Shankar Mahadevan Academy
Shankar Mahadevan Academy is an online Indian music education platform founded in 2011, serving 50,000+ students across 95+ countries with 600+ courses spanning Hindustani/Carnatic vocals, playback singing, and instruments, delivered via live classes, a proprietary digital textbook (OM Book), and four monetization channels including D2C, corporate, school, and affiliate licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBangalore, India
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Shankar Mahadevan Academy does
Shankar Mahadevan Academy is an online Indian music education platform founded in 2011 by Grammy Award-winning composer Shankar Mahadevan and co-founder & CEO Sridhar Ranganathan, operating under the legal entity Clood On Musica Pvt. Ltd. and headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The platform delivers live, instructor-led classes via Cisco Webex and Zoom with batches of 3-4 students, supplemented by the proprietary OM Book digital textbook, OM Riyaaz practice recorder, and a suite of mobile apps (Sur Sadhana, Perfect Your Pitch, Listen to Learn Music). The course catalog spans 600+ structured offerings including Hindustani and Carnatic vocal music with seven-level certification paths (Sa through Ni), playback singing series in Hindi and Tamil, children's programs (Grow With Music, Garbh Sangeet), instrumental instruction (guitar, keyboard, piano), and hobby/cultural courses covering devotional songs, movie songs, and heritage content.
The business model combines four monetization streams: per-enrollment consumer course fees (recurring subscription-like) for live and self-study programs; corporate music engagement contracts (Let Go, executive programs, team building) with clients including Tata Capital, Thomson Reuters, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Bharat Petroleum, and Larsen & Toubro; in-campus school programs (Grow With Music, CBSE exam preparation) deployed across 50+ Indian school locations; and affiliate licensing revenue from a network of music school partners in 40+ countries serving 9,000+ students. The company also operates a Teacher Certification Program and community ecosystem including SMA Chapters, Sangam/Prayag/Milan 360 performance events, and SMA Playhouse. Cumulatively, the platform has served 50,000+ students from 95+ countries and conducted 450,000+ live online classes over 15 years, with the company remaining privately held and bootstrapped (no external funding disclosed).
Shankar Mahadevan Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shankar Mahadevan Academy
- Legal name
- Clood On Musica Pvt. Ltd.
- Website
- https://shankarmahadevanacademy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Shankar Mahadevan Academy is an online Indian music education platform founded in 2011, serving 50,000+ students across 95+ countries with 600+ courses spanning Hindustani/Carnatic vocals, playback singing, and instruments, delivered via live classes, a proprietary digital textbook (OM Book), and four monetization channels including D2C, corporate, school, and affiliate licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shankar Mahadevan Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Music Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms (EDAMANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE), Music Exam Prep & Certification (ABRSM, Trinity, RCM, AP Music Theory) (EDAMANAJ)
Keywords
Where Shankar Mahadevan Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangalore
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Shankar Mahadevan Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Online Course Enrollment: Live instructor-led certificate programs and self-study courses with course fees per enrollment. Courses run up to 12 weeks with multiple sessions starting throughout the year. Payment accepted via credit/debit cards and internet banking.
- Corporate Programs: Customized music programs for corporate employee engagement including Let Go - Ji Bhar Ke Jiyo, executive programs, team building, and new employee induction programs.
- School Programs: In-campus music education programs delivered in schools, including Grow With Music curriculum and CBSE Hindustani Vocals preparation courses.
- Affiliate Licensing: Music school affiliates deliver SMA courses under brand license with certification for Hindustani, Carnatic and Voice Gym courses.
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Shankar Mahadevan Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shankar Mahadevan Academy delivers live, instructor-led online Indian music education across Hindustani and Carnatic classical vocals, playback singing, instrumental training, and devotional/cultural music for individual learners, schools, corporates, and global affiliates. Classes are conducted via Cisco Webex/Zoom with small batch sizes (max 3-4 students), supported by proprietary digital tools (OM Book textbook, OM Riyaaz practice recorder, Riyaz Rewards loyalty program) and mobile apps. Over 600 structured courses serve 50,000+ students from 95+ countries through direct-to-consumer enrollment, in-school delivery, corporate programs, and an affiliate licensing network spanning 40+ countries.
