Tag: 5 years

Five Artists Reflect on Five Years of Spotify in India, Reaching New Fans, and the ‘True Power’ of Music

March 20, 2024

Since launching in India in 2019, Spotify has opened up opportunities for artists and creators across the country and established new ways for listeners to discover and consume audio. Five years later, we’re now the most-loved audio-streaming platform in India, especially among Gen Z and millennials.

We kicked off our anniversary celebrations earlier this month by taking a look at the impact we’ve had over the last five years, from Indian music and podcast consumption habits to the most-exported Indian artists. For the country’s artist community, the results speak for themselves.

Spotify’s presence in India has connected talented local artists with global audiences, helping share their music far and wide. Today, more listeners than ever are discovering Indian artists around the world—in 2023, the global consumption of music from India grew by 85% year-over-year. And in fact, Indian musician Arijit Singh is the third-most-followed artist on Spotify worldwide.

Spotify has also deeply invested in educating Indian artists about Spotify for Artists, a platform that empowers artists by showing them how their music is being consumed and helping them better connect with fans. Today, more than 28,000 artists from India use Spotify for Artists, which is more than double what it was a year ago.

For the Record sat down with five artists—Anuv Jain, King, Jasleen Royal, Armaan Malik, and Jonita Gandhi—who’ve been with Spotify from the beginning of our journey in India to hear how they’ve found new audiences and created deeper connections.

Anuv Jain

Anuv Jain is one of India’s most popular independent music artists. His 2018 single “Baarishein” put him on the map. The singer-songwriter from Punjab relies almost solely on acoustics and soulful lyrics, drawing inspiration from his own life experiences.

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

I am not sure whether people know this, but my music has been up on Spotify since before the platform even launched in India. So, we’ve had a long relationship. I think Spotify listeners want to explore a lot more music, as well as different genres, and that has definitely helped me out. All things considered, I think Spotify has helped me reach so many people, and I am truly grateful for that.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

Spotify has given me a platform to gauge how my audience is perceiving my music, the age group my audience belongs to, the cities I have the most listenership from, the countries I have managed to tap into, and so much more. This informs the way I connect with my audience. Since my audience mostly includes millennial and Gen Z listeners, this influences the way I communicate with them on my social platforms, the content I put out, and the cities I want to visit and perform at. I just concluded my tour in the U.K. and Ireland, which happened because we found out that I have great listenership in the region. We sold out both shows in London, as well as the Dublin and Manchester shows!

King

After his 2019 breakthrough on the Indian reality show MTV Hustle, rapper and pop star King has delivered a slew of hits. His Hindi-language track “Maan Meri Jaan” was the most-streamed song of 2023 in India on Spotify, and he also teamed up with Nick Jonas on a bilingual remix, “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife).”

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify has been a crucial part of my story ever since its algorithms and playlists took my song “Tu Aake Dekhle” and shared it with listeners around the country and the world. It has helped me not only connect with my Kingsclan, but also attract new fans who have supported me and my music unconditionally.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

The fact that countless people have reached out to me over the years mentioning how they’ve found a safe space within my music always ends up reminding me of the true power of music and how it reaches people like I could’ve never imagined. I’m grateful for being able to share my music through this platform and being able to touch the lives of people in even the smallest way possible.

Jasleen Royal

Jasleen Royal is a self-taught singer-songwriter-composer who broke onto the scene in 2009 as a semifinalist on India’s Got Talent. She’s since built an impressive music career, including composing a number of hit Bollywood tracks.

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify connected me to my fans, allowing me to share my music with them directly. It has given me exceptional reach across the world. Also, Spotify for Artists offers insights into how your songs are performing—and where—allowing you to use that information to plan even better.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

I remember when my track “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” suddenly picked up years after its release. With Spotify for Artists, I was able to see the spike in streams—which otherwise would have gone unnoticed—and study where it was coming from. These kinds of statistics are very insightful for an artist.

