Gaana launches 'HotShots' to win over TikTok's million-plus fanbase

It's an in-app feature that lets you create short videos, edit them with special effects, and then share them.

Gaana, the leading music streaming app in India, with over 150mn users is leaving no stone unturned to capture the China-sized hole that TikTok has left behind. The government of India recently banned TikTok, along with over 50 other Chinese apps, "... which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

Cue HotShots – a new feature on the Gaana app that lets you create videos, edit them with special effects, and then share it with others. Also, there are no ads to interrupt the video stream.

What's interesting is Gaana touting (the tag) #MadeinIndia across social media, a clear nod to the platform's origin, as compared TikTok's Chinese origins that resulted in its ban. Gaana doesn't stop there. It also took a jab at TikTok in HotShots description, "Tick-Tock-Tick? Counting time? Not anymore!..."

Prashan Agarwal, CEO, Gaana, said, “At Gaana, we have always emphasized on placing the power of digital content creation into the hands of emerging talent. We had launched Gaana Vertical Video platform last year to allow our celebrities / singers to connect with our audience through Short Videos.

Today we are building up on that expertise by unveiling the ultimate short video creation and consumption platform ‘Gaana Hotshots’. Our home-grown entertainment super app is ready to serve as the country’s go-to destination for entertainment across music, podcasts, short viral videos and buzz, offering aspiring Indians the power to become influencers in their own right with Gaana’s world-class live streaming & short video capabilities.”

We checked the feature on the Gaana app, and the eerie similarity to TikTok caught our eye. The sliding of the screens, to the placement of the like and share button, and even the celebrities and influencers on board... We saw Bollywood stars Shilpa Shetty and Kartik Aaryan, who had a sizeable following on the ByteDance-owned short video app (TikTok).

TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide (non-game) for May 2020, with more than 111.90 million installs, says Sensor Tower, a mobile marketing intelligence firm. India led the way with 20 per cent of the total downloads. Now that the app is banned, it's open season for its million-plus audience, and Gaana looks determined to win them over.