MUMBAI: As India’s audio culture rapidly evolves, individual creators and brands are turning to podcasts as an immersive medium to engage with listeners. Spotify has, and will continue to play an intrinsic role in this growth of the creator ecosystem through Anchor, a Spotify company, which provides an easy, convenient, and free way to create podcasts and distribute them.

2020 has been a foundational year for Anchor in India, and included educational sessions and a series of ‘pitchfests’ for aspiring podcasters at Kommune’s Spoken Fest 2020, as well as the Anchor Online Bootcamps. Sessions across these events were hosted by several renowned creators, including Roshan Abbas, Ranveer Allahbadia, Pooja Dhingra, Kalki Koechlin, and Kenny Sebastian. The events brought together over 6000 creators to experiment with podcasts as well as engage with experts for fresh insights into the medium.

In its latest initiative, the company is hosting the first edition of ‘Spotify Podcasters’ Day’ on October 30. Serving as a wholesome experience of podcasting culture in India, the event will be rife with insightful experiences such as power-packed masterclasses, networking opportunities, and an opportunity to hear from Michael Mignano, Co-Founder of Anchor and Head of Podcasters Mission at Spotify. Over 25,000 creators have registered for the event.

“Anchor has been an integral part of our global audio-first strategy. In India, we’ve spent this year building awareness around the platform especially as there is an increased interest in potential creators to experiment with podcasts. As a result, between January to June, we saw a 5x growth in the number of creators who used Anchor in India,” said Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director - India, Spotify.

“It is already the most popular podcasting tool in many countries around the world, and some of the top podcasts in Brazil and Indonesia are made on the platform. In India, the accelerated growth of the podcasting ecosystem means that in the near future, we can expect India's best podcasters and podcasts to come from Anchor too,” he added.

Users can make podcasts in any language on Anchor, giving podcast enthusiasts across the country the opportunity to create. In fact, one the top podcasts on Spotify India charts is the Anchor-powered Telugu podcast PURIJAGANNADH. There are other regional podcasts that feature in the list too. Globally, Anchor-powered shows currently account for more than 70% of new podcasts launched on Spotify.

Quotes from some of the key creators who’ll be speaking at Spotify Podcasters’ Day:

Surbhi Bagga, who will be a part of a panel on Podcasting for Gen Z, says, “Gen Z likes podcasts because it fits their lifestyle. Whether it’s at the gym or while driving, they like to listen to curated content. Spotify has been one of the biggest proponents for amplifying podcasting in India, with apps like Anchor enabling the easy creation of podcasts, even from home”.

Mantra, who will lead a session on Dramatization in Podcasts Through a Listening Party explains, “Sound can create visuals in a listener's mind like no camera can, and so, innovative sound design is very important in a podcast, especially in the world of audio dramas”.

Cyrus Broacha, who will answer questions on How to Keep Your Audience Engaged highlights his podcasting journey. “I became a podcaster by accident. When I first heard about podcasting, I wasn't sure how it was different from radio. But it's evolved to become more like a conversation rather than a standard question and answer format - that's so boring. I like the idea of a conversation”, he says.