Words have become weapons in the battle between Spotify and WMG’s Warner/Chappell Music publishing. Overnight, Spotify clarified one of their jabes, alongside a fill announcement of the streamer’s launch in India.
“We’re pleased with today’s outcome. It ensures songwriters, artists, labels and publishers will benefit from the financial opportunity of the Indian market and that consumers will enjoy an excellent Spotify experience. As we’ve said all along, we’re hopeful for a negotiated solution with Warner based on market rates.”
Spotify Launches in India
World’s most popular music streaming service launches a personalized experience, upgraded for India
MUMBAI – February 26, 2019: Spotify (NYSE: SPOT), the world’s leading music streaming service, is available in India today with all-new features tuned to Indian music fans’ personal tastes.
With today’s launch in the world’s second most populous country (over 1.3bn people), Spotify is making its way to the fastest growing market globally for mobile apps(1). The number of active internet users in India is estimated at over 400m(2), as mobile internet and smartphones become faster and more affordable.
Spotify’s India launch follows the company’s recent expansion across MENA and South East Asia, bringing the total number of Spotify markets to 79 with 207m users, including 96m subscribers, globally.
Spotify comes to India offering the best listening experience in local and international music, with the Spotify app available to download for free or with an upgrade to Spotify Premium for only INR 119 per month.
“As Spotify grows, our goal is to bring millions of artists and billions of fans together from every country and background,” said Daniel Ek, Spotify founder and CEO. “India has an incredibly rich music culture and to best serve this market, we’re launching a custom-built experience. Not only will Spotify bring Indian artists to the world, we’ll also bring the world’s music to fans across India. Spotify’s music family just got a whole lot bigger.”
All of Spotify’s Favourite Features
Spotify comes to India with its unrivalled mix of features that have made it the world’s most popular music app, including more than 40m songs offering the hottest Indian and international music, best-in-class personalised music recommendations and the freedom to play across a wide range of devices and app integrations.
Tuned to India
Spotify has redesigned the music experience for India with a fresh set of exclusive features:
- Multi-language music recommendations: With many Indians speaking several local languages, Spotify’s music recommendation engine can now be tuned to Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. Indian users can select their preferred language(s) to receive tailored Daily Mix, Home, Radio, Search results and recommendations.
- Spotify Free with total control: For the first time ever on Spotify Free, smartphone users can play every song on demand.
- Playlists made for India: Expertly curated and regularly updated by our team of Indian music experts, new playlists include Indiestan, Rap91, Namaste Love, Punjabi101, Bollywood Butter, Top Hits in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi. These sit alongside our celebrated international playlists including Mint, RapCaviar, Viva Latino and the This is… artist compilations. Add billions of creator and fan-built playlists to the mix and Spotify has a playlist for any mood or moment.
- Spotify goes to the movies: Introducing Starring…, a series of playlists featuring the best music from the most popular Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, and Punjabi actors. Spotify’s recommendations will also include songs from India’s favourite movies and actors.
- City playlists: Find out what’s hot in the city, with new algorithmic playlists tracking what’s trending in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
“Spotify’s arrival in India is a big step forward in our overall global growth strategy. A fundamental piece of that strategy is staying connected to global culture while allowing room for local adaptation, and we’ve certainly achieved that with our India launch,” said Cecilia Qvist, Spotify’s Global Head of Markets. “We’ve worked closely with local teams of musicians, creators and cultural tastemakers to ensure Spotify is going to be loved, used and favored by people all over India whether they’re listening to local Bollywood and Punjabi hits, or discovering curated global playlists of K-pop or Reggaeton.”
To enjoy music the way you want it, download the Spotify app today via the Android or iOS app store or by heading to www.spotify.com/free.
(1)Source: App Annie Forecast, 2018.
(2)Source: IAMAI Mobile Internet Report, 2017.
MORE: Spotify Launches In India Without WMG Deal, Premium Costs $1.67 Monthly