Armaan Malik

Armaan Malik got his start as a child singer in Bollywood. After cementing his position in the Indian music industry, the singer-songwriter forayed into the global circuit with his 2020 debut English single, “Control.” In 2022, he even teamed up with Ed Sheeran on a remix of “2step.”

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify has revolutionized my career. Its vast reach and the remarkable surge in listenership it enables has unlocked opportunities in countries I never even imagined reaching. Beyond the numbers, it’s the authentic connections with listeners from all walks of life that has been truly transformative. Spotify has been instrumental in shaping my pop career, catapulting it to thrilling new heights.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

A fantastic method of engaging with fans and expanding my audience is through curated playlists, particularly those crafted by artists themselves. One example is my own playlist, Hooked. It not only showcases my personal music preferences but also serves as a platform for teasing upcoming releases through clever hints and hidden surprises. It’s been an innovative way to connect with fans and keep them excited about what’s next in my musical journey. Another great feature is Clips, which can enhance the storytelling, adding more layers to the song within the ecosystem.

Jonita Gandhi

Born in New Delhi and raised in Toronto, Jonita Gandhi’s Canadian and Indian heritage helped shape her diverse musical palette. Today, the artist is an acclaimed multilingual singer who has recorded songs for some of India’s biggest movies. Earlier this year, she released her debut EP, Love Like That.

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify has really helped me understand who’s listening to my music and what they’re resonating with. As a versatile artist, it’s sometimes hard to know who’s invested in my music, but Spotify has helped me tap into my true fans.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

The first billboard I was featured on in my hometown of Toronto and in New York City’s Times Square was part of a Spotify campaign. I really believe that changed the way I connected with my audience, especially internationally. It made me feel seen and it was a full-circle experience.

Dive into our I-Pop Superhits playlist to discover some of the hottest pop music from Indian artists.

Five Years of Spotify in India: A Look Back at Our Greatest Hits

March 12, 2024

February marked Spotify’s fifth year in India, and since our debut, we’ve focused on lifting up the country’s creator community, localizing content for users, and making streaming the default way for listeners to discover and consume audio.

By regionally tailoring our platform features, Premium plans, playlist curation, brand campaigns, and on-ground experiences, Spotify has grown to become the most-loved streaming audio platform in India, especially among Gen Z and millennials.

Spotify has also deeply invested in educating the artist community on how to make the most of Spotify For Artists, a platform that empowers artists and their management to analyze how their music is consumed around the world. Today, more than 28,000 artists in India use Spotify For Artists, which is more than double compared to a year ago. Listening habits in India have also shifted, going from fans streaming nearly 70% international music on Spotify five years ago, to streaming more than 70% local music today. And in 2023 alone, the global consumption of music from India grew by 85% year-over-year. 

Let’s take a closer look at how Indian music has grown with Spotify over the last five years:

Spotify is the destination for podcasts in India

Spotify has also deeply invested in the podcast industry. Through Spotify Podcasters’ Day and regional creator support programs, podcasters learned about the ease of making their own podcasts on Spotify For Podcasters. As a result, more than 200,000 podcasts were created using the platform in 2023 while podcast listening in India increased significantly across several genres, including history,education, mythology, and true crime.

  • Four of the top 10 podcasts on Spotify in India were of the mythology / spirituality genre in 2023, including the most-streamed podcast of the year. Altogether, the genre grew by more than 80% through the year.  

In 2024 and beyond, Spotify in India will remain focused on supporting artists locally and globally—especially in the worlds of film and artist-first, Indian pop music fandom—while enabling podcasters to find the best ways to more effectively create and monetize content. It will also continue providing the best opportunities for brands to advertise on the platform to music fans and podcast listeners (Spotify Audience Network), launching new features that make Spotify more personalized, and making Premium more accessible and relevant for India.

Looking to discover the hottest songs and artists making waves in India today? Check out our Hot Hits Punjabi playlist below.

