VidCon 2016: Boasting 200 million users, Flipagram helps creators ‘face the music’

Nearly 500 million Flipagram video stories have been created since the platform launched, and around 90 per cent of those stories have a song attached. The company has global music licensing deals with Universal, Sony, and Warner, among others, which enable creators to choose from a library of millions of 60-second song clips to to pair with personal photo and video stories.

It is a main differentiator for Flipagram, which faces stiff competition from both established and up-and-coming social platforms. To help it stand out among (or at least stand with) these players, Flipagram is a VidCon sponsor this year and is showcasing live acoustic performances from verified Flipagram artists along with opportunities for fans to meet creators.

For more on Flipagram, its unique features, and its presence at VidCon, we caught up with Mohit.

Found Remote: What do you seek to accomplish at VidCon this year?

Farhad Mohit: As a leader in mobile video creation, we will be at VidCon to connect with the native video creator community and to provide a platform to showcase Flipagram’s creators and music artists. Flipagram will be launching a channels program soon with verticals in makeup, food, dance, comedy and others, and we’re actively looking to recruit VidCon creators who want a ground-floor opportunity to amass a huge following on our platform and become bonafide FlipaStars.

Also, we will be showcasing some of the incredible music and creative talent on our network with live acoustic performances and creator tutorials by top artists and creators.

FR: There are plenty of Flipagram artists creating content for the platform who aren't leveraging licensed music. Why do you think they're using Flipagram versus Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, and YouTube?

Mohit: About 90 percent of Flipagrams have a song attached, because music adds emotional depth to creations and is really a Flipagram differentiator. However, because Flipagram is truly the simplest mobile video creation app in the market, and we have no time restrictions or other constraints for creators, there are many use cases where a song is not needed and voice narration or native audio on video clips makes sense. These include life-casting, narrated walk-thrus and responses to community questions.

FR: For a social platform, why is the availability of licensed music clips a game changer?

Mohit: Music amps up the emotional value of a video. Think about a horror movie without a scary soundtrack, or a romantic movie when the violins come in, that’s when people get emotional. Flipagram enables anyone, anywhere to instantly add any song, for up to a minute for free to create an amazing video story. That’s an unbeatable proposition for any video creator!

Also, because we’re licensed, Flipagram ensures that artists are fairly compensated for their songs, and get their music promoted with sales generated from all the links from our users’ creations. So, everyone wins.

FR: What does Flipagram offer creators that other platforms don’t?

Mohit: Creators have access to up to 60 seconds of free music from 50 million songs that they can add to their Flips and full screen video creation tools that are the easiest to use. Additionally, there’s an ephemeral in-app Flipacam that let’s creators make a Flipagram without taking up storage space on their phones. Soon, there will be a fame mechanic for many different verticals where mobile video creators have a ground floor opportunity to become bonafide Flipastars.

FR: How is Flipagram working with brands and advertisers who want to reach the large user base?

Mohit: Dozens of major brands have accounts on Flipagram and are actively creating video stories and seeking out FlipaStars for partnerships and collaborations. At the moment, Flipagram is focused on growth, so we connect brands to our influencers and allow them to work out the details, keeping 100% of the proceeds.