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Clubhouse looks at ticketing options following India launch

Social media app Clubhouse is considering the addition of ticketing options to its audio-based service that went viral last year after endorsements from many major celebrities.

The app, which allows people to listen into audio conversations, went live in India recently, and Clubhouse co-founder Rohan Seth said the New York City-headquartered company is aggressively working on monetisation plans, which include options like payments, subscription, ticketing and tipping.

In a briefing with media, Seth and fellow co-founder Paul Davison said India features among its top markets within weeks of launch in the market, reaching more than two million users already.

“The really exciting thing is seeing people within India meeting people from other parts of India, (and) seeing people all over the world connect with Indian rooms, users and content,” Davison told said.

The app was launched in beta in March 2020 on iPhone only and members could only join through invitation. It became a huge success in the US thanks to publicity from media mogul Oprah Winfrey, tycoon Elon Musk and musician Drake. It has begun a global roll-out in recent months as well as being launched on Android.

The founders describe Clubhouse as a place “where people from all corners of the world [can] come together to talk, listen, hang out, share, debate, learn from each other, deepen friendships, meet new people, and experience unforgettable moments together”.

Clubhouse has seen a plateau in new downloads in the US in recent months, in part because established social media giants such as Twitter have introduced their own audio-based services of late.

Clubhouse had about 13.4 million users in late March, according to research company App Annie. But after peaking in February, with 9.6 million downloads, it had had just 2.7 million in March and 900,000 in April, mobile-app-store analysts Sensor Tower said.

Twitter recently unveiled plans to allow creators on its audio-only platform Spaces to sell tickets to attendees joining rooms on the platform.

Twitter said the forthcoming feature will allow hosts to set ticket prices as well as decide how many tickets are available to each event.

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