Audio On The Webinar Series | The Creator, Curator, and Consumer of Digital Audio Streaming

Through the mundane and the insane, digital audio has been our daily, always-on companion. Over the last three months, music and podcasts have taken on new roles in our day-to-day lives: the colleague, the gym buddy, the bearer of news, and the friend that makes cleaning fun.

Audio On The Webinar Series is established with the aim of bringing together exciting updates and conversations from the world of digital audio. To kick off the series, we wanted to start with what we do best and how brands can play along.

JioSaavn plays the role of a content creator and curator for millions of listeners, making sure to tap into data to engage with them effectively. The first webinar in the Audio On series, The Creator, Curator, and Consumer of Digital Audio Streaming, was moderated by Virginia Sharma — VP, Brand Solutions, JioSaavn. Speakers included Neetu Puri (Editorial & Music Programming, JioSaavn), Leilah Zeenat (A&R Artist Originals, JioSaavn), and Kirthi Shetty (Creative Production, JioSaavn). It explored how digital audio content comes alive on a million feeds, the evolving nature of streaming habits, and the opportunity for brands to tell their story in this powerful and immersive setting.

Content Curation: Assembling Perfect Playlists for Millions of Listeners

The session began with a discussion on the science and art of curation. Music is deeply intimate and truly unique to each listener. On JioSaavn, most consumption is from curated content — editorial or algorithm-generated. So, how can we curate content to satisfy the personal tastes of millions? Data is everything, says Neetu. The numbers give her team deeper insights on how listeners are feeling right now. The sharp uptick in retro playlists during the lockdown, for instance, is an indicator that they are nostalgic for happier times.

“We slice the data to cater to as many people as we possibly can. The idea is that there must be something for everybody, if not everything for everybody,” says Neetu Puri, Editorial and Music Programming, JioSaavn

For marketers, music is a powerful storytelling opportunity. Music goes deeper than visual content, and has a unique place in listeners’ minds. Neetu recommends three ways in which brands can channel the power of music and playlists:

1 — Associate with an existing playlist property that reflects the essence of your story
2 — Create your own playlist property
3 — Give your brand a musical identity with an anthem that drives easy recall

Content Creation: Helping Independent Musicians Shine

“It’s the job of the Artist Originals team to feel the pulse of the market and figure the next steps forward,” says Leilah, A&R Artist Originals, JioSaavn

Artist Originals was set up to amplify South Asian artists and take independent musicians to a global platform. They have brought musicians like Prateek Kuhad, Ankur Tewari, and Marshmello into the spotlight.

Party anthems are out, chilling is in. User insights during the lockdown have shown that listeners prefer soothing content for their time spent indoors, and playlists related to relaxing are topping popularity charts. Such insights about what listeners want to listen to helps the Artist Originals team in taking decisions about the next artist/song that will define culture.

Brands are integrating their message into the world of independent music in truly unique ways. The most recent example was Bumble, which was a part of Zaeden’s latest video Kya Karoon — a story of two people navigating love during lockdown. It was a seamless fit (a match, if we may).

The Podcast Promise: Old School Storytelling, New Age Medium

“It’s amazing to be in the podcast space. It is growing bigger every day, and we get to define the medium and what it means to create podcasts in India,” says Virginia Sharma.

And the numbers confirm this. Podcasts are more popular than ever before, with overall streams up by 18% in the first two months of the lockdown era. Top genres include News (up by 245%), Film & TV (up by 221%), and History & Society (up by 89%).

Shifting listener moods are showing up in podcast preferences, says Kirthi. As parents spend more time with their children, we can see a growing interest in JioSaavn’s recent original podcast, Raising Parents. Listeners are also seeking relevant information about what’s going on, which would explain why our All About Corona Podcast Channel can be seen growing at an average of 14% per week.

Indians are storytellers at heart. We grew up listening to folktales from our grandparents and were raised on the radio. Today, storytelling has taken on a powerful digital form with the podcast format, and listeners are hooked. For podcasts too, JioSaavn plays the role of content creator and curator. The Creative Production team works towards producing a robust library of podcasts — including syndicated shows and original content.

“For brands to ride the podcast wave, it helps to work with established podcasters who’ve made their name,” says Kirthi Shetty, Creative Production, JioSaavn.

What makes podcasts particularly appealing for advertisers is their extensive loyal community base. #NoFilterNeha with Neha Dhupia is a great example of this — it’s indie, vastly popular, and brands who have attached themselves to its name have seen huge lifts in awareness and recall.

To summarize, as brands plan their route out of lockdown, here are a few ways to tell a powerful story with digital audio:

• Curate an audio experience that represents the soundtrack of your brand.
• Create relatable and meaningful original content for the earbud generation.
• Collaborate with us to produce relevant, cutting-edge original content for today’s consumer.

For more details. Do reach out to us at advertising@jiosaavn.com.

Source: Insights from Connecting from A Safe Distance: The Digital Audio Playbook For A New Reality