Streaming platform Spotify has collaborated with content network Asiaville to launch ‘Create with Anchor’, a new program that will enable the discovery of 1,000 regional language podcast creators in Tamil and Malayalam.
The program’s first phase will focus on Tamil podcast creators, with the initial call for applications currently live. The launch dates for the Malayalam podcasters will be announced shortly after. The application process will run for a period of three weeks, during which time candidates can apply here.
The new initiative aims to tap into the growing podcasting medium while emphasising Tamil and Malayalam voices. Participants can benefit from guidance offered by expert trainers and mentors, including popular RJs and podcasters who will host a series of workshops aimed at orienting them into the art of podcast creation, storytelling, technical aspects, and overall best practices for the medium. The goal is to equip the creators with knowledge so they can bag their own exclusive podcast series with Spotify.
The workshops will be interactive and engaging, with the core objective of unleashing the potential of the participants and guiding them through their formative steps in effective podcast creation. The program will culminate with the first batch of episodes created by each of the selected creators rolling out on Anchor, a podcast creation tool by Spotify.
Tuhin Menon, co-Founder and CEO of Asiaville, said, “We have been heavily invested in the creator ecosystem at Asiaville, with particular focus on the southern languages, so this initiative is a natural extension for us, and we’re pleased to be collaborating with Spotify on it. Identifying, grooming, and ultimately giving wings to the next generation of podcast creators would be a gratifying experience for us. We look forward to a robust series of engagements, driven by a top-notch mentor and trainer team, working with talented creators across our focus geographies in Tamil and Malayalam.”
Asiaville has been founded Tuhin Menon, ex-President of Culture Machine; and Sashi Kumar, founder of Asianet and the Asian College of Journalism. The content platform focuses on creators, community, and commerce with 120 million MAUs and over 80 million monthly video views in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi. They recently launched AyeVee, an app to build content in Indian indigenous languages.
Dhruvank Vaidya, Head of Podcasts, Spotify India, said, “As podcast listeners actively seek out new genres of content, there is an opportunity for creators to share their stories through different formats – poetry, talk shows, interviews, and more. Spotify is committed to building this robust ecosystem for audio content creators in India, starting with educating them on the relevant tools. The Tamil and Malayalam editions of ‘Create with Anchor’ are free and open to all podcasters, and will enable existing and aspiring creators to learn from the best in the audio business. Our goal is to grow the pool of accomplished podcasters, who could even have a Spotify Exclusive podcast in the near future.”
