’s podcast industry has grown rapidly in the past few years.</li></ul>Global music streaming platform Spotify launched <keyword id="8349786" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="original-podcast-series-in-india">original podcast series in India</keyword>, with three new titles. The company said that it is tapping into pop culture with the cricket centric ‘22 Yarns with Gaurav Kapur’; fiction thriller ‘Bhaskar Bose’ narrated by Mantra; and love and relationship advice-based ‘Love Aaj Kal’ by Aastha and Ankit. All of these podcasts will go live on Spotify on December 3. “Storytelling is intrinsic to India, and almost nostalgic because most of us have grown on stories that our grandparents and parents told us. Spotify wants to re-establish that listening culture here, especially as users seek more screen-free moments,” said Amarjit Singh Batra, managing director - India, Spotify. Spotify currently has over 500,000 podcasts for its users globally. Last year, it had only 10,000 podcasts on its platform and their numbers increased exponentially this year. “India features in the all time top 3 streaming markets for tech show Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast, and for On Purpose with Jay Shetty, a show that’s been number 1 on Spotify’s India podcast chart since the time of launch,” the company said. India’s podcast market has grown leaps and bounds in the last few years. According to a report by PwC, India had 40 million podcast listeners by the end of 2018.

Spotify launches 3 podcast series on what Indians love - cricket, drama and romance

<ul><li>Spotify Premium is now offering the first 3 months for free across plans for eligible users. </li><li>Earlier, Spotify offered 30-days trial premium membership. </li><li>In a country like India, where consumers are sensitive to price, Spotify may hope that longer free trial may gain more subscribers. </li></ul>Spotify is trying to woo more and more consumers globally by offering the first three months of its premium membership for free — and they can avail it at any time. Spotify already had an offer to provide 30-days trial premium membership. 
 For the company, it’s a permanent change in their business model where they want more users to experience the music streaming service before deciding to invest. "Music and podcasts play an important role in people's lives, so we wanted to give users the first three months for free to fully enjoy everything that Spotify Premium has to offer," said Spotify Chief Premium Business Officer Alex Norström. In a country like India, where consumers are sensitive to price, employing such a strategy could lead to more users converting from the free model of Spotify to the ad-free paid service. The first three months of free membership will allow users to access the service before deciding to whether or not it’s worth the money. Previously, <keyword id="6118216" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify-India">Spotify India</keyword> said the company had garnered 2 million active users in a month. According to Amarjit Singh Batra, Spotify is now among the top three music consumption in India,<a href="https://yourstory.com/2019/08/music-streaming-spotify-india-youtube-gaana"> reported Your Story.</a> <div type="Youtube" id="4XMxHotOA1g" title="Spotify has a new playlist of ideas on how to sell music-- all thanks to India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4XMxHotOA1g/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

 Spotify also localised its pricing model before launching the music streaming app in India. A Spotify premium membership is 80% cheaper in India than in the US. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-vs-apple-music-vs-netflix-vs-amazon-prime-prices/articleshow/68297160.cms?_ga=2.175939362.1492912822.1566465374-689246649.1565609969">Spotify got a million Indians to try its app in a week — but they will only stay if the price is right</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-launches-in-india/articleshow/68173763.cms">Spotify silently launches in India with premium membership options starting at ₹13</a>

You can now use Spotify Premium for 3 months before deciding whether or not to pay for it

