‘A slowdown makes you invest smartly’ OkListen.com
WHAT: OkListen.com is an online platform for buying digital copies of independent, non-film music in India.
Vijay Basrur, founder and CEO of OkListen.com
WHO: Vijay Basrur, 39, founder and
CEO.
WHEN: OkListen.com launched on August 15, after a one month beta-testing phase.
Vijay Basrur, founder and CEO of OkListen.com
WHO: Vijay Basrur, 39, founder and
CEO.
WHEN: OkListen.com launched on August 15, after a one month beta-testing phase.
HOW: In January, Vijay Basrur, an MBA degree holder from Mumbai’s
SP Jain Institute of Management, was on the website of Turquoise
Cottage, a popular live that there was a definite market for this —
users who were willing to pay for digital downloads of the music they
really liked,” he says.
Setting up a website isn’t capital-intensive, but Basrur says he spent “about three to four times more” than one would normally spend on designing and setting up the website, paying R 12 lakh for this from his own savings. “I wanted to build a good product,” he says.
WHY: Basrur has 17 years of experience in start-ups. After working in and helping several tech-related companies get off the ground, he wanted to delve into a sector that has been booming in India over the past two years — independent music. “With festivals like Sunburn and NH7 Weekender, we now have a lot more platforms at which bands can play live,” he says. “Therefore, there is more interest in independent music.”
In two months, 31 of 35 bands that have been catalogued on the site have made money, although the figures are minuscule right now, admits Basrur. “I’m optimistic about seeing a lot of growth over the next eight months,” he says.
Setting up a website isn’t capital-intensive, but Basrur says he spent “about three to four times more” than one would normally spend on designing and setting up the website, paying R 12 lakh for this from his own savings. “I wanted to build a good product,” he says.
WHY: Basrur has 17 years of experience in start-ups. After working in and helping several tech-related companies get off the ground, he wanted to delve into a sector that has been booming in India over the past two years — independent music. “With festivals like Sunburn and NH7 Weekender, we now have a lot more platforms at which bands can play live,” he says. “Therefore, there is more interest in independent music.”
In two months, 31 of 35 bands that have been catalogued on the site have made money, although the figures are minuscule right now, admits Basrur. “I’m optimistic about seeing a lot of growth over the next eight months,” he says.
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