Latest news with #SpotifyIndia
Express Tribune
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Spotify India, OTT platforms pull Pakistani music after Indian government ban
The directive's impact is not limited to audio content. Pakistani actors are now being digitally erased from promotional material on Indian platforms. PHOTO: PEXELS Listen to article Pakistani music has started vanishing from Indian streaming platforms, with Spotify among the first to act on a government advisory issued earlier this month. Tracks such as Maand, Jhol, and Faasle disappeared from Spotify India in the hours following the order, according to NDTV. The move, which began taking effect on Wednesday night, follows an official directive from India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 8 May, calling for the removal of all Pakistani content from digital media. The advisory, issued under India's Information Technology Rules, urged all OTT platforms, digital streaming services, and online intermediaries to take down Pakistani-origin web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other media. The ministry cited national security, sovereignty, and public order as grounds for the sweeping content ban. The crackdown comes amid tensions between India and Pakistan following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad has rejected the allegation, calling for an impartial investigation. Although both sides have since agreed to a ceasefire, the ban remains in place. The directive's impact is not limited to audio content. Pakistani actors are now being digitally erased from promotional material on Indian platforms. Actress Mawra Hocane has been removed from the cover art of Sanam Teri Kasam on Spotify and YouTube Music, leaving only her Indian co-star Harshvardhan Rane. Similarly, Mahira Khan has disappeared from Raees' posters, while the song Buddhu Sa Mann from Kapoor & Sons, which featured Fawad Khan, is now inaccessible to Indian users. This marks one of the most far-reaching cultural crackdowns in the region's recent history. While political tensions have often strained artistic ties between the neighbours, the shared musical heritage—spanning genres like ghazals, qawwalis, and contemporary pop—had until now largely remained intact. Pakistani icons such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Nazia Hassan, and Atif Aslam have historically enjoyed immense popularity across India, their work forming a vital part of the country's musical landscape. Ironically, critics point out that even as Pakistani originals are scrubbed from platforms, Bollywood continues to churn out remakes of many of these very songs—raising questions about cultural ownership and censorship in an era of digital media.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Tune in, Take off: Inside Spotify and IndiGo's 6E Shuffle Partnership
From the road trip mixtapes of the 90s to digital playlists today, music has always been an inseparable companion for travellers. Travel and music are both transformative experiences, one physically and the other mentally. When they come together, they create an emotional impact that stays long after the journey ends. Recognising this powerful intersection, Spotify India and IndiGo have launched a year-long partnership centered around the ' 6E Shuffle ' – a dedicated microsite that gives travellers personalised playlists tailored to their specific journey and travel recommendations for those planning their journey. 'Travel and music both have the ability to evoke strong emotions and create core memories in our lives,' said Arjun Kolady, Head of Ad Sales - Spotify India. 'We are delighted to partner with IndiGo to bring together these two experiences in a uniquely personalised way. With 6E Shuffle, we are enhancing the way Indians travel by creating the perfect soundtrack that matches each traveler's unique mood and music tastes.' The 6E Shuffle Experience Travellers answer four quick questions about their destination, mood, preferred music genres, and the travel purpose. Based on their responses, Spotify's Streaming Intelligence generates a personalised playlist that matches the mood and vibe of their journey. Travellers who're already en route to a destination can choose their mood and music vibe to get a personalised playlist. For example, someone who chooses 'Shillong' as their destination, 'Relaxed" as their mood, 'Desi Pop" as their genre preference, and 'Escape holiday" as their travel type might receive a carefully curated collection of tracks featuring Junoon, Raftaar, Vishal-Shekhar, or Colonial Cousins. A business traveler selecting 'Bengaluru' as their destination, 'Productive' as their mood, 'EDM' as their genre and 'Work' as their travel type will get a focus-enhancing playlist that helps them concentrate as they prepare for meetings. In addition to personalised playlists, 6E Shuffle also recommends travel destinations for those seeking inspiration, based on their preferred vibe and type of holiday. Tickets to these destinations can be booked directly via IndiGo. The 6E Shuffle partnership was announced with a groovy music video featuring Armaan Malik, India's biggest pop star. The video, which has already crossed 19 million views on YouTube, creatively depicts the joys of having a personalised musical backdrop for your journey. Relief in a Digitally Saturated World At a time when everyone online today experiences some form of digital fatigue, the 6E Shuffle offers welcome relief from scrolling and swiping. Unlike many digital platforms that demand constant attention and interaction, the 6E Shuffle is a refreshingly simple experience: answer four questions, receive a customised playlist, sit back and enjoy. It eliminates decision fatigue and offers a meaningful, distraction-free digital experience that adds genuine value to the travel experience . For Spotify, with 91 million monthly active users (Comscore 2025) in India spending an average of two hours daily on the platform (GWI Time Spent Survey, June 2024), the partnership reinforces its position as an essential part of listeners' lives. In a 2024 global study by Hub Entertainment Research, when asked which media services are 'must-haves," the top answer was Spotify, with many users considering it 'uncancellable" among their various media subscriptions. The partnership is a strategic match for IndiGo, India's preferred airline, which is amongst the fastest growing carriers in the world. IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer fares that are affordable, flights that are on time, and provide a courteous and hassle-free travel experience across its unparalleled network. With its fleet of 400+ aircraft, the airline is operating around 2200+ daily flights, connecting 90+ domestic and 40 international destinations, and welcomed over 118 million customers in FY25. The airline has built its standing by reaching audiences through targeted and energetic marketing campaigns. The 6E Shuffle partnership brings out the perfect vibe. Neetan Chopra, Chief Digital and Information Officer, IndiGo said 'At IndiGo, we are constantly exploring innovative ways to enhance the travel experience for our customers. Music is a soundtrack to journeys, and through our partnership with Spotify, we are curating a travel experience that is unique to our customers." Tangible Benefits for Travellers Beyond the personalised musical experience, the partnership comes with actual benefits. Anyone booking tickets on web or app receives a complimentary four-month Spotify Premium membership , giving them access to ad-free listening, the ability to download music for offline playback, listening with friends, and more premium features. The campaign will find a spot on both brands' platforms such as their respective apps, social media channels, and IndiGo's in-flight magazine 'Hello 6E', ensuring maximum visibility for what the brands believe will become a staple ritual for Indian travellers. Want to find your perfect travel soundtrack? Visit before your next trip.
Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Indian Express
‘Podcasts spark conversations, connect creators with listeners': Spotify's Dhruvank Vaidya
Over the years, podcasts have emerged as a popular medium for information consumption. Today, there are hundreds of podcasts across diverse topics ranging from history to current affairs. 'What a podcast brings is conversation. When it is a personal conversation, you are able to understand the tone and the context, and it is much more. You are able to absorb much more information,' said Dhruvank Vaidya, head of music and podcasts, Spotify India. Vaidya, who recently sat down with shared some insights about the growing podcast ecosystem in India, essentially how user preferences are shaping it and the music streamer's role in nurturing this rapidly growing medium. As a platform connecting creators with listeners, Spotify takes a neutral stance on content creation and at the same time ensures that necessary safeguards are in place, he said. 'Spotify is a platform, and what we do is give access to the best content from all over the world to our audience,' explained Vaidya. 'We don't create any shows, so we don't have a point of view on that content.' Asked about the rising spate of misinformation around the world, Vaidya asserted that content regulations continue to be a priority through its internal mechanisms. 'In terms of guardrails, we have our internal trust and safety mechanisms and content guidelines, which we use to track all the content that comes in,' he said. On how Spotify was fostering creators, Vaidya said that while acknowledging that podcasts are a new medium, the platform has established multiple touchpoints to assist creators. 'We do a lot of master classes and on-ground events where we train people on how to do podcasts,' he added. The platform also offers 'Spotify for Creators', a tool offering guidelines, techniques, and valuable consumption data. Moreover, the Discovery Mode prominently features in Spotify's creator support strategy through curated collections such as 'Learn in 10 Minutes' and 'Life lessons from inspiring people'. 'We help podcast discovery quite actively. We have on-platform promotion tools that we use to promote podcasts,' Vaidya noted. He said the recommendation engine combines manual curation with technology that uses the listening history of the user and people who have similar listening profiles. Gen Z and new trends Vaidya said that Generation Z – which refers to people born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s – has emerged as a powerful demographic consuming podcasts. 'A survey done by YouGov in April 2024 said that seven out of 10 Gen Z users listen to a podcast weekly,' Vaidya revealed. According to the Spotify executive, for Gen Zs, podcasts serve dual purposes – learning and having authentic conversations. He said that role models significantly influence Gen Z's podcast preferences. 'Role models are one big set of podcasts that Gen Z listens to, who they can kind of emulate and learn from. Nikhil Kamath is a classic example.' On the other hand, millennials with their workplace and life experiences gravitate towards professional development content. 'Continuing to learn is very important; ongoing learning will help them in their careers,' Vaidya said. Their topics of interest include startups, pitching to VCs, and target market strategies. Other than professional growth, they seek 'motivation and inspiration', which he described as 'another very big space for millennials.' Notably, devotional content also does really well on podcasts among this age group. Since many users are turning to podcasts for content related to upskilling, leadership stories, financial advice, etc, we asked if there were any popular educational or self-help podcasts that were creating an impact. Vaidya said that the platform's educational podcast landscape features notable creators like Raj Shamani, whose show, 'Figuring Out', focuses on enrichment. 'He believes that every conversation or every guest on the platform should enrich the audience in a certain way,' said Vaidya. On the other hand, financial education also garners significant interest. Vaidya shared the example of Monica Halan's podcast 'Let's Talk Money'. Other impactful shows include the Think School podcast on business and geopolitics and Huberman Lab covering health and wellness. Since sharing financial or educational advice requires a great deal of trust, we reached out to Monica Halan to understand how one can maintain credibility and trust in the age of podcasts. 'The credibility comes from not having skin in the game – I am not selling any product. I do not benefit if the audience buys a certain brand. Therefore, I give strategic advice and do not comment on or recommend specific companies or product names. I also focus on communicating tools rather than specific 5-products-to-buy kind of advice. My idea is to empower the audience to make their own decisions. That way they can always be in control of their financial lives and do not need to keep coming back for the next set of products,' Halan told Flourishing amid waning attention spans The attention span of the average human being is getting shorter as time passes. However, even as reading habits continue to plummet, podcasts – even those lasting over two hours – have sustained listeners. When asked what makes podcasts so appealing, Vaidya attributed it to the 'intimate' nature of its consumption. 'I am sitting in a room by myself, and this expert in their subject is talking to me. And in this one hour, two hours, I can get the benefit of their entire life learning,' he said. Unlike long-format articles, which are text-heavy and least interactive, podcasts offer conversational engagement, explained Vaidya. According to him, access to expertise is yet another compelling draw. 'Today, this kind of guidance is available on a podcast. You can get to experts, and they will tell you and answer the questions that are in your mind.' The tech executive shared that in India, podcast consumption on Spotify extended beyond English to around 13 other languages. 'Hindi remains significant, but Tamil podcasts are really big. Bengali also has a giant tradition of audio,' noted Vaidya. More cities across India are also embracing this medium.