New Delhi, Nov 19 () Music streaming service Spotify on Tuesday announced its first three original podcasts for India as the platform looks to bring in more local content to woo listeners in the country.
 Spotify, which launched its services in India earlier this year, competes with players like JioSaavn, Amazon Music, Gaana and Xiaomi-backed Hungama in the country where consumption of digital content is on the rise.
 The Swedish firm is bringing in cricket-centric '22 Yarns with Gaurav Kapur', fiction thriller 'Bhaskar Bose' narrated by Mantra, and love and relationship advice-based 'Love Aaj Kal' by Aastha and Ankit, a statement said.
 These podcasts will go live on Spotify on December 3, it added.
 The announcement comes as a reiteration to Spotify's global audio-first strategy that focuses on the brand's potential to grow faster with more original podcasts.
 The launch of these new series also opens the opportunity for India's growing creator community to work with the company for creating and delivering content in engaging audio formats.
 "Storytelling is intrinsic to India, and almost nostalgic because most of us have grown on stories that our grandparents and parents told us; Spotify wants to re-establish that listening culture here, especially as users seek more screen-free moments," Spotify Managing Director (India) Amarjit Singh Batra said.
 Currently, Spotify has over 5 lakh podcast titles on the platform, up from 10,000 in 2018.
 Globally, Spotify has invested in new original podcasts in the US, Europe, and South America. In June, former US president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground, announced a partnership with Spotify to produce podcasts exclusive to the platform.
 The acquisitions of podcast networks Gimlet and Parcast, and creator platform Anchor have also enabled the company to invest in high-quality content as well as providing an easy way for creators to record a podcast, respectively.
 Spotify has also seen exponential growth in the podcast hours streamed globally (up about 39 per cent from the second quarter of 2019 to the third quarter) with podcast adoption reaching almost 14 per cent of total monthly active users (MAUs).
 While the US accounts for the largest share of podcast streams, a majority of the growth and listening is now coming from outside the US, Spotify said.
 "Just a little over one year ago, we announced Spotify for Podcasters, which provides listener insights to all creators who have podcasts on our platform. Today, we have 1,40,000 registered creators across the world, on the platform, and the data for a few of these creators shows that India features in their top streamed markets. Much of this content is lifestyle, educational, and news," Batra said.
 India features among top streaming markets for a number of podcasters on Spotify. SR HRS

Spotify bets on original podcasts in India to woo listeners

<ul><li><keyword id="6380867" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="boris-johnson">Boris Johnson</keyword>, the United Kingdom’s newly appointed Prime Minister, is leading cabinet with three India-origin members of parliament. </li><li>In a letter to the Indian diaspora, Johnson called himself the ‘son-in-law’ of India. </li><li>He’s even been chased down by an elephant when attending a wedding in Kerala. </li></ul>UK’s newly elected prime minister, Boris Johnson, is leading a diverse cabinet at 10 Downing Street which includes three Indian-origin members of parliament at the helm — Rishi Sunak, Preeti Patel, and Alok Sharma. Sunak is incidentally the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy. And, he has been appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He was also a part of Theresa May’s government as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Preeti Patel has achieved a new milestone as Britain’s first India-origin home secretary, and Alok Sharma has been chosen to be the new International Development Secretary. But, Johnson’s connection with India doesn’t end there. India’s son-in-law Johnson called himself the ‘son-in-law’ of India in an open letter he wrote to the Indian diaspora earlier this month. "When I was with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, I stressed that the UK and India are two modern democracies who should work closely together to promote trade and prosperity, improve global security and tackle the challenges our countries face," he stated. He also told <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/just-imagine-no-british-retail-brand-in-india-boris-johnson/story-zKo26Eslb7DEVTTOyQ1djK.html">HT</a>, “We need to do far more. India is a massive natural market for the UK.” When Modi was re elected earlier this year, Johnson tweeted that his congratulations and looked forward to a ‘closer partnership with India’. <div type="twitter" handle="BorisJohnson" handlename="Boris Johnson" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1154124878024458240/jvxgPCmU_normal.jpg" favoritecount="19306" retweetcount="3187" status="Congratulations @narendramodi on your emphatic victory in Indian #ElectionResults2019. A strong endorsement for you… https://t.co/UNM9mx1mXW" createdat="1558613474000" id="1131533040906321920"></div>

 Johnson’s family connection Johnson is indeed the country’s son-in-law. His estranged wife, Marina Wheeler, is half Indian and the niece of late writer <keyword id="2153914" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kushwant-Singh">Kushwant Singh</keyword>. Marina’s mother and aunt were both married into Singh’s family, Dip Singh who is Marina’s mother, was married to Kushwant Singh’s younger brother, Daljit Singh. Her aunt Amarjit Singh was married to Bhagwant Singh, his elder brother. If you extend the family tree a little further, Bhagwant’s niece is actress Amrita Singh — <keyword id="333" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saif-Ali-Khan">Saif Ali Khan</keyword>’s former wife and <keyword id="823990" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sara-Ali-Khan">Sara Ali Khan</keyword>’s mother. Johnson has many Indian tales to tell. He was <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/the-kerala-connection-to-boris-johnson/amp-1563893681370.html?__twitter_impression=true">chased down </a>by elephant while attending a wedding in Kerala.

