iWorld
Explurger’s efforts to create an impact on the online travel community
MUMBAI: Actor, philanthropist Sonu Sood and tech entrepreneur Jitin Bhatia have launched a travel based social media app Explurger. They claim that half a million users from over 40 countries are already present on its beta version. The app creates automatic travelogues by using artificial intelligence. It gamifies the social experience and rewards users for being socially active.
Talking to Indiantelevision.com Explurger founder, CEO Jitin Bhatia noted that the idea came to him a few years back “I remember that I had come back from a place that I had visited. I had been to that place many times. I looked at social networks where I had earlier shared photos and content to find out how many times I had been to that place but I could not find any travelogue. That is where the whole concept of a social media app for travellers came to my mind. While users share photos and videos and get a few likes, comments after a few hours or days that content becomes history. Everyone forgets about it. So, I felt the need to create a social media app where every time a user creates a post and shares a photo or a video the A.I. in the app automatically creates a travelogue.
“It keeps track of the miles, cities, places that the user has been to without any extra effort from the user’s side. That was the eureka moment for me and I started speaking to my friend Sonu Sood. He also had the vision that there should be a made in India social media app that is used by global audiences.”
Bhatia added that the aim was also to give something back to users who share so much content and information. “In other networks they spend so much time but they do not get anything back in return. We combined these two concepts and we also decided to give rewards to users for being socially active. This is the second differentiator in our app. Another differentiator is that this is a social media app that uses gamification. The user level goes up every time a post is shared. The user earns Explurger counts. Higher the level more is the user’s recognition on the platform. This is how Explurger was born.”
On the investment side he said that the app was bootstrapped initially. Last year a pre-series round of $1 million was raised. “Even then people had no idea of Sonu Sood being involved. We went out in the market and the virality around the beta version was good enough to raise the pre-series round. From three people we now have 22 people. We have reached a level where we can go global. In the past six months we have got users from over 40 countries.”
On the revenue side he said that there will be five sources. “We have not started monetisation yet but we are looking to do so in the coming six months. We are looking at raising series A. We will close it soon and in a year’s time from now we expect three of those revenue streams to be active.”
He added that so far 39 brands have tied up with the app and that is how rewards are being given to users. These, he said, are category A brands and the app is talking to global brands also including an airline. “More brands will come on-board. Brands want the amplification of their brand name.”
The aim of the app is to create a solid base of content creators who will be rewarded. “In addition, we are looking to monetise the content that is created. This is the second phase. Revenue will be shared. Alliances are being done with different partners.”
Bhatia added that Sonu Sood is not a brand ambassador. “He is my partner, co-founder and is fully involved in the product. I handle the technology side. On the creative side he is fully involved. In fact, we have two offices in Delhi and Mumbai and we have our tech team sit in Delhi while in Mumbai we have our creative team. This is where he plays a big role. He also plays a big role in terms of the user acquisition. He is well known on social media. People love him. He has over three million followers across social media.”
He said that the opportunity for his app is that 76 percent of four billion global social media users share pictures while on the move. That means around three billion people and this is the potential market. On the promotional and marketing activities front he said that so far user growth has been organic in the apps’ beta version. Now as Sonu Sood has been unveiled to the people as co-founder Bhatia is sure that many people who love the actor would start coming.
“He is a known personality. Our intention is to grow the app through word of mouth. This will happen only if the product speaks for itself. Our goal is to improve the product and features.
On the tech front he said that the challenge is to come up with new ideas that have never been seen before. “The kind of concept that we have has not been done before by anyone. A lot of R&D (research and development) was required in creation, developing new algorithms around the app. But user acquisition has not been a challenge. As we improved the app the usage also improved. Now we have to make sure that the product keeps engaging people. They must use it on a day-to-day basis.”
With Sonu Sood as his partner, the Explurger idea might well travel.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
