myopusradio to launch 25 - 30 channels in the coming 6 months!

In the first phase of interview we discussed about myopusradio launch and its journey till now. In this phase we will discuss more on myopusradio and their future plans.

Adgully (AG) - myopusradio was launched with one channel and now it has 8 more channels, was this planned that you will launch these numbers of channels in a year. If Yes, how many channels do you intend to increase in a coming year, and if No, what made you increase these number of channels?

Sharmon Ibrahim (SI) - We started off with one channel, added another 8 and currently have over 10 channels. This number will probably go up to about 25 to 30 in the coming 6 months. Some of our channels are available only on other websites that cater to the specific need of the website. For eg: www.kingfisherworld.com

AG - How much do you spend on royalty and how is the royalty determined?

SI - Royalty payments are dynamic based on the number of listening hours; thus our royalty payments go up every month!

AG - What was your marketing strategy during the launch and do you intend to go by the same strategy? If Yes, why, and if No, why not?

Carlton Braganza (CB) - Being the first of its kind and being completely created from scratch by the Myopusradio "in-house' team, the intent at the time of the launch was not really to market ourselves but to get the product up and running to a degree where it could be something that we as a team were confident about and proud of. Having achieved that target in 6 months, the focus shifted into high gear, as it were. The traditional advertising-driven revenue model was interestingly not our priority. Myopusradio is keen on leveraging our knowledge and expertise to create a streaming platform for other clients, brands and corporate house. We believe this is a compelling strategy because:

- myopusradio.com has maximised the potential of the Digital Era of music, which started with the advent of the MP3. What better way to 'spread the music' than by using the internet.

- With over 10 channels (9 of genre based music) to choose from, and over a lakh listeners, myopusradio offers what its founder, the late Gina Braganza terms as 'Death by Customisation'.

- On myopusradio.com, there is something for every ear. Be it Jazz, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Country, EDM or even Broadway and Opera classics. And as an added impetus to the Musical Climate of the country, myopusradio has a channel dedicated to streaming Original Indian Content. Independent Artists and Musicians with "International Content' can now boast of their music being aired on a Global Radio Station.

- Corporates, Organisations, retail stores and even lifestyle brands can now have their own internet radio station. In an age where advertising is cluttered and Direct Mailers are a dime a dozen, there is an emphasis on Customer Experience like never before. And myopusradio.com is a perfect tool to streamline that Customer Experience to the last detail and ensure consistency, feasibility and relevance to a brand.

AG - Are you looking forward to advertisers to get more revenues from? If yes, how important role they will play?

CB - Advertising revenue whether it comes in the form of ad spots or sponsorship is very important as it is at the heart of any popular internet as well as FM radio station. The number of listeners and the time they spend listening is what you are selling to an advertiser. We offer excellent segmentation opportunities, through the various channels, for advertisers to focus on a particular segment or niche and so offer a very attractive branding opportunity.

AG - myopusradio has completed a year did you achieve your 1st year target? If yes, what were your targets?

CB - To be honest, we didn't have targets in the first year. As mentioned earlier, while the investment in such a venture is considerable, we as Trump It have always believed in allowing a product to breathe and grow, following which, interest is automatically generated in the public as well as in the commercial space. Not to say that we don't market it and expect things to fall into our lap, but we're not in a hurry.

AG - What is your revenue model, and have you achieved break even? If no, then by when do you plan to break even and what strategy will you follow and why?

CB - Our revenue model is two-fold. We always knew that break even for a business as nascent and as new as this is hard to achieve in a year. We are in talks with various potential sponsors and advertisers who have evinced interest in "owning' channels on myopusradio as online properties and also creating other such properties for themselves.

AG - Who are your competitors and why do you feel so?

CB - There are thousands of online radio stations and it would be very difficult to identify our direct competitors. The basic offering is the same, but like any entertainment medium, it's the packaging and mode of deliverance that matters. Clearly in the uniqueness of model, level of customisation and variety of genres/channels, Myopusradio is unmatched.

AG - What is your future plans form here, what is the market strategy you have that will help you grow from here?

CB - The process is three-fold:

- Our Sales and Marketing team have a couple of key tasks on their plate.

1) Talking to Brands with a music connect. Most savvy brands recognise the value of having a strong online presence in this very connected world and this is not only a great fit, it is also a logical fit.

2) Other brands and advertisers have products and services that they need to offer to the relatively smaller but extremely relevant online population of the country or the world. This is an excellent way to reach out to that target group with tailor-made communication.

- We're constantly upping the ante as far as out content goes, providing more and more content that is relevant to larger and wider sections of our global audience. It is only a matter of time before word spreads among likeminded people who like what we have to offer.

- We are beginning a major PR drive to create awareness of the existence of myopusradio, something we have not done so far as a concerted effort. It is a newsworthy project and the few exposes we have received so far have shown a considerable spike in listenership.

AG - Can we see myopusradio available on mobile as well? If yes, by when?

SI - Technically it is already available on most mobile phones that have a GPRS connection.

AG - Any specific thing you want to communicate with media, advertising and marketing industry?

CB - Myopusradio.com is a vehicle. For some, like your musicians and music lovers, it is merely a musically, fun-filled ride. For others, advertisers, corporate, head hunters, it could be a means to an end.

Increased fragmentation of media is leading to advertising becoming more specific, interactive and targeted. No marketer can afford not to be on the internet. Online advertising is slated to grow at a compound rate of 32 per cent over the next five years and its share of total advertising spend will increase to 5.5 per cent in 2013 from 2.3 per cent in 2008. The next highest growth in advertising over the period 2009-13 is expected by the radio industry at 18 per cent-estimated to reach Rs 1, 900 crore by 2013 from Rs 830 crore in 2008.

Combine the opportunities for both these and you have the myopusradio opportunity. The retail model of myopusradio.com will offer corporate an opportunity to create consistent and unique music-led brand experiences for targeted audiences. This also means customised content with audience interactivity and holds a lot of promise for corporate targeting specific demographics/college campuses or large multi-locational corporate for their "tailor-made' in-store experiences or work environments. It's novel, effective and very easily personalised.

And if you're not a music person or a brand person, well then you could find uses and applications that even we haven't thought of.

So tune in! Or should we say "log in'!