Here are all things Indian about Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet

<ul><li>The market for <keyword id="8544022" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="podcast-advertising">podcast advertising</keyword> is growing as Indians continue to rediscover their love for storytelling and long-form content, but in an audio form.</li><li>Year 2020 gave a huge boost to podcasts. The medium has found a loyal listener base, proving its immense growth potential.</li><li>We caught up with Gaana, Spotify and Aawaz.com to understand how marketers have been responding to podcast advertising, what are some of the new trends that we can expect to see this year and their plan to woo advertisers.</li></ul>The pandemic’s disruptive forces have accelerated digital marketing’s growth in India. Due to the lockdown, many big and small brands shifted their budgets to digital completely and started exploring new options within this virtual realm. And podcasts, a relatively new medium, has gained a lot of popularity in the last two years. Millennials and GenZ tune in to podcasts to learn more about self-love, discover something new, cope with anxiety or simply to entertain themselves. Podcasts take you through an enriching journey and transport you to a fictional world through your own imagination. It has a higher rate of effectiveness as users give all their attention while listening to their favourite choice of hosts. There is no other media interruption that can sway away a listener's attention, which brings in a huge opportunity for advertisers to jump on. According to KPMG, India is the third-largest podcast-listening market globally and is expected to be valued at INR 17.62 Cr by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 34.5%. Audio was also one of the most preferred mediums last year. As per eMarketer’s report from April 2020, 49% of users prefer using audio platforms like Gaana, Spotify and JioSaavn regularly. <div type="image" title="image (13)" msid="81655620" hostid="261"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="While users have accepted podcasts with open arms and more creators are exploring the new medium, are advertisers following?" text="While users have accepted podcasts with open arms and more creators are exploring the new medium, are advertisers following?">While users have accepted podcasts with open arms and more creators are exploring the new medium, are advertisers following?</cmsannotation> Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director – India, Spotify told us how 2020 was a foundational year for Spotify’s podcast business in India. The Swedish platform launched 30 Original podcasts, in multiple languages - English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu and brought on additional partners like Big FM, Radio City, and Aawaz.com, which indicates the increasing consumption and growth of the medium. Recently, it also launched a new campaign to increase awareness about its podcast offerings. Telling us about the platform's content partnerships, Batra said, “While podcasts have been around for more than a decade now, the recent innovation in monetization is presenting a whole new opportunity for both creators and advertisers. A variety of genres are streamed on Spotify locally, with listeners increasingly turning to podcasts for reflection, education and entertainment. And so, there’s a growing opportunity for brands to leverage these podcasts to reach their audience in a more meaningful and targeted way. While we don’t have advertisements for Spotify podcasts in India, we have seen brands use the medium meaningfully. For instance, Bumble India created and promoted its podcast, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2lt3oGhO4VxDJ77WmE2LpQ?si=TPw91gAlQHmeFEo2m_zUAA">Is Romance Dead?</a> on Spotify, leading to obvious relatability with the brand and connecting with their users beyond traditional marketing campaigns.” Unlike video content, podcasts allow consumers to blend content into their daily schedule in a way that doesn’t demand full attention and smoothly blends into the background, becoming a part of their daily schedule especially during commutes, post-working hours or mid-day breaks. Times Internet’s Gaana, in the last year alone, has witnessed 4x growth in user base and podcasts listening duration. After seeing this steady growth, Gautam Sinha, CEO, Times Internet is optimistic that advertisers will now follow the audience. He said, “Advertising spends tend to follow users and their journey. With users turning to newer ways of entertainment, gaining knowledge and engaging with their favorite genres via podcasts, the industry is slated for a boom in terms of advertising revenues. The need to make truly valuable and listen-worthy content is higher than it’s ever been, and so is the competition in the space. Podcasts are the perfect storytelling medium, and our streaming numbers clearly point at its rising popularity. Since marketers look for ways to reach and engage people where they are, it's a matter of time before branded podcasts become a rage." Aawaz.com started two years ago with 100 hours of programming, which was available only in Hindi. Today, it offers four languages and over 1000 hours of podcast programming. It has increased its presence by being available on 14 different devices including Ola cabs, Alexa, smartphone, smart television. It has also partnered with various B2B companies and has recently seen more interest from B2C clients as well. On the list of the clients the platform has worked with, Sreeraman Thiagarajan, CEO, Aawaz.com said, “We have Google Assistant, IBM Cloud, Agoda.com. We have also worked with Tata mutual fund as a client. We did Hind fictional content for them as they wanted to reach the Hindi speaking market. So there's a mixed bag of interest. For our news podcasts, we are talking to auto companies and they seem to be interested in fictional podcasts. For non-fiction, we are talking to lifestyle brands, because most of this non-fiction podcast appeals to youth. So far, it's a mixed bag of advertisers. And it (podcast) is coming across now.