iWorld
Spotify acquires Betty Labs to step up live audio foray
NEW DELHI: In an attempt to make its presence felt in the non-musical audio market, Swedish audio streamer Spotify has acquired Betty Labs, the company behind sports-focused social audio app Locker Room. With this acquisition, Spotify aims to pose competition in the live audio sector, which has been heating up since the arrival of Clubhouse.
The popularity of live audio has gained steam during the pandemic months, with Clubhouse – which offers broadcasts, talks, and conversations between internet users – being the clear market leader. Betty Labs also specialises in this niche, and in 2018, it launched Locker Room, which hosts live audio exchanges about sports and watch parties. One of Betty Labs' investors was GV, the private equity arm of Google parent company Alphabet.
In a recent statement, Spotify revealed that it is planning to develop Locker Room into a platform that will be open to a wider range of creators and fans.
It was in February that Spotify initially expressed its ambitions to expand its market to the non-musical audio business. According to reports, the company has already poured hundreds of millions of dollars to build an integrated podcast that could offer an advertising platform and exclusive content.
Meanwhile, social media giant Facebook is developing a platform very similar to Clubhouse, while Twitter is testing a live audio app Spaces, set to publicly launch by April. LinkedIn is also gearing up with the beta testing of the new audio chat feature soon.
"We're doing some early tests to create a unique audio experience connected to your professional identity. We're looking at how we can bring audio to other parts of LinkedIn such as events and groups, to give our members even more ways to connect to their community," the professional networking app said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Clubhouse is currently available on Apple App Store and has been downloaded more than eight million times. The company is currently working to create an Android version of the app.
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.
