Music has for long been taken as a free commodity in India. It is an arduous task to generate revenue from subscriptions by audio streaming services. We have two streaming platforms — Spotify and Gaana. To overcome this they have tied up with other partners to give bundled offers and discounts.

Spotify has partnered with Citibank and Flipkart to offer discounts on subscription plans. Credit card customers of Flipkart Axis Bank can get access to 15 months of Gaana Plus at a discounted price. Such tie ups are common in video streaming services. Telcos use such tie ups for increasing data consumption.

Indian audio streaming market consists of 200 million active listeners, of which just 1 percent are paid subscribers (KPMG study on M&E industry). Users must be given free streaming options in order to lure them into subscription offers.

Different users have different requirements. Some just want ad-free experience. Some require high quality audio and facility to download music. Suitable plans must be developed to cater to the needs of the audience. Ad free experience you can have by paying just Rs,10 per month. Gaana Plus offers high quality music and unlimited downloads at Rs. 99 per month. There are cheaper student plans. However, too many options lead to confusion.

Content ultimately is the king and helps in acquiring subscribers and high revenue. Streaming services are buying podcasts to increase user engagement and to create new avenues to boost up ad revenues.