Five Years of Favorites From ‘For the Record’

April 3, 2023

From our first post on Spotify’s IPO to our recent coverage of Stream On, For the Record has shared with you many of the impactful moments that have resonated at Spotify—and also across culture more broadly. We’ve had the privilege of introducing you to major company news like Spotify’s foray into podcasting, annual Wrapped campaign, launch in 80+ more markets around the world, and partnership with FC Barcelona, but also of highlighting some of the names, events, and trends shaping the world of audio. 

Spotify has always had a unique story to tell, and our ambition is to share it with you in our own words wherever you are. For the Record, along with our podcasts and social handles, unfurls the story of Spotify every single day for our most important audience: you.

So in celebration of five years of For the Record, we’re highlighting some of our favorite stories that capture the spirit of streaming worldwide and tell Spotify’s story.

2018

More Than Magic: Behind Our 2018 Songs of Summer Predictions 

By now, our annual Song of Summer predictions and results are a Spotify and For the Record staple. The first time we released our SOS predictions, they foreshadowed a summer like no other—the summer of Scorpion. (“Kiki, do you love me,” anyone?) 

Mexico City Is Now the World’s Music-Streaming Mecca

Spotify for Artists tools help musicians find their fan bases in unexpected places. Mexico City is a hub like no other for food and culture, and as it turns out, for streaming too.

What Lady Gaga’s ‘Shallow’ Says About ‘A Star is Born’ and Music Itself

Spotify makes and reflects culture, and our users love to see patterns in what they and the world are streaming—exemplified in this dive into the songs from the movie’s past iterations. 

2019

Astrologer Chani Nicholas Shares How Music Matches Your Horoscope

Speaking of cultural cues, 2019 kicked off a number of astrology-related podcasts on Spotify, with Horoscope Today, Astrology Club, and many more. Completing the roundup were our Cosmic Playlists for each star sign that astrologer Chani Nicholas helped curate. 

How to Download and Listen to Music and Podcasts Offline and On the Go

One of the benefits of Spotify Premium is the ability to download music for later, whether that means heading to the airport or driving into the wilderness. Let this story serve as your guide(book).

5 Questions (and Answers) with Gautam Talwar, Managing Director, Spotify Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing and most diverse music markets in the world. We interviewed Gautam Talwar, our Managing Director of Southeast Asia, to learn more about the differences in music tastes and streaming habits throughout the region, as well as the opportunities ahead.

2020

Spotify Has the Pawfect Playlist for You and Your Pet

Spotify’s universally beloved Pets Playlist campaign enabled pet owners to create a custom playlist for their furry—or scaly—friends by entering their pets’ attributes into a custom Spotify microsite. We also debuted research showing that playing music calms your pet when you leave the house. 

The Challenges and Opportunities in Transforming the ‘Song Exploder’ Podcast Into a Netflix Show

Thanks to streaming, it’s commonplace for media to move in many directions, with movies and TV shows inspiring accompanying podcasts and beloved podcasts like Song Exploder reimagined as visual series. 

Jerusalema, the Limpopo House Track That Got the World Dancing

We noticed that fans’ streaming habits—and their social media use—changed during the era of social distancing. “Jerusalema,” which debuted in South Africa and quickly became a viral dance trend, also went global on Spotify as fans craved to hear the catchy song some more. 

2021

Nontraditional Hack Week Projects Pave Way for Innovation and Accessibility at Spotify

Spotify’s annual Hack Week enables our employees to explore their creativity and curiosity by taking a break from their everyday work to hack on something they’re excited or passionate about. Each year’s Hack Week has a broad, inspiring theme, and 2021’s “Making Space” enabled some members of our R&D team to investigate and reinvent their own ways of working. 

Podcasting Serves as a Private, Intimate, and Empathic Medium for Previously Closeted Conversations

With tools like Spotify for Artists and programs like Sound Up, podcasting is becoming more accessible to first-time podcasters and individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Each day, creators are uploading to Spotify new shows on topics that are meaningful to them and finding a growing audience ready to listen.

Meet the Team Behind Frequency, Spotify’s Celebration of Black Culture, Creativity, and Community 

Spotify is committed to using our platform to foster racial justice and equity and lift up underserved voices. The creation of Frequency enables us to have even more impactful and meaningful year-round programming by and for members of the Black community. 

