Echo Celebrates Iconic Indian Musical Instruments And Their Proponents

With the aim to highlight the rich cultural heritage of Indian classical music and the artists who continue to take it to listeners across the world, Spotify has announced ‘Echo’, to celebrate World Music Day. For now, the initiative entails three new playlists, each celebrating an iconic Indian musical instrument, and features flautist Naveen Kumar, tabla player and multi-percussionist Anuradha Pal, and sitar player Rishab Sharma.

Indian classical instrumental music continues to be widely consumed in the country and across the world, by all age groups. In the last 24 months, for instance, India’s classical music consumption grew by close to 500% on Spotify. Additionally, data suggests that this is largely due to younger listeners, with over 45% of Indian classical music listeners being under the age of 25 on the platform.

Each month, Echo will highlight one musical instrument, delving into its rich cultural heritage through conversations with artists, a look at the legacy of the instrument, and more. The program aims to take Indian classical music to a new generation of listeners on Spotify. Listen to the playlists here: Soulful Sitar, Fascinating Flute, and Tabla Rhythms.

“The rich cultural heritage of Indian classical music and musical instruments continues to be celebrated in India and around the world. On Spotify, we have seen a growth in consumption of Indian classical instrumental music in recent years, with the younger generation forming a large part of these listeners. Through Echo, we expand our offering of Indian classical instrumental music on the platform, through three new playlists and artist collaborations. We are proud to be working with some of the foremost Indian classical musicians for this initiative, and hope to be able to take their music to even more listeners across the country and the world,” said Rahul Balyan, Head of Music, Spotify India.