It’s already been two years since Spotify launched in India, and during this time, the audio streaming platform has consistently focused on giving local listeners the content and experience that makes them want to keep coming back for more.
Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP – Markets & Subscriber Growth at Spotify, said, Spotify is deeply invested in the global audio streaming ecosystem, and aims to become the world’s first true audio platform.
“To make this happen in India, we are building a borderless audio ecosystem at two levels – a seamless experience at a local level, through our product, content, and access to the right tools, and at a global level, through strategic interventions where we can take Indian talent to international listeners.
“We are here for the long term, and there is no doubt that India has been one our fastest growing and most important markets”, Gyllenhammar said.
Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director – India, Spotify said, “India is a vast and diverse market, and the love for audio runs deep. Over two years, we’ve gained insights on how our listeners here consume music and podcasts, and tapped into these learnings to establish a deep relationship with listeners, creators, and brands.
“Through 2020, we dove deeper into local languages and regions with our communication, content, and curation. As a result, Spotify was streamed in over 3000 cities in India.
“Since launch, our goal has been to grow the market, and to become the destination of choice for audio fans. As listeners discover and share their favourite music and podcasts, the awareness and consumption in the country will only grow.
“Spotify also wants to become the destination for creators, and we have and will continue to invest in masterclasses for artists and labels, and workshops for podcast creators, via Anchor, to achieve that,” Batra added.
To commemorates this occasion Spotify has unveiled some of the Insights and trends that it has seen in India over the past two years and what to look forward to!
I WANT IT ALL – MUSIC & PODCASTS
- On an average, a Spotify listener in India streamed nearly 150 artists and 3 podcasts last year, highlighting the extent to which discovering new audio content is popular (Feb 2020 – Feb 2021).
- Listeners streamed happier music in 2020 than in 2019. The average happiness rating1 of all music streams increased 2% on Spotify India during this time (Feb 2019-2020 compared to Feb 2020-2021).
- The year was also a happy one for India’s independent artists, as Spotify’s playlist Indie India grew by a whopping 90% year on year (Feb 2020 – Feb 2021). RADAR India saw a more than 500% increase in followers since its launch in May 2020.
- Other Spotify playlists that have grown the most year-on-year include Bollywood Dance Music, Top Hits Hindi, Latest Tamil, Latest Telugu, and Hot Hits India.
- Currently, 90% of podcast listeners from India are under the age of 35.
- Today, 70% of listeners who stream podcasts on Spotify, love pop music!
SHINING BRIGHT – CREATORS ON SPOTIFY
- Over 10,000 Indian artists have claimed their Spotify for Artists profile since launch, and 600+ playlists (up 5x since launch) have been locally curated by Spotify’s in-house editors featuring several of these artists.
- 4000+ local artists have attended the Spotify Masterclasses since launch, equipping them with insights and tools to make the most of their music and profile on the platform.
- Last year, more than 20 artists from India featured in several Spotify global playlists. This included Antariksh, Abhilasha Sinha, Sandunes, and Sarathy Korwar, among others, who were able to increase their discoverability among listeners outside the country.
- The number of podcasts created on Anchor in India have increased 80x in a span of one year (Feb 2020 – Feb 2021).
WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC, AGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS
- For those 17 years and below in India, international pop was a favourite, with the generation’s top streamed tracks including tracks such as Trevor Daniel’s “Falling”, Melanie Martinez’s “Play Date”, and Imagine Dragons’ “Believer”. However, BTS’ all-English chartbuster “Dynamite” became a fast favourite for this age group after its August 2020 release.
- The influence of music from 2018 and 2019 remained strong among 18-24 year olds in India with tracks such as “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee, and “Memories” by Maroon 5 being heavily streamed.
- Despite the slowdown in release of film music, the impact of Bollywood was stronger than ever for those between the ages of 25 and 54 years. Whether it was tracks such as “Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage (From “Kabir Singh”)” by Arijit Singh and Mithoon or “Shayad” by Arijit Singh, Pritam and Irshad Kamil, Indian listeners in this age group couldn’t get enough of film
- Unlike their younger counterparts, tracks streamed by those over the age of 55 reflected a stronger influence of international music, including the very popular “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, and beyond. Interestingly, this age group also streamed several of the latest remixes of old tracks such as “O Saki Saki” by Neha Kakkar, Tulsi Kumar, B Praak, Tanishk Bagchi, Vishal-Shekhar, and Dev
WHAT’S IN A LANGUAGE?
- Specifically with regard to music, approximately 50% of languages streamed in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra include international ones, including the likes of Japanese, Turkish, French, and more.
INDIAN GENRES, MEET THE WORLD
- Going beyond India, while Desi Pop is the top Indian genre among multiple global markets such as Australia, USA, and Canada, Indian EDM stands at the top in countries such as Belarus, Mexico, and
- What’s more, Indian indie artists are being heavily streamed in markets such as Sweden, Turkey, Poland, Thailand, Belgium, Peru, Czech Republic, and Kazakhstan – indicating the global presence of
PODCAST PLAY
- International podcast, TED Talks Daily, is among the top 5 podcasts among listeners in India, across age groups, whether it’s those between the ages of 18-24, or those above Similarly, On Purpose with Jay Shetty is also a multi-generational favourite, with the podcast featuring in the top 5 for those between the ages of 18 to 54 years.
- Apt for their age group, Spotify listeners in India below the age of 17 have found companionship in Teenager Therapy, this age group’s second most-streamed.
- 18 – 29 year olds in India seem to be extremely interested in learning all about how the country works, by streaming Spotify Original, Maha Bharat with Dhruv Rathee, which has also been a constant on the country’s Top Charts.
- Anchor-powered Telugu podcast, PURIJAGANNADH, is the top show for listeners over the age of 55, indicating the dominance of Telugu podcast listeners in this age.
