Patari is the first proper legal online music streaming platform for Pakistani music. It is available on desktops, tablets and phones . It is a platform for Pakistani Artists to promote their music and make money.
Background
The CEO of Patari, Khalid Bajwa, said that their initial idea was to set up a site like Hulu. Unfortunately none of the TV channels were willing to share their content. In a chance meeting with Faisal Sherjan, they were encouraged to give music a shot and that’s what they did.
What Problem Is Patari Fixing?
- There’s no local platform for artists to promote themselves
- There’s no local music discovery service
The result is that a lot of people have forgotten about the music they grew up with and are unaware of the strides being made these days. Patari aims to change that. They’ve put the needs of the artists front and center and done their homework. Currently, they have signed deals with around 80 music labels.
Beta
The website is currently in beta and is invite only at the moment. They launched their beta program a fortnight ago. The Patari team says that they have only invited about 500 people so far. It’s quite clear that demand has been higher than the supply.
Music
Patari has a huge collection which has been tagged and categorized. Their team has worked hard at curating the playlists. They are sorted according to genre, mood and decade. The playlists were quite extensive with loads of great tracks. I was also able to use the Music Discovery feature to create a playlist in less than a minute.
You can find all sorts of genres such as: Bhangra, Drama OST, Pop, Rock, Sufi, etc. I counted 21 genres in that list.
Interface and User Experience
The interface is quite beautiful and well designed. Not only are the colors just right but the controls are quite easy to use. The navigation experience was a cakewalk as it is quite user friendly.
The web player worked without a hitch and streamed music in high quality. I accessed the site from my desktop as well as my mobile browser and tablet. It worked without a glitch. The best part was that most of the music I streamed was of high audio quality. Mobile apps are in the works, I’m told.
The user experience was quite good for a beta website. I was able to create playlists on the fly and favorite my songs with ease. The sad part is that I was unable to share my music. Since it is in beta, I am sure they will fix it before the site opens up for the public.
Monetization Strategy
Their monetization strategy is quite simple. Artists get 30 percent of the cut from the revenue. They will be sticking to an ad platform to generate revenues. It seems like a very generous deal as Spotify pays pennies each time a person streams a song.
Verdict
I was quite impressed by the site. The site shows a lot of promise and can be the next big thing if they apply themselves. Glitches are always part and parcel of a beta test. Once the site opens for the public, I’m sure Patari will get a vote of confidence.  You can get an invite from Patari’s Twitter or Facebook page.
Truly amazing product. My only concern is to know how are they handling the legal side of it?
Pakistanis have to start accepting such startups and products in order to go to the next level. I’m sure they’ll handle things, if 80 band/labels have signed up with them for content-distribution, then they would be coming forward with some arrangements for sure!
Thank you for your kind words. Co-Founder here. Yes, we’ll be sharing our revenue with the artists. So its a doodh makhan win win type scene :D
Thanks for getting back. I’m a blogger and content creator. I’d love to feature you on my blog as a Pakistani Startup!
That would be great. Please reach out out to us on our facebook page. facebook.com/patarimusic :)
*gracias*. We have licensed content from over 80 labels and artists get a share of the revenue :) PS: Co-Founder here :)
Thanks for getting back. I’d love to feature you on my blog as a Pakistani Startup!
That would be lovely. Please reach out to us on our facebook page . facebook.com/patarimusic :)
Brilliant for Purestani Music IMO.. was long over due for the greatest musicians in the World this.. :D
uselesss it is not allowing to get in even after giving email
Hi Tahir. Yaar app tu naraz hi hogaye. We are currently in an invite only beta and as much as we wish we could invite everyone, we can’t since we have to fix bugs and make sure the servers dont crash. If you have registered , allah kasmay you’ll be getting your invite soon. #PlissDontHateUs
make it user friendly
It must have an iOS and Android app on day 1. Simple as that.
Hi.Co-Founder here. We are a very small Startup. Funded this with our own sweat,blood and pocket. It went viral quicker than we ever thought it would. The Apps are coming next week :) Chalega :D ?
Chalo next week he sahi :p
kia likha ha Apne ? Patwari ?
Patari. As in snake charmer’s basket :)
Liked your FB Page.
Aik hadees ka mafhoom hai “Aik waqt aisa aya ga jaab log Halal aur Haram rizq mai tafreeq nahi kar sakain gy”, this startup will soon make you pretty rich but think about what you have done, because of your product thousands of people will listen to music aur saab ka Gunah tumhara nama amal mai jaya ga :(. Turn around burn the site do something else.
*lungi dance*
Well said. Keep up the great work. I don’t yet have access to your site but was my brother-in-law showed it to me a few days ago. Loved it.
As blogger, I would also like to feature your product on my site. Will get in touch via Facebook :)
Hey hey hey, we must right this great wrong at once. Please inbox your email on our fb page facebook.com/patarimusic and we’ll send you the invite and coordinate over the featuring too. Cant wait. #CanHazzFamez <3
Will do!
I was a little skeptical at first, but this was buttery smooth. Real great artwork and like Apple people say.. it just works! I would not even mind a subscription model to support this :) Keep up the good work Khalid!
Cheers,
Nabeel
This is the only way to access Spotify in Pakistan – https://sceneonhai.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/use-spotify-in-pakistan/