Product overview
Shankar Mahadevan Academy is an online Indian music education platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of courses and programs. The core offerings include Hindustani Vocal and Carnatic Vocal classical music programs with seven-level certification structures. Supporting products include playback singing series (Hindi and Tamil), children's music programs (Grow With Music, Hindustani/Carnatic for Children), language-based courses (Mother Tongue Series, Movie Songs, Devotional Songs), and specialized modules (Raga Deep Dive, Voice Gym, Konnakol, Language of Rhythm). Instrumental instruction covers Guitar, Keyboard, and Piano. The platform provides technology tools including OM Book™ (digital textbook), OM Riyaaz (practice recorder), and mobile apps (Sur Sadhana, Listen to Learn Music, Perfect Your Pitch). Additional programs include school partnerships (50+ locations), corporate engagement programs, affiliate partnerships, and community events (Sangam, Prayag, Milan 360). The platform operates via CloodOn learning management system with live classes conducted through Zoom/Cisco Webex.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Riyaz Rewards™: Loyalty and rewards program where students earn points by attending classes, completing lessons, practicing regularly, and enrolling in new courses. Points can be redeemed toward future course enrollments or additional classes.
- OM Book™
- OM Riyaaz
- Sangam™
- PRAYAG™
- Milan 360™
- Grow With Music™
Products and services
- Hindustani Vocal Classical music of Northern India program with structured curriculum, clear progression path, and certifications across seven levels (Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni). Delivered through live online classes with assessments and certificates; suitable for beginner to advanced learners.
- Carnatic Vocal Classical music of Southern India program with a seven-level certification structure (Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni). Delivered through live online classes with assessments and certificates.
- Raga Deep Dive In-depth exploration of a single raga including Badaa Khayal, Chhotal Khayal, Bhajans, Taraanas, and improvisation techniques like Taan, Aalaap, and Bol Alaap. Targeted at intermediate to advanced classical learners.
- Hindi Playback Series Progressive vocal training blending Bollywood music with classical and contemporary techniques. The HiPS curriculum covers foundational alankars, voice training, and performance drills inspired by Shankar Mahadevan's musical journey.
- Tamil Playback Series Step-by-step vocal training combining Kollywood music with classical and modern techniques. The TaPS program guides learners from beginner to confident playback singer through selected Tamil songs, voice exercises, and practice drills.
- Grow With Music Curriculum designed for children ages 2.5-12 to nurture natural musical skills through age-appropriate songs and activities that progressively build a strong foundation and appreciation of music.
- Hindustani Music For Children Introduces Hindustani music to children through structured courses (HV100A through HV100E) designed to demystify music elements and build musical abilities before taking on classical discipline.
- Carnatic Vocals For Children Introduces Carnatic music to children through courses (CV100A through CV100D) designed to nurture musical skills and build foundations before advancing to classical programs.
- Mother Tongue Series Learn songs in regional Indian languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, and Tamil. Celebrates native tongue through music to improve critical thinking and literacy in children.
- Lost Lullabies Self-study courses featuring timeless lullabies in Hindi, Marathi, and Malayalam. Songs tell stories and bring alive culture in native language, and can be shared with babies even in womb.
- Rhymes To Swaras Self-study pack teaching basics of music using rhymes. Available as Teacher-Led course (RTS101TL) or Self-Study Pack (RTS101) for learning foundational musical concepts.
- Garbh Sangeet Prenatal music education courses including Garbh Sangeet Hindustani (Levels 1-2) and Carnatic (Levels 1-3). Bond with baby through the power of music starting from pregnancy.
- CBSE Music Exam Preparation Comprehensive series preparing students for 10th and 12th grade CBSE board exams in Hindustani Vocal Music, covering both theoretical and practical aspects.
- Online Summer Courses Seasonal intensive courses for summer including Grow With Music (ages 4-13), Hindustani Vocal (beginner to advanced), and Carnatic Vocal (beginner to advanced) programs.
- The Heritage Series Cultural education through music exploring Upanishads, Indian culture, devotional poets, folk traditions, and festival songs. Courses include Discover India, Songs on Festivals, Devotional Songs, Upanishads, and Songs by Languages.
- Language Of Rhythm LOR courses (6 courses) teaching concept of rhythm and its importance in music using popular songs. Students learn to vocalize, visualize, and analyze rhythmic patterns, write poetry, and compose rhythms without instruments.
