Spotify has officially launched in India – where the number of active internet users is estimated at over 400 million.
The streaming platform went live in the world’s second most populous country of over 1.3bn people yesterday (February 26) at around 9.30pm New York time and around 8am in India today (February 27).
This news might not please everyone of course – the company’s launch arrives after the Bombay High Court in Mumbai denied an emergency injunction request by Warner Music Group which could have prevented it from launching there.
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.
One day of pay as you go (PAYG) Spotify Premium access in India costs 13 INR ($0.18), with seven days costing 39 INR ($0.55).
One month will cost 129 INR ($1.81), while three months of PAYG access costs 389 INR ($5.47) and six months costing 719 INR ($10.10).
If customers are willing to sign up to a recurrent subscription, they are asked to pay a lesser amount of 119 INR ($1.67) per month.
Spotify says that it has redesigned the music experience for India with new and exclusive features for the region including multi-language music recommendations in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.
Indian users can select their preferred language(s) to receive tailored Daily Mix, Home, Radio, Search results and recommendations.
The platform will also feature new playlists including Indiestan, Rap91, Namaste Love, Punjabi101, Bollywood Butter, Top Hits in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi, which will sit alongside global playlists including Mint, RapCaviar, Viva Latino and the This is… artist compilations.
Spotify has also introduced ‘Starring…’, a series of playlists featuring music from the most popular Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, and Punjabi actors.
“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.”
“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.”
“Spotify’s arrival in India is a big step forward in our overall global growth strategy.”
Cecilia Qvist, Spotify
Cecilia Qvist, Spotify’s Global Head of Markets added: “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.
“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.”Music Business Worldwide
