Spotify has grown in India on the back of an artiste-centric approach and adapting its subscription models. Can it now earn meaningful revenue in a price-conscious market by betting on localisation and podcasts?
If you are on any social media platform, scrolling through Instagram reels or YouTube Shorts, chances are you have heard the song ‘Maan meri jaan’. This viral sensation by Arpan Kumar Chandel, aka King, became the #1 song in India’s Top 50 charts, making it the first-ever for non-film Indian music and #25 on Spotify’s Global Top 50.
Though he is one of the most popular artistes on Swedish audio streaming platform Spotify, he joined the platform as a listener in 2017. “It was one of the few platforms where I could explore and get inspired by the work of new artistes,” recalls Chandel, who continues to spend most of his time on the platform as a listener. The rapper became a creator on Spotify in 2020 by releasing his first album Carnival. One of his songs, ‘Tu aake dekhle’ was out on other platforms as well, but Chandel says, “I think once I got on Spotify, that song really blew up and went viral”.