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bringing in the next phase of growth" text="Bringing in the next phase of growth">Bringing in the next phase of growth</cmsannotation> According to Spotify’s survey, 41% of podcast listeners have reported trusting ads more if heard in a podcast and 81% of podcast listeners say they have taken action after listening to a podcast ad. Now that consumers are becoming more loyal to podcasts and sticking to their favourite shows for a long time, Batra said that Spotify will invest in helping content creators to bring in the next phase of growth for its platform. “Industry and Spotify insights show that podcasts will only grow from here, and led not by a company, but the booming creator community in India. We’re invested in nurturing this talent, enabling them to create and share their podcasts not just on Spotify, but other audio streaming platforms. In fact, there’s been an 80x increase in the number of podcasts created on Anchor in India in the span of just a year, making India one of the fastest growing markets for the platform. Going forward, we’ll see an inflow of talented creators across the country take center stage in growing their podcasting journey, contributing to the overall growth to the <keyword id="8518670" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="podcast-industry">podcast industry</keyword> in India,” said Batra. Varun Duggirala, Co-Founder &amp; Content Chief, The Glitch hosts a very popular podcast series called ‘Advertising in Dead’ on IVM, where he discusses the changes and developments in the business of advertising and content marketing. On factors that can drive industry’s growth, Duggirala said, “The podcast industry has created a new category of creators who are helping build an ecosystem of long-form content with deep retention rates with audiences. The next wave will come from podcasters evolving their audio expertise to newer formats (Twitter spaces/clubhouse, shorter format podcasts) while also building a content ecosystem around their podcasts (video podcasts, video clips, newsletters, etc). This will also showcase scale for brands to look at investing in podcasts a lot more than they are right now.” The pandemic-induced lockdown drove Indians to tune into devotional, spiritual and motivational content. It brought in a diverse audience onto audio platforms. Ergo, Sinha expects to see more regional podcasts this year. “Second wave of growth is likely to come from regional languages. As more and more regional creators get aware of the growing popularity of the medium, we'll start seeing quality content in these languages which will boost consumption,” said Sinha. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="New technologies audio platforms are investing on to woo advertisers" text="New technologies audio platforms are investing on to woo advertisers">New technologies audio platforms are investing on to woo advertisers</cmsannotation> With multiple companies like Google and Amazon investing in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning capabilities, contextual targeting is the hot area of innovation in the podcast industry. Gaana is also focusing on using its first-party right to provide an enhanced experience to its users and offer contextual advertising to bring in more clients. Sinha said, “Gaana will leverage its existing contextual targeting capabilities developed over the past few years while scaling music to make the consumer experience smoother and give advertisers data-driven targeting capabilities. As we scale podcasts, we will use the data we gather to enhance consumer experience &amp; advertiser-yields on podcasts.” According to Duggirala, a few technological advancements in the following fields will help audio platforms reach out to the next level: Dynamic ad insertion, live podcast sessions with ticketed audio events, ASMR content will scale especially in the wellness category and scaling up of transcription technology will bring in a lot of education-based content on a backbone of podcasts. Spotify’s Streaming Intelligence currently allows its advertisers to hyper-contextualize their communication, reaching the right audience, with the right message, and at the right moment. It also offers more clarity in ROI measurement to its clients with global partners like Nielsen, MOAT, IAS. Sharing the next focus areas for Spotify, Batra said, “As the awareness and consumption of podcasts grow globally and in India, Spotify is investing in technology that addresses the fragmentation and measurability in a more advanced way for this medium. Our Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) provides brands and podcast creators data on actual ad impression, frequency (number of times a listener heard the ad), reach and anonymized audience insights (age, gender, device type). In fact, Spotify research shows that a staggering 81% of listeners have taken an action after hearing audio ads during a podcast. And with listeners in India increasingly turning to podcasts too, we hope to bring SAI here, soon.” Aawaz.com is also going to focus on offering contextual advertising and help advertisers reduce spillover. Thiagarajan said, “We are a first-party data company, so we know our audience and their behavior. We can tailor campaigns that target only a particular kind of audience for example, Hindi-speakers or Telugu speakers. It can be done across different filters: age, language, time of day. We have different targeting parameters, a rich amount of data about our consumer behavior. So all that tells advertisers to reduce spillover and reach the right audience.” While podcasts have been around for a while, the lockdown accelerated its growth in India and more advertisers are warming up to the medium now.