2022

Listen Like Basquiat: New Exhibit Helps Fans Discover The Musical Influences of the Famed Painter

Our For the Record, Mic Check, and Discover This podcasts and @SpotifyNews socials tell Spotify’s story via different formats and lenses. We were able to go behind the scenes at the NYC Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure exhibit to uncover the musical influences of one of the twentieth century’s most influential artists, meet Basquiat’s sisters, and learn more about the creation of the exhibit.  

The State of Indie Music According to Spotify’s Editors

Groups of Spotify editors from around the world make up our Global Curation Groups, or GCGs. We introduce you to some of those who are in the know on the music and talent coming out of a particular genre and how they curate some of our most popular editorial playlists. 

How Encanto Composer Germain Franco Brought the Magic and Sounds of Colombia to Listeners Around the World 

The Encanto soundtrack with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” hit parents and children alike—and their streaming on Spotify proved it. We spoke to the film’s composer, Germaine Franco, about her role in this love letter to the music of Colombia and the power of media to transport viewers and listeners to new cultures. 

2023

GLOW Artist Villano Antillano Finds Power in Community, Authenticity, and Being Fearless

Earlier this year, we introduced GLOW, a new global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. It’s our latest initiative to support people of this historically marginalized community of voices and reassert our commitment to equity in audio. Get to know GLOW artist Villano Antillano as well as Arlo Parks, LUDMILLA, Bruses, and Pabllo Vittar. 

Spotify’s Guide to the Best New Artists of 2023

For the past seven years, Spotify has played host to an annual celebration of the very best rising stars in the game who’ve realized their dreams of receiving a coveted and well-earned nomination for Best New Artist. This year, we released a comprehensive guide of all the artists, including their Spotify Singles, and featuring our special Mic Check episode. 

Spotify Debuts a New AI DJ, Right in Your Pocket

Our fans love personalization as much as we do—just think of fan-favorite playlists like Discover Weekly, or our annual Wrapped campaign. We recently added to our personalization capabilities by harnessing the power of AI in an entirely new way. DJ is a personalized AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you. If you haven’t tried it out yet, take this opportunity to learn how right here on For the Record.

South Africa Looks Back at Five Years of Spotify Streaming

March 13, 2023

When Spotify launched in South Africa in March 2018, new users and music lovers raced onto the platform to stream Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight.” In the five years since, listeners in the region have made millions of playlists spanning nostalgic jazz, pop, hip-hop, rap, home-grown Amapiano, and much more, and have spent billions of hours listening to podcasts. This has led to thousands of artists and creators finding an audience for their craft, with South African artists themselves having released over one million tracks.

Today, we mark this five-year milestone by looking back on the early days of Spotify streaming in South Africa. 

Originally, the only South African song featured in the first 10 tracks played in the market was Shekhinah’s “Thirsty.” Now, Canadian rapper Drake takes the top spot. He’s followed by Amapiano artist Kabza de Small in second place, The Weeknd and Juice WRLD in third and fourth, and South African DJ Maphorisa to round out the top five. The combination of global and local talent is further testament to the massive appeal and growth of Amapiano, and South African music in general.

“Spotify provides a global platform for these creators to share their music and podcasts with the world, and our entrance into the market has allowed local artists to grow their audiences and monetize their creativity,” said Jocelyne Muhutu–Remy, Managing Director for Spotify in Sub-Saharan Africa. “Spotify programmes like EQUAL, Fresh Finds, RADAR, and GLOW have also helped to market and support local, emerging, and underrepresented artists.”

Last year, we announced that we would include four South African podcasts in our Africa Podcast Fund. With this initiative, we’re supporting burgeoning podcasters through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities, and amplifying their stories. Our goal is to help platform African creators on a global scale and shift the historically restrictive view of stories about the continent.

Celebrate South Africa’s milestone anniversary with the Top 50 tracks being streamed in the country today.