Delhi-based talent discovery platform Yahavi helps struggling artistes reach their fanbase
In today's competitive world, talent and creativity are not enough for an artiste to achieve fame and recognition. Strong network, access to the right set of people and a platform can simplify one's struggle towards attaining success. Launched in February 2015, Delhi-based Yahavi.com is creating a platform to help artistes discover the right opportunities and have access to the right people, be it promoters, fans or audiences, without charging any fees.
Yahavi.com serves as a comprehensive platform for various artistes where they can promote themselves to a large set of audience and peers. The platform also allows clubs, restaurants and corporations to directly contact artistes and organize events.
Since the launch of Yahavi.com, it has witnessed a significant traction with the number of registration going up to 2000 which includes musicians, solo performers, and bands from all across Delhi-NCR. The startup intends to take the number of registered members up to 10,000 from the music fraternity by this August.
Whilst speaking about the initiative and ideation of the concept, Divyesh Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, says,
In the artiste circle, there is a defunct supply chain of middlemen which feeds off the talent and the income of the artiste while adding no value to the entire process. With Yahavi.com, we aim to bring about a change in the system by facilitating a seamless exchange between demand and supply by virtue of reach and engagement on the platform.
Hazy idea with clear vision
With an urge to do something meaningful for the society (all the while not losing sight of the need for commercial viability and sustainability for the project), Sharma kick-started Yahavi.com with an initial investment of $ one million dollars. Initially, the idea was to be a cultural barometer of the society and solving the aching point of performing artistes by putting up showcasing skills and resources.
From the execution perspective, the challenge was to explain to the audiences the plan of how to discover, develop and promote the artistes online. The idea was to eventually help the artistes to grow and flourish.
Gaining competitive edge
In India, the concept of live performances has started gaining significant acceptance from pubs and restaurants across cities.This has further motivated people to opt for performance arts as a serious professional career option.
The market has evolved in the last couple of years with the entry of players like Qyuki, Gigstart in this domain, with revenue generation being evaluated close to rupees1000 crore per year.
Yahavi.com, a new entrant in this market, is trying to differentiate itself by solving all the key issues surrounding an artiste starting, from creating a market for performances, getting opportunities to showcase her/his talent and fan interaction.
Primarily, Sharma has to reach out to the artistes social media websites likeFacebook to promote Yahavi.com. The platform does not adhere to any strict norms in terms of selecting artistes. It charges no registration fee from the artistes who are signingup on the platform.
Climbing the ladder of success
In the last one month, Yahavi.com has organised four events in South Delhi. Moreover, it is in the process of organising music festivals across genres like jazz and heavy metal to diversify the music culture in the city.
Speaking of the revenue model, Sharma says,
Presently we are not charging the artistes or the clubs/restaurants. Going forward, our revenue generation model will be solely through subscription and ad sales.
As a part of its geographical expansion strategy, Yahavi.com is working across Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata and parts of North East to get artistes on board.
Currently, the startup has a team of 40 people on a flat organisational structure. The core team heads business, operations, products and marketing with support from the specialists in each department.
Going forward
In the next one year, Yahavi.com aims to popularise the platform through registrations across the demand and supply side.With a leadership team that has extensive experience across technology and management, Yahavi.com is working to go national and global in later stages. Adds Sharma,
We plan to go international by 2016 starting with South East Asia and Central Europe, after extensively covering artistes across music, dance and standup comedy in India.