We are back to radio.
Radio to TV to internet and now back to radio.
Hello, I hope you had a great Sunday!
Now that the OG of Audio, Spotify has entered this highly talked about the rivalry between Clubhouse and Spaces, one can only anticipate for media and tech giants the following suit soon. In fact, companies like LinkedIn and Facebook are already working on beta audio features.
Any new feature that succeeds in making an impression on the consumers gets firmly copied. Snapchat had stories; Whatsapp, Twitter, Youtube, IG everyone else does too now. Tiktok came up with 15-sec videos; IG came up with reels, Youtube came up with shots. And this is true for most of the features. There’s hardly any feature that is strictly limited to one platform today. As a result, we have dozens of homogenous apps if not identical.Â
From the perspective of the companies, this is the only way of preventing monopoly, of making sure you retain your audience. If one feature becomes a massive hit and your app doesn't provide that feature there’s a strong possibility of users migrating to other apps.Â
Perhaps the more interesting trend to notice this time is the heightened investment and exploration in the field of audio, which compared to the video has thus far been criminally under-developed. I believe the future is audio. And the future is here.
We often fail to realize that audio technology already has a deep presence in our daily lives. Be it Amazon Echo or Google Home Mini or Alexa or Siri, we have already incorporated audio technology in our daily lives so much so that these bots don’t even stand out as fascinating any longer. If you observe you will realize that most of our parents don’t type nowadays, they use audio commands to use Google or Youtube. And mostly they indulge in WhatsApp voice notes. There’s also a growing inclination towards audiobooks and podcasts. You will be pleasantly surprised if you take a careful look at the vast category and volume of podcasts available in India across languages on Spotify or other platforms.Â
All of these point us towards the inevitable, Audio is the Future.
If you also see this from a point of convenience you will notice that audio syncs quite well with the current increasingly urban and fast-paced life we are leading. Video demands singular attention and a monopoly over time. Audio is easy going, it can accompany you at the most mundane as well as busiest moments of your life. Audio also feels strangely intimate and fulfilling. Â
What I was reading this week?
Everything you need to know about the upheaval brought by audio content
a. What’s next in the battle of Audio Supremacy?
b. Clubhouse has way too many upcoming competitors
c. As expected, LinkedIn is working on its Clubhouse rival
You might soon have a 4-day work week! (You can send this article to your HR)
The Internet wants Jeff Bezos to eat the Mona Lisa!!! Yes, you read that right!
You can now have a third eye to keep looking at your phone unbothered by the fear of death! Black-mirror-esque enough?
What I was doing this week?
I was in conversation with Praveen Kumar, a stand-up comedian with a Tamil Amazon Prime Special
I hosted a LinkedIn live with Anirudh Singhla and Risabh Shekhar about Pepper Content’s success model. (Follow me on LinkedIn so that you don’t miss out on my future live sessions…innocent plug-in)
I sent a newsletter addressing which audio platform suits your needs better if you are a creator.
Do let me know what you think of this audio revolution that’s underway. You can reply back to this email directly or comment down below and my DMs @pawan_rochwani are always open for you too!
Take care, stay safe, enjoy the monsoons! I will see you at the next one.
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