The website clearly mentions, Create, Connect, Monetize. Well, that’s what Qyuki.com is all about - to vest the power of creativity and the ability to make money with the creator.

Samir Bangara is the Managing Director of Qyuki, a startup he co-founded with Shekhar Kapoor AR Rahman. Samir has more than 15 years of extensive experience in the new media and technology space. He has been listed amongst the top 15 angel investors in India.

The world’s leading music company, Universal Music Group, and its affiliated publishing entity, Universal Music Publishing Group have entered into a unique strategic collaboration with Qyuki.com, a music focused Multi-Channel Network (MCN). This marks the first ever association between a music company (UMG), a music publisher (UMPG) and a Multi-Channel Network (MCN), all of which are entities that are affiliated with and manage multiple artist channels on YouTube.

To further talk about Qyuki.com and what it offers, Verus Ferreira spoke with Mr. Bangara to shed more light on what the website offers.

What is the website all about and what was the purpose of its creation?

Democratizing creativity that was the thought with which Qyuki was started. The primary focus of Qyuki.com is to vest the power of creativity and the ability to make money with the creator. How do we do this? That’s where the Qyuki story starts. This power manifests in the form a network. A network where the artists can jam, create and make money through something they’re passionate about. The website is a core part of our overall offering which includes the Qyuki Studios and the Qyuki Distribution Network

There are other websites like Artistaloud.com that are on the same wavelength and offer artists an opportunity to sell their music, what makes Qyuki so different? 

While Qyuki.com has a focus on music, we also work with filmmakers, bloggers to help them create, distribute and monetize digital content. Going beyond showcasing their talent, Qyuki gives the artist complete support to realize the true potential of their ideas. Our artists have access to a studio-floor, cameras, lights, editing suites, a sound room and a team of filmmakers, sound engineers and editors. The artist gets support from Qyuki right from conceptualizing, executing to finally presenting their creativity to their audience through Qyuki’s Multi-Platform Network. We are not the store front, we encourage distribution across multiple store fronts but are engaged with the artists across all their works rather than one or two productions.

What music genres are you looking for? 

In India, the scenario is such that Bollywood music saps all energy of the creative folk. Other genres like R & B, folk, Hip-hop and Classical tend to struggle to find a platform to showcase their talent. That scenario is changing and we are at the forefront of bringing about this change. We are creator-centric and we believe in providing opportunities across all genres. We work with well-established names like RanjitBarot, Anand Raj Anand, sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee and also with absolutely new, raw talent like the Dopeadelicz, Slumgods among many others.

What parameters are set for an artist to be featured on your site? 

Our goal is to be a creator brand not a consumer brand. The creators are the consumer brands. Our goal is not as much to feature artists on our site as much as create their online video presence across platforms where fans discover them

Is there any monetary transaction for Qyuki from the artist side? 

The end goal of any art form, beyond creative expression, is the ability to enable the creator to make a living. When our artists’ creations make money, we share the revenue. Qyuki.com is a partner with the creator in pursuit of the end goal.

How does the artist benefit from the site?

The artist has the opportunity to showcase their work. In addition to that, they have the opportunity to connect with other artists for collaboration. To give you an example, a singer could connect with a sound engineer, guitarist, drummer, filmmaker, actors and editors (for a music video) through our site. An actor could find filmmakers who are rolling out a project and a brand could connect with the right idea. The possibilities are endless.

What marketing plans do you have to promote the site and make it known all over?

There’s no publicity like word of mouth publicity. Our artists are our spokespersons and our strategy and philosophy is to let our artists’ work and the artist to speak for us. Having said that we naturally work hard towards building our artists presence. We have promoted our artists on Radio channels, got them commercials on TV and help then engage with brands. In addition, we have a strong social presence and promote our artists within our network of over 20 million across our entire social network.

If users want to hear music on the site, do they have to pay to hear it / buy it? Or do you offer only streaming?

We don’t believe that content needs to be consumed on one destination. The Qyuki.com site is the destination where content is created. Consumption of this content happens across varied platforms, so that the consumer can enjoy it anytime, anywhere. Our content is accessible on YouTube, iTunes, mobile VAS and in some cases traditional media like TV and Radio.

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira.