We witnessed a resurgence of women at the forefront of the pandemic, taking charge of their personal and professional lives in various tiers and geographies of the world. Tapping into this powerful narrative that they are building towards redefining the social, cultural and economic fabric of the world is Arré's Project Voice, a women-first audio app.
Explaining the idea, Niyati Merchant, co-founder and COO, Arré says, "The app took us two years to build. It promises to enable anyone to be a creator in the easiest and quickest way possible. All one needs is a smartphone to voice their thoughts. We provide the tools to enable a seamless creation and listening experience - a creator studio with background music options, voice filters, editing options and more."
"These are in continuous evolution based on live feedback we are getting from the women creators on the app. What also makes it unique is its ability to offer creation possibilities in recorded and gamified live and live-group modes, where women can meet in private or public spaces to talk or listen in," she says.
From discussing South Indian movies to talking about mental health, taboo topics and storytelling, women creators are experimenting with a variety of content in the language of their choice.
"Women love the idea and vision of the app and are super excited about being part of a movement that allows for an unfettered expression of their views, skill sets and passion projects. They are seeking a platform that helps them build a personal and professional identity," she says.
"We also believe that the narrative is incomplete without men and other genders and therefore we are a women-first platform and not a women-only platform. Our beta launch has further corroborated our initial learning," Niyati adds.
This audio app is aimed at empowering an entirely new generation of women content creators by providing them with a safe space to express their thoughts and views and be a part of a community.
"Ankur Tewari and Ayesha Sood have designed this audio experience for the app. The audio medium I believe is not only a superset medium when it comes to talent discovery, but is also the medium for most straightforward creation, given that it takes very little (approximately 90-120 seconds to create a 30-second voice) to become a creator," Niyati says.
"Our audio app is inviting creators from a host of backgrounds. We will be introducing monetisation tools for women to enable them to earn from their skill sets and passion projects that are showcased on the app. These will range from advertising to tipping to social commerce," she adds.
Having started in Hindi, Tamil and English, the product will offer multiple Indian and global language options for creating audio content. "We aim to mirror the diversity, not just India but the global village we have come to inhabit - whether at a language or dialect or interest level. Women creators have started creating their own content in their regional languages available on the app, discoverable via hashtags and interest filters," notes Niyati
"We hope to bring women across geographies, social segments, and interests - whether it's a group of women passionate about theatre or K-Pop or learning a new language or a group of girl trekkers or women skaters or even young mothers. Our platform aspires to give a voice to everyone - well-read, minimally literate, or even those unable to read so they can open their thoughts and ideas to a community to listen," she assures.
The app is inviting anyone who identifies as a woman.
The team is working on product features and frameworks to strengthen safety and community rules, and will soon roll out access to other genders on the platform, with equal rights of consumption and creation, while striving for a safe online world for true expression.
The app is available for Android users and is accessible by invitation only but it will be available on iOS.
"We plan to add new features to enhance the creation and listening experience, showcasing of talent and skill sets and moving towards monetisation of content created by the women creators across brands, creator-led transactions and commerce," concludes Niyati.