Two Indians have “shot down” the Angry Birds with their magazine app, Magzter. Chennai-based entrepreneur Girish Ramdas along with co-founder, Vijayakumar Radhakrishnan, has trashed every best-selling app out there with Magzter which has been downloaded by over 4.5 million users, becoming a best-seller in Asia.
An elated Girish says, “We’re only 16 months old but the growth has been quite exponential.”
While running a software company in Chennai, Girish had started Galatta magazine that was later developed into a stand-alone app for most platforms. Inspired by the response, he decided to apply the same principle to other magazines, creating a one-stop shop for readers.
“Since we had the expertise of creating apps as well as an in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry, we decided to go ahead and create an app where any publisher around the world could create a digital version of their magazine online.
“We are also coming up with a new concept called Orey Click Publishing that we will patent soon. Here, the publisher will only upload the file along with the pricing details for each issue or subscription and it will immediately be made available for all smart devices. And for those who prefer to read on their laptops, they could access it from a cloud reader,” elaborates this entrepreneur who was also nominated for the CIOL Person of the Year award, along with the likes of Aamir Khan, Ratan Tata and Nandan Nilekani. “It is very humbling to be on this list. And more importantly, it feels good to be setting global trends,” he adds, modestly.
Girish admits that his aim has been to enhance the user experience on Magzter. “We want to be the YouTube of reading and give our users a similar experience. Be it magazines, books or even comics, you can access it on Magzter. And, you don’t need to buy a specific device, like a Kindle or the iBook. The app can be accessed for any mobile platform or digital device,” he explains.
Magzter’s influence has also given the digital publishing industry a new lease of life believes Girish. “Magazine buyers on digital platforms are new buyers and not merely those who have translated to the forum from traditional reading. And, the reach is longer where the reader is exposed to a diaspora. We have magazines from Thailand, Singapore, the US, UK, South and Central America, and even Spain, in different languages. So, we are trying to create a global ecosystem of magazine readers,” he adds.