Podcasts see an uptick in listenership but are advertising following the listeners?

The Delhi chapter of <keyword id="139680" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Indus-Entrepreneurs">The Indus Entrepreneurs</keyword> (TiE) will host on Thursday the 8th iteration of the <keyword id="4390638" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Internet-Day">India Internet Day</keyword>, one of the largest conferences for Internet entrepreneurs in the country. India Internet Day 2019 targets entrepreneurs which attracts start-ups, unicorns, industry leaders, investors, mentors, policy-makers, and many more key domain experts from across the country every year India is presently home to over 500 million internet users and 21 unicorns. With the aim of raising a hundred start-ups and enterprises to become billion-dollar companies on the back of their internet-centric innovations, TiE Delhi-NCR is hosting the 8th iteration of India Internet Day. The vision of #iDay2019 is encapsulated in the headline of the event’s main theme: “India Internet Unboxed: Getting ready for a 100 Unicorns”. Enabling the next generation of leaders At iDay 2019, leaders of the internet and entrepreneurial community will deliver content for the benefit of young entrepreneurs, enabling the next generation of leaders to gain a deeper insight into the opportunities and evolving trends in the industry, Tie said in a statement. Building on the theme of ‘unboxing’, iDay2019 plans to have focused and thought-provoking discussions during the session line-up on topics including: Unboxing Indian Tech Going Global, Unboxing Funding, Unboxing Talent, Entrepreneurial Milestones: Unboxing Pivots &amp; Pirouettes to Exits, Unboxing 2nd Innings, Unboxing Valuations. It will also have a special focus on the Chinese startup ecosystem, key speakers will speak on Unboxing China, its Landscape &amp; Overview, Chinese VCs in India - A perspective and Cross Border Learnings. Additionally, entrepreneurs will be provided with a platform to showcase internet-centric innovations and get constructive feedback on their ventures. All about networking The conference is one of the most anticipated entrepreneurial conferences across the world as it gathers entrepreneurs and vision-holders in the midst of key investors, industry leaders, and policy-makers under the same roof. It will have sessions that will chaired by prominent industry leaders including Vani Kola, MD, Kalaari Capital, and Rajesh Sawhney, CEO &amp; Co Founder of Innerchef, the conference will open with a keynote address by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder &amp; CEO of PayTM. The opening address will be followed by conversations with industry experts including Anant Maheshwari, President - Microsoft India and Rajan Anandan, Vice President, Google &amp; President, TiE Delhi-NCR. Other ace speakers include Lathika Pai, Country Head - Microsoft for <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">Startups</keyword> MENA and SAARC , Gaurav Deepak, Co-founder &amp; MD - Avendus Capital, Anand Lunia, General Partner – India Quotient, Helen Wong, Partner at Qiming Venture, Yun Lou, Founder &amp; CEO of Clubfactory, Hans Tung - Partner, GGVC Kunal Shah, Founder &amp; CEO – Cred, Amrish Rau, Ex CEO – CitrusPay, Aprameya Radhakrishna, Founder &amp; CEO of Vokal, Raul Rai, Co-Founder of Nicobar.com, and Mukund Kulashekaran from Urban Clap. Power Breakfast with the iDay Committee The event will kick off with a breakfast with industry leaders and the best in the startup ecosystem. The committee members who will be a part of this event include Rajan Anandan, Vice President, Google &amp; President, TiE Delhi-NCR; Alok Mittal, Co-Founder, Indifi Technologies; Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director, Spotify India; Arvind Jha, Multipreneur, Movico Technologies; Miten Sampat, VP, Times Internet; Deep Kalra, Founder &amp; Group CEO, MakeMyTrip; Gautam Gandhi, Angel Investor; Prasanto K Roy, Policy Consultant ; Karan Mohla, Partner &amp; Executive Director of Chiratae Ventures; Ravi Gururaj, Founder &amp; CEO, Qikpod; Dev Khare, Partner, Lightspeed India Partners. B2B Founders' Lunch Ace B2B founders who will be part of this session include Shridhar Gupta, Co-Founder - Loconav; Pranav Tyagi, Founder - Eigen; Ajay Chauhan, Co- Founder -SalezShark; Sachin Bhatia, Co-Founder &amp; Ex VP - Drishtisoft solutions; Rahul Bhalla, CEO &amp; Co Founder -Zeanatix will be part of the lunch tables Fintech Lunch Leading Fintech founders who will be part of the lunch include Ajay Vikram Singh, Consumer Business Head- Clix Capital ; Jonathan Bill, CEO &amp; Co- Founder – Creditmate; Kshitij Puri, CEO &amp; Co- Founder - Ziploan ;Sandeep Srinivas, Co-Founder &amp; CMO - Redcarpet Tech ; Kapil Mehta, Co - Founder – SecureNow; Alok Bansal, Co-Founder &amp; CFO – PolicyBazaar ; Mukesh P Kalra, Founder &amp; CEO – ETMoney #iDay Launchpad A platform at India Internet Day where tech businesses have a chance to demo/launch their new products/services in front of a large relevant audience of VCs, entrepreneurs etc. The start-ups will be selected by an influential jury panel #iDay Workshop A stellar workshop on product management professionals with Anshumani Ruddra, VP of Product (Social &amp; Gaming) – Hotstar will equip participants with new strategies &amp; principles to ace their field Gala Evening Network, interact, explore synergies over dinner and jive the evening away with a rocking band performance! The conference will take place from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on 25th April, 2019, at Leela Ambience, Gurugram. Register here now! <a href="https://www.iday.in/">https://www.iday.in/</a> Note: Business Insider India is a media partner at the event.

