Spotify Investing in Telugu Podcast and Music Market by Educating Creators

The audio streaming platform has an open invitation for audio content creators to come work with the brand, and is also bringing its masterclass for music artists, to the region

Hyderabad: Spotify, today, announced its concentrated effort to grow the Telugu audio streaming industry through both, podcasts and music. The company, which launched in India in February 2019, has been focused on growing its reach across languages in the country by educating creators and amplifying their voices not just in India, but on the global stage. Telugu is one of the more popular languages on Spotify, and through easy access to its India podcast and music teams, the brand wants to now grow the local podcast and artist community.

Spotify has already initiated its outreach in the region through ‘Anchor Audio Superstar’, its first podcast creator program that aims to develop the podcast community in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through masterclasses from experts such as Pavani Kotrike (Telugu Kathalu), Nikhil Dintakurthi (podcast producer), Sandeep Pothole (Telugu Geeks) and Samvedh (Samvedh Sagas). All participants also had access to equipment to create audio content, and a few of them will have the opportunity to become Spotify-exclusive creators.

Dhruvank Vaidya, Head of Podcasts - India, Spotify, said, “The response to our recently concluded ‘Anchor Audio Superstar’ has been overwhelming.  Over 250 participants were trained by notable content creators and podcasters over a period of three weeks. As a next step, we want to ensure that anyone who is a part of the Telugu podcast industry can reach out to our local team to collaborate with Spotify on creating content that local listeners will love. Whether it’s a potential podcast creator, host, writer, or an audio production house, they can reach out to us at podcast.

Spotify already has exclusive Telugu podcasts, including Graikapati Gyananidhi, Telugu Kathalu by Pavani, Telugu Dost Podcast - Idhi oka, and Anaganagaa, all of which feature on its podcast charts in India. The company is now working on more audio content, including a podcast with Harsha Chemudu, set to release in the coming days. The popular stand-up comic/actor and content creator, will take on topics through this fun-filled podcast. Anchor Ravi is also set to play the protagonist in audio series ‘Detective Rudra’, the Telugu adaptation of Spotify’s award-winning Hindi fiction podcast, Bhaskar Bose. Other upcoming podcasts include those with Prasad (prasadtechintelugu), Anil Geela, Kranthi Kumar Bonigala, and Sreemukhi. 

That’s not all. For singers, producers, composers, and artist management teams, Spotify will host a masterclass this December in Hyderabad. While film music rules the hearts of Telugu listeners, there are several genres beyond movies, such as Carnatic, folk, and pop, among others, that have the potential to grow through audio streaming. Anyone who wants to sign up for this session can reach out.

Rahul Balyan, Head of Music - India, Spotify, said, “We’ve invested in local curation and communication to steadily grow the consumption of Telugu film music on Spotify. Now we are keen to nurture artists and music beyond films, ranging from Telugu hip-hop and pop, to folk and devotional. We are here to grow the market for creators and listeners, and our masterclass will play an important role in initiating this conversation with the Telugu music community. It is designed for both new and established artists to educate them on the Spotify tools, and share learnings of how other artists are building audiences and a career in music”.

Currently, Sid Sriram, Thaman and Devi Sri Prasad are a few of the top Telugu artists on Spotify. Hot Hits Telugu, Tollywood Pearls, Telugu Party Time, and Happy Vibes Telugu are the most popular playlists. 

Through steady support to the Telugu creator industry, Spotify will continue its localisation efforts and connect creators and fans across genres, communities, and languages.