Spotify has today completed three years of launch in India. Since February 2019, the country has grown to become one of the most important markets for Spotify globally, with local success being defined by three main focus areas:
Leading creator education to foster their growth on Spotify: Through several masterclasses over three years, more than 6000 local artists have been able to plan their releases more effectively, access insights related to their music, and reach Spotify’s global playlists and listeners. Spotify also hosted workshops, mentoring programs and mass outreach enabling thousands of creators to make and distribute their podcasts. Since the day of launch, the number of Indian artists on Spotify have increased by 13 times, while podcasts created on Anchor grew 130 times from the start of 2020 till the end of last year. Through successful partnerships with the artist community, a growing catalogue, and marketing campaigns, Spotify ended last year as the one of the top audio streaming platforms where listeners were consuming music in the country.
Enabling visibility and growth of local creators on the global stage: Spotify invested in four initiatives to make this happen. First, it brought its global music-centric programs to put the spotlight on women in audio through EQUAL, on independent artists through RADAR and Fresh Finds, and Spotify Singles, giving talent increased visibility across countries. Artists such as Abhilasha Sinha, F16s, When Chai Met Toast, and Sunflower Tape Machine are just a few of the many success stories. Owing to Spotify Singles, two artists, Dhee and Hanita Bhambri, found new fans across the world. Second, Spotify took local films such as Atrangi Re and RRR, as well as artists such as Ilaiyaraaja to Times Square in New York to reach the diaspora audiences. In fact, the platform’s campaign to promote the maestro’s music in India and beyond led to a 3x increase in streams and double the listeners for him on Spotify. Third, Punjabi artists such as Sidhu Moosewala, AP Dhillon, Sunanda Sharma, Harnoor, Harrdy Sandhu, and Diljit Dosanjh, among others, who also have fans outside of India, featured in international Spotify campaigns. Finally, Spotify’s Sound Up that aims to raise up the next generation of under-represented podcasters through workshops and support, honed the skills of local women podcasters, with two finalists, Arunima Tenzin Tara and Shreya Dasgupta among others now working towards launching their own podcasts.