TikTok parent ByteDance is shutting down its premium music streaming service Resso in India on January 31.
A ByteDance spokesperson confirmed the news today (January 11), and told MBW that “unfortunately, owing to local market conditions, we can no longer continue to serve users of Resso in India”.
They added: “We have therefore taken the decision to shut down Resso and its associated operations on January 31. Users will be offered a refund of their remaining subscription fees.”
Resso launched in India in March 2020. The app continued to operate in India following TikTok’s ban in the market, which was announced just a few months after Resso’s launch.
As first reported by MoneyControl, the government in India has now also ordered Apple and Google to remove Resso from their app stores.
The app is no longer available to download from Google Play or the Apple App Store in India.
It does still work for those users in the market who have already downloaded it, but they won’t be able to buy a new subscription.
ByteDance confirmed today that TikTok Music, the separate premium music streaming service that it’s currently focused on rolling out globally, will not be affected by Resso’s exit from India.
“Unfortunately, owing to local market conditions, we can no longer continue to serve users of Resso in India.”
ByteