Micromax invests in Indian music streaming app Gaana

Micromax, the country’s second largest handset maker, has said that it has invested in Gaana, one of the leading India music streaming services owned by Times Internet.

The strategic partnership is aimed at providing Micromax’s users an uninterrupted access to the latest tunes, Sharma added. The new users will get a free trial of premium service Gaana+, allowing them to stream unlimited music and without any ads. However, we hope Micromax refrains from providing it as a system app, making it notoriously hard to uninstall for users that don’t want it.

“In partnership with Micromax, we will strengthen our footprint, helping us reach our goal of 100 million Indian users”, Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said.

Following the deal, Gaana will probably be obtainable on all Micromax smartphones, enabling customers to seamlessly entry the app.

In May, Micromax announced that it will be investing $0.5-20 million in over 20 startups over 12 months. Micromax is the most popular smartphone company in India, passionate about providing its consumers with the best experiences. India is a music loving country and the youth today are hooked on music for at least two-three hours a day through their smartphones. Users can then opt for either the paid, ad-free version of the service or enjoy the over 10 million strong songs collection with advertisement-supported streaming. Besides MiMedia, it had also invested in Delhi-based Le Travenues Technology Pvt Ltd, which runs the online travel search engine ixigo.com, and Bangalore-based Caeruz Ventures Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based firm behind health & fitness app HealthifyMe. Ganna competes with Saavan and Hungama among a few others.

The move further highlights Micromax’s focus towards providing best in class services to its consumers, by strategically partnering with top partners to provide customized offerings to its users.