- Movie Songs Learn favorite songs from Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, and Malayalam movie industries. One-on-one 45-minute online classes per week for 4 weeks with practice recordings and feedback.
- Karaoke Songs 12-week course learning to sing along with backing tracks. Select any 3 songs from Hindi Movie Song Library. Karaoke singing teaches the art of lending lead voice to a backing track.
- Learn Your Favorite Songs 12-week course where students select any 3 songs across genres. One class per week with online course materials. Also available as 4-week single song course.
- Konnakol Vocal percussion course teaching solkattu syllables to a meter (tala) counted by hand. Ancient South Indian classical art form connecting all forms of percussion. Courses from IPK101 to IPK202 plus review courses.
- Devotional Songs Learn popular Indian devotional songs, bhajans, and Sanskrit mantras including Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam. Available as self-study bundles or instructor-led single courses.
- Voice Gym Advanced elective course strengthening voice for performance skills. Courses AE760 (beginners) through AE764 (Level IV) help students develop and become better musicians.
- Playback Singing Comprehensive course on becoming a playback singer. Personalized training to identify strengths/weaknesses, understand music director vision, and potentially record a song arranged by Shankar Mahadevan Academy.
- Contest Preparation Prepares skilled contestants for vocal competitions. Focuses on improving voice quality based on original compositions and embellishment techniques to draw best emotions in performance.
- Teacher Certification Programs Train-to-inspire program for aspiring music educators. Courses include Teacher Certificate Hindustani (TCCHV101), Carnatic (TCCCV101), and Generic (TCCG101) teaching unique SMA pedagogy.
- Guitar Western guitar courses including Guitar Foundation Program, Trinity Certification Path, My Favourite Songs on Guitar, and Play Guitar. Covers construction, chords, melodies, and tabulature reading.
- Keyboard Keyboard courses including Keyboard Foundation Program, Love Your Keyboard Performance Path, Trinity Certification Path, and My Favourite Songs on Keyboard. Learn fundamentals and simple songs in C-major scale.
- Piano Piano courses with Foundation Program, Love Your Piano Performance Path, and Western Piano Trinity Certification Path. Flexible structure for joy, mastery, or graded certification.
- Corporate Programs Music-based programs for corporate employee engagement including Let Go - Ji Bhar Ke Jiyo™, Executive Program, Team Building, New Employee Induction, and Talent Hunt. Enterprise clients include Tata Capital, Thomson Reuters, HDFC Bank, Infosys, BPCL, and L&T.
- School Programs In-campus music programs for schools including Grow With Music for Schools (trademarked) and CBSE Hindustani Vocals for Schools. Operating in 50+ school locations from Noida to Madurai.
- Affiliate Programs Partnership program for music schools worldwide to deliver SMA courses under brand license. Benefits include OM Book access, certification, marketing support, and participation in contests and recitals. Network spans 40+ countries with 9,000+ students.
- Teacher Training Program Programs for teachers of Indian music including SMA Teacher Certification and Teacher Placement. Equips instructors with teaching best practices and multi-media tools.
Companies that use Shankar Mahadevan Academy
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Shankar Mahadevan Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
Shankar Mahadevan Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tata CapitalcoreCorporate partner for employee music engagement programs, including Let Go and team building through music initiatives. Represents ongoing enterprise engagement relationship.
- Thomson ReuterscoreCorporate partner for employee wellness programs through music. Active engagement in corporate music education initiatives.
- HDFC BankcoreCorporate partner for employee engagement through music programs. Active in corporate wellness and talent initiatives.
- InfosyscoreCorporate partner for music engagement programs targeting employees and families. Active in corporate music education.
- Bharat PetroleumcoreCorporate partner for employee music programs. Represents engagement with energy sector enterprise.
- Larsen & ToubrocoreCorporate partner for music-based employee engagement and team building programs. Active manufacturing sector engagement.
- Music School Affiliates (40+ countries)corePartner music schools worldwide deliver SMA curriculum under brand license with access to micro-site, course materials, assessments, OM Book, 24x7 admin support, and certification. Network of 9000+ students across 40+ countries.
- CloodOn (Clood On Musica Pvt. Ltd.)coreTechnology platform powering online learning. Provides personalized learning platform, video conferencing infrastructure (Cisco Webex), and operational support including payment processing and student portal management.
- International Schools (50+ locations)coreSchool partners across India where SMA delivers in-campus music education including Grow With Music curriculum and CBSE preparation. Spans locations from Noida to Madurai.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Shankar Mahadevan Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Artium Academy: India-focused online music education platform offering vocal and instrumental courses with live classes. Directly comparable as a domestic competitor in Indian online music education, serving similar diaspora and Indian-resident learners with live instructor-led delivery.
- ArtistWorks: Online music lessons platform featuring pre-recorded video exchanges with master musicians across instruments and genres. Directly comparable as an online music school with structured curriculum, expert faculty, and video-based lesson delivery to individual learners worldwide.
- Fender Play: Fender's online learning subscription for guitar, bass and ukulele with structured curriculum and video lessons. Comparable as a brand-anchored, online music instruction platform with instrument-specific pathways and milestone-based progression.
- ipassio: Online platform connecting learners with Indian classical music teachers for one-on-one live lessons. Directly comparable as a live, instructor-led Indian music education service with similar target audience (Indian classical vocal and instrumental students).
- Yousician: Subscription-based online music education platform offering instrument and vocal lessons with real-time audio feedback. Directly comparable as an online/virtual music instruction platform serving individual learners globally, with similar mobile-app and self-serve delivery model.
- TakeLessons: Online and in-person music lessons marketplace connecting students with vetted instructors across instruments and voice. Comparable as a music instruction platform with structured booking, instructor matching, and curriculum pathways for individual learners.
Broad incumbents
- Berklee Online: Online extension of Berklee College of Music offering courses, certificates, and degrees in music performance and theory. Comparable as an established music education institution delivering structured online instruction with certification, though anchored in Western contemporary music.
- Udemy: Mass-market online learning marketplace with extensive music course catalogue including Indian classical and Bollywood vocals. Comparable as a broad online learning destination where music learners can self-serve lower-priced courses, posing competitive pressure at the entry tier.
- MasterClass: Premium online learning platform featuring celebrity-instructor video courses across creative disciplines including music. Comparable as a brand-anchored, premium online education platform leveraging instructor celebrity, though broader in scope and not specializing in music pedagogy.
Emerging players
- Smule: Social music-making app with karaoke, sing-along and collaborative vocal features including Indian film songs. Comparable as a digital platform engaging consumers around Indian music performance, though focused on social/amateur singing rather than structured pedagogy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Shankar Mahadevan Academy social profiles
Digital presenceShankar Mahadevan Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shankar Mahadevan Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Shankar Mahadevan Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shankar Mahadevan Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shankar Mahadevan Academy
What does Shankar Mahadevan Academy do?
Shankar Mahadevan Academy delivers live, instructor-led online Indian music education across Hindustani and Carnatic classical vocals, playback singing, instrumental training, and devotional/cultural music for individual learners, schools, corporates, and global affiliates. Classes are conducted via Cisco Webex/Zoom with small batch sizes (max 3-4 students), supported by proprietary digital tools (OM Book textbook, OM Riyaaz practice recorder, Riyaz Rewards loyalty program) and mobile apps. Over 600 structured courses serve 50,000+ students from 95+ countries through direct-to-consumer enrollment, in-school delivery, corporate programs, and an affiliate licensing network spanning 40+ countries.
Is Shankar Mahadevan Academy a public or private company?
Shankar Mahadevan Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Shankar Mahadevan Academy founded?
Shankar Mahadevan Academy was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Shankar Mahadevan Academy based?
Shankar Mahadevan Academy is headquartered in Bangalore, India, in the Asia region.
How does Shankar Mahadevan Academy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Online Course Enrollment is the primary driver. The others are corporate Programs, school Programs and affiliate Licensing.
Who are Shankar Mahadevan Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Artium Academy, ArtistWorks, Fender Play, ipassio, Yousician and TakeLessons. Broad incumbents are Berklee Online, Udemy and MasterClass. Smule is listed as an emerging player.
Does Shankar Mahadevan Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shankar Mahadevan Academy.
What industry is Shankar Mahadevan Academy in?
Shankar Mahadevan Academy's product category is Online Music Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAI, Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAE, Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal). Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 8200.