Here’s all that you need to know about the upcoming India Internet Day 2019

<ul><li>Spotify just launched its app in India that will going up against JioSaavn, <keyword id="1527458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Music">Amazon Music</keyword>, Gaana and other <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="music">music</keyword> streaming services that are already available in the country. </li><li>Spotify is confident that their pricing strategy is customised for the Indian market but a comparison shows that Gaana and JioSaavn are still cheaper. </li><li>Other than their pricing strategy, Spotify has also tried to localise the app for the Indian market and its users and we’ve compared them to the features available on others apps.</li></ul>Spotify just <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-launches-in-india/articleshow/68173763.cms">launched its music streaming app in India</a>, featuring a wide catalogue of playlists with regional as well as international content. Amarjit Singh Batra, the Managing Director at Spotify India asserts that the has a long-terms vision for India and they’re here to stay. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="“India is a market which is big and we have a long term point of view. We wanted to build a local team and make local people available here in India.”" auname="Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director, Spotify India"></div>


















 Considering that Spotify has over 207 million active users worldwide, one has to wonder whether its competitors in the Indian market — JioSaavn, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=amazon+music&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon Music</a>, Gaana, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/youtube-is-killing-one-of-the-best-parts-of-googles-music-streaming-service/articleshow/64209903.cms">Google Music</a>, and Apple Music — have anything to worry about. Akshat Harbola, head of Business Operations and Strategy at Spotify, is confident that Spotify’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-launches-in-india/articleshow/68173763.cms">pricing strategy</a> is on the mark in the Indian market since it represents a matrix that centers around different customer segments and the different way that customers prefer to pay. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Aside from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/it-looked-like-apple-music-was-coming-to-google-home-speakers-but-google-says-it-was-only-a-glitch/articleshow/68176820.cms">Apple Music</a> and Amazon Music which only offer free memberships for an introductory period of time, the other music streaming services offer a free version of their app but also paid models that users can subscribe to. The subscriptions plans across the different apps offering vary not only in the terms of price, but also in terms of duration. The add-ons that you get within the subscription varies as well. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Noting that Spotify’s subscription is a little more customised and varied with one-time payment options unlike Amazon and Apple Music, the disparity in subscription prices still grows as the subscription duration increases. That being said, Spotify has a few integrations that are unique to the platform. For the example, its the only app that can be played in-app with Google Maps. It's also the only app that's available on both, XBox and PlayStation, making a safe refuge for gamers who like to have their choice in music. So, which one is better? Spotify claims that the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/We-compared-Spotify-and-Apple-Music-subscriptions-and-the-winner-is-clear/Spotifys-recommendations-dwarf-Apple-Musics-/slideshow/64982332.cms">big differentiator</a> for them — since they were the ones who pioneered the music free model and have over 200 million users across the world — is that it has lots of data around understanding music tastes and behaviours. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="&quot;We believe that the recommendation tools algorithms and machine learning have been built up around the understanding of customers around the world. We bring that to the table.&quot;" auname="Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director, Spotify India"></div>


















