Sneha Singh , Head Editorial ; Spotify India
intrigue them but also be empathetic about the evolving impact the pandemic is having on everyone .’
Recovery in the Music Scene
Even though some indie artists benefited with streaming , this year still proved to be disastrous for many who wished to build their base with concerts , merchandise , and the like . ‘ The process is going to be slow and gradual and the artists who put their effort towards honing their talent will survive . While offline events are slowly coming back especially in terms of corporate gigs and weddings , a lot of them have also become virtual events which requires the artist to also improve their ante as a performer .’ Paul introspects .
She also feels that only the tough and consistent artists would survive the immediate comeback , pointing towards a ‘ survival of the fittest ’ scenario . While Singh too is of the similar view , she says that a new wave of experimentation is also being worked out in terms of the artists ’ music and marketing . ‘ Growth of their music streams was and will continue to be a part of their focus as it enables them to reach newer listeners and also understand how their music is performing across cities and countries .’
Gaana ’ s CEO too feels the same way . As Aggarwal puts it , ‘ The music industry , much like any other did register some initial COVID-19-led slowdown , but activity has picked up significantly since then as most music lovers have accepted this to be the new normal .’
‘ If this pandemic has taught us anything , is that this is the time to learn how to diversify our sources of income via sync , brand partnerships , merchandise , community building etc for it to be an insurance for artists / businesses for the future .’ The source from JioSaavn stressed on the need to diversify the activities of musician beyond their usual work .
Artists and the Algorithm
Often , a few artists or analysts feel the algorithms on streaming platforms might not imply success or reach for all artists . But then to battle this so-called algorithm , artists should devise their own methods too , some of which are basic tips . Talking on behalf of Spotify , Singh gets back to the point she made about submissions . ‘ If artists upload their music on Spotify too close to the release date , their tracks may not show up in algorithmic playlists for the relevant audiences .’
‘ The independent music industry learnt to be even more resourceful this year . Whether it is in terms of creating content or marketing it , all artists had to unlearn a few things and adjust as per the situation .’ says Paul , about the consumption of content and increased statistics in the year of the pandemic . Consumption on Hungama was up by almost 12 % between April and September .
Statistically speaking , Gaana ’ s consumption has also been pretty diverse and amusing . According to the CEO , Gaana saw a 13 % rise in music consumption across India , with a notable 12 % spike in romantic playlist streams across all age groups and 14 % increase in devotional playlists - even among 18-24 year olds ! The pandemic probably reignited some people ’ s faith .
The Future
Hungama Music is currently working on new initiatives for fans to engage more with their artists . The next year would face implementation of many such new and revamped changes in streaming . As for Spotify , the platform updates its playlists anyway according to the general moods that a vast majority of listeners might be going through .
‘ The flavour of the moment is festivals , and also looking forward to a more promising year . Spotify has a brand new Diwali Hub to uplift the mood of our users with party , chill , shopping , drive and devotional playlists that accompany a somewhat more sober festive season this year .’ Sneha Singh concludes while looking ahead at the future .
Prashan Agarwal , CEO : Gaana
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