The makers of the Chingari app have launched a new social networking app called Fireside and you can call it the desi version of Clubhouse. Clubhouse too has been lately testing its android version and is available only to a few for tests. Who do you think will win the race?
The growth of the audio industry has been on the rise and it is not a piece of new information. However, the entries in this market are quite interesting. With some claiming to regain the market and some trying to enter this now crowded space, who will get that market share?
Lately, almost all social media platforms have been trying to integrate audio-only feature on their platform. Whether it be Spaces from Twitter or Reddit Talk from Reddit. Facebook has been trying a series of audio products to catch up to the competition. It also collaborated with Spotify to catch up to the same.
Fireside, Indian Clubhouse?
Fireside was announced by Sumit Ghosh and Aditya Kothari. The app is available on both Android and iOS platforms. Chingari app was one of the top alternatives of TikTok in India. The makers of the app decided to play their bets on the alternative of the much talked audio-only platform, Clubhouse. It is promoted as the first audio-only app from India.
The app’s description on the Goggle Play store read “The Fireside app is a social networking app that lets you follow and form connections with like-minded individuals. It lets you share your thoughts and synergize on enriching ideas. Empower yourself with worldwide connections that will add value to your professional and personal life.”
The user interface of the app is simple to navigate through. It has two tabs for Explore and Communities. Users can also join audio rooms to join in the conversation. You can also form connections in the app.
Some feel that the entry of this app in the market is too late as an average audience already has enough option to choose from.
“To mirror the diversity of the country like ours, there needs to be an egalitarian social platform that is inclusive of folks who can barely read and write. With Fireside, even those who are minimally literate, can open their ideas up for the world to hear,” said Aditya Kothari, cofounder of Fireside and Chingari.
Clubhouse loses popularity
Clubhouse made quite a news during the lockdown. The app was able to host multiple public personalities. This was cited as one of the main reasons for its growth and popularity. However, one of the criticisms that it drew was its exclusive nature. The app was only reserved for iPhone users.
As of April 2021, Android has a share of 95.77% in the Indian market. Hence, if Clubhouse wants to capture the Indian market, the availability of the android version is important.
According to stat site backlinko, downloads of Clubhouse from December 2020 went from 600,000 to a whopping 10 million as of February 2021. However, it is critical to note that there has been a 66% decrease in downloads compared to the 2.7 million in March. Is the magic of Clubhouse disappearing?
Spotify emerges
A few days back Spotify recorded 1 billion downloads on Android phones and became the most downloaded audio streaming app on the platform. According to a report by Reuters, Spotify had record growth in countries such as the United States and India. It was mentioned that premium subscribers were up 21% to 158 million from a year earlier.
Spotify has been actively pushing all its features, whether it be paid and premium plans or the podcast platform. The company also launched paid podcast feature this year.
Which platform would you prefer?