 But, the tricky thing about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/miscellaneous/we-compared-spotify-and-apple-music-subscriptions-and-the-winner-is-clear/So-which-music-app-is-the-winner/slideshow/64982314.cms">choosing a music service</a> is figuring out which one works the way that you ‘need’ it to work. If you’re looking for video-on-demand along with a music subscription then Amazon is your sole option. Instead, if you’re looking for a music app that lets you voice search instead of having to type in song names then Gaana is only app to have that kind of feature. Discerning between the platforms in terms of music choice or exclusives is no longer a very big differentiator. All have international as well as regional options available — but what matters is the size of the library. Not only should the library large, but it should also be updated regularly. Apple leads the pack with 45 million tracks catalogued in its library as Spotify, Amazon Music and Google Music come in second with an estimated 40 million tracks in their library. JioSaavn has around 30 million tracks and Gaana trails with around 10 million songs. The Spotify app adds approximately 30,000 new tracks on average each day and has over 3 billion playlists available which can justify the service being more expensive that its counterparts. While there’s is a lot of clamor around about Spotify’s ‘Daily Mix’, JioSaavn also has ‘Daily Mixes’ on its platform and Gaana has ‘Made For You Mixes’. In localising the app for India, Spotify is giving users eight language options as well as local artists to choose from in order to customise their music playlists. But Gaana and JioSaavn let users choose from 16 different regional languages. But Spotify has put in its efforts to localise the app with 'Starring in...' playlists that are centered around actors and actresses in the film industry in India as well as 'Sound of' playlists, which are basically city playlists that tracks whats trending in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. Nonetheless, Spotify’s plan is to learn fast in India and the team is currently looking at developing more innovative features like the ‘Sound of’ playlists that are city-specific. Spotify also says its ‘dynamic’ home page — that changes over time depending on what you listen to — has been a hit with Indians. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="&quot;This (dynamic home page) is something that people in India felt was very different to the experiences that they have been using over the past couple of years. So, this kind of dynamic, ‘made for you’ experience is something that we feel is unique to us.&quot;" auname="Owen Smith, Director of Product Growth at Spotify"></div>


















 Spotify is already available across 79 markets across the globe. Out of its 207 million active users, 96 million of these users pay for a Spotify subscription. One Plus, Anheuser-Busch InBev and GoUSA will exclusive advertising launch partners with Spotify in India. Users deciding between which app to pay for can try the free trials ahead of committing to a subscription plan. Spotify and Amazon Music offer a 30-day free trial while Apple Music gives a whole three months of streaming music without any restrictions. Gaana and JioSaavn’s free ‘premium’ subscriptions, on the other hand, are limited to 14 days. Either way, if you’re looking for tracks in high quality — you’ll have to end up paying for a subscription, regardless of which platform you choose. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-launches-in-india/articleshow/68173763.cms">Spotify silently launches in India with premium membership options starting at ₹13</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-india-launch-delayed-by-warner-music/articleshow/68165261.cms">Another thorn in Spotify’s side ahead of its India launch</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/spotify-confirms-several-mysterious-non-existent-artists-racked-up-thousands-of-listens-on-hijacked-playlists/articleshow/67689004.cms">Spotify confirms several mysterious, non-existent artists racked up thousands of listens on hijacked playlists</a>

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