‘Spotify your Uber’ is a very popular service in the US, to allow Uber riders to listen to their choice of music while on the go. A similar service is coming to India and will be available to Mumbai residents for the time being.
Uber and Gaana, an online music streaming service, have partnered to offer Uber cab riders to listen to the music from their Gaana app directly. Starting from Mumbai, the residents will get the service in all the Uber ride options – UberGo, UberBlack, UberWiFi and UberSUV.
Users of the service will also get a free 2 month Gaana Plus subscription as an introductory offer. This will allow offline listening of your favourite playlist and consume less data on the run.
Such a partnership was quite obvious considering the fact Gaana is owned by Times Internet, which also has invested in Uber in India. Not just will it help the Uber business in India grow, but also give Uber passengers a taste of the music streaming service.
Prashant Agarwal, COO – Gaana, said, “Music lovers want to experience uninterrupted music of their choice and with this partnership we aim to give the rider this experience on Gaana. In-car entertainment is an important segment in our audience and we have once again demonstrated Gaana’s brand message of music everywhere – jo bhi situation Bas bajna Chaiye Gaana with this partnership.”
Can it be successful in India?
I have travelled in a lot of Uber cabs and some of the cabs do not have a music system installed in them. Most drivers do not care to install them because everyone has a smartphone these days, that doubles up as a music player on such commutes.
However, in case of long tiring commutes where it is not feasible to plug in earphones, it will make a lot of sense to play your favourite music in the cab and de-stress before you reach your destination. Such cases should be plenty and will definitely give Gaana+ a push as well.
Some Uber drivers might not like the idea of passengers playing their own songs, because let’s be honest, no Uber driver would want to listen to heavy metal or death metal while stuck in traffic. There could be a conflict of interest, but again such cases should be low.
Overall, we feel this service should spread to other metros as well soon to really test out the outcome of the partnership. Mumbaikars, let us know of your experience with Uber and Gaana app next time you travel in one.
Source: RMBiz / Image: VentureBeat
