MAM
Audio helps Indian content creators elevate mood, boost well-being and creativity: Spotify study
Mumbai: Spotify, released a first-of-its-kind research, ‘Audio: Where Creators Come To Pause’ that puts the spotlight on the daily lives and challenges of India’s content creator community, and how they deal with emotions.
The study, conducted with musicians, podcasters, and social media content creators in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, presents a comprehensive understanding of creators’ mental well-being. Nearly 80 per cent of the respondents experience excessive stress or pressure in their work at least once every week. They also shared coping mechanisms and practices, including the pivotal role of consuming audio, to navigate their content creation journey.
For actor and comedian Mallika Dua, “One of my greatest joys in life is music, it’s a big part of self-care and my way to gain inner peace. Music is like a person who is always with me in my room, making sure I never feel alone”.
A few of the key findings that the Spotify research are:
. There are five main types of challenges that content creators deal with:
- Intellectual: The constant need to keep up with changing algorithms and posting frequencies builds high pressure to post content regularly.
- Emotional: Negative feedback and comments significantly affect creators’ self-esteem, with nearly 40 per cent facing ‘fear of the future’.
- Physical: Almost 40 per cent of creators spend more than 3 hours a day to make content, leading to exhaustion and an adverse impact on health.
- Social: Creators face loneliness and isolation within their circles, with nearly 65 per cent of them feeling inadequately supported by the creator community.
- Financial: Content creation is not always financially rewarding, especially during the early stages.
. Audio plays a key role in coping with these challenges, and Spotify is the number one choice for content creators when it comes to audio platforms.
- 50 per cent of the respondents use music as a coping mechanism.
- 7 out of 10 creators agree that music, podcasts, audiobooks & guided meditations help them deal with stress.
- More than 40 per cent of creators listen to audio to lift their mood, feel inspired, or calm their nerves.
- 1 in 4 creators use audio to enhance creativity as well as boost productivity.
. Female content creators are more likely to feel stressed (33 per cent) than their male counterparts (20 per cent). A similar pattern is also seen in the creators from the age group of 30-45 years (35 per cent) compared to 18-29-year-olds (24 per cent).
“Nowadays, it’s important for creators to realise that we need time to kind of distance ourselves from the screens, from social media and think about how much toll it’s taking on our mental health”, said content creator and actor, Dolly Singh.
Nearly 45 per cent of the respondents feel that their current coping mechanisms are ineffective, and are facing a range of need gaps, including inclusive and accessible support tools like therapy and counselling, and a safe space where creators can have open conversations while being vulnerable and protecting their privacy.
Spotify India head of communications Vasundhara Mudgil said, “Content creators are part of an industry where the entry barriers are low, burnout is always just around the corner, and constant comparison with other creators is common. The Spotify study highlights some of the most relevant issues that the creator community in India faces, and the role that audio plays in supporting their overall well-being. Through this initiative, and on-ground sessions with mental health experts, we want to encourage the creator community to see audio, and Spotify, as a place where they can come to pause”.
Access the full report here.
MAM
Lessons from global media markets on building enduring content franchises
Rose Audio Visuals COO and CFO Mitesh Patel.
MUMBAI: The global media landscape has undergone a fundamental shift. Success today is no longer defined by a single hit show. It is defined by the ability to build intellectual property (IP) that travels, evolves, and compounds over time.
At Rose Audio Visuals, this shift is central to how we think about content pitching and creation. We are no longer in the business of just making shows. We are in the business of building IP ecosystems.
From Hits to Franchises
Globally, the most successful content is designed to extend beyond its first outing. It travels across: Seasons, Platforms (TV → OTT → Digital), Formats (series → spin-offs) Shows like Stranger Things and Money Heist are not just successful series they are multi-layered franchises with global recall, fan engagement, and long-term monetisation. The key learning is simple: If content cannot scale beyond one season or one platform, it remains a project not a franchise.
Local Stories, Global Impact
One of the most powerful global trends is the rise of culturally rooted storytelling. Platforms today reward local authenticity combined with universal emotion. Stories that are deeply regional are no longer limited by geography they are amplified by it. Consider the global impact of Squid Game or India’s own Sacred Games. The takeaway is clear: The more authentic the story, the greater its potential to travel if the emotion resonates universally.
Monetisation Begins After the First Window
A critical global learning is that the true value of content is not realised at launch, it is realised over time.
Strong franchises unlock multiple revenue streams: Licensing, International remakes, Brand integrations, Digital extensions , Events and immersive experiences
Global players like The Walt Disney Company have mastered this approach, turning content into long-term ecosystems that extend far beyond the screen.
The first window is just the beginning. The real value lies in what follows.
At Rose Audio Visuals, we increasingly evaluate projects not just on commissioning value, but on their long-term franchise potential.
The Rise of Creator-Led Franchises
An important global shift is the emergence of creator-led IP ecosystems.
Creators today are not just content producers they are building full-scale franchises across platforms, formats, and businesses.
A powerful example is MrBeast. What started as YouTube videos has evolved into: Multiple content formats, Global audience scale , Brand extensions and businesses, High-impact experiential content This is a fundamentally different model digital-first, audience-owned, and infinitely scalable.
This model is still in its early stages in Indian but it represents a massive opportunity.
The next wave of Indian content franchises may not come from traditional studios alone but from creators who think like media companies.
Balancing Data with Creative Instinct
Streaming platforms today are deeply data-driven. Data helps Identify emerging genres, Predict audience behaviour , Inform commissioning decisions However, global experience shows that data alone does not create hits. Data informs scale, but storytelling creates impact.
Talent is the Foundation of Franchises
Enduring franchises are rarely accidental they are built through long-term creative partnerships. Globally, there is a clear focus on nurturing Actors, Writter, Show runner and director. Franchises are not built on scripts alone they are built on creators. This is an area where we continue to invest deeply building long-term relationships with talent rather than project-based collaborations.
Multi-Platform Thinking from Day One
Content consumption today is inherently multi-platform. A successful show must be designed not just for its primary platform, but for: Short-form extensions, Social media amplification, Digital-first engagement. Every show today needs a second life beyond its original format.
India: A Market at an Inflection Point
India today stands at a unique moment in its content journey.
We are seeing significant opportunity in Regional markets (Telugu, Tamil, Marathi and others) Emerging formats such as micro-dramas, Scalable, franchise-driven fiction IP
India does not lack stories. What we have historically lacked is structured franchise thinking something that is now beginning to evolve.
The Way Forward
The biggest lesson from global markets is this: The future belongs to companies that do not chase hits, but systematically build franchises. Because while hits may deliver immediate success, franchises create long-term value, recall, and compounding growth.
At Rose Audio Visuals, this belief shapes how we develop, greenlight, and scale content across platforms.
For content companies today, the question is no longer “Will this show work?” It is: “Can this become a franchise?”
A Personal Note
Having worked across content, business, and strategy, one thing has become increasingly clear to me, the most valuable companies in our industry will not be those that create the most content, but those that create content that endures.
Building a franchise requires patience, conviction, and a long-term lens something that the industry is only now beginning to fully embrace.As we continue this journey at Rose Audio Visuals, our focus remains simple: to move from volume-driven creation to value-driven storytelling. Because in the end, stories may start conversations but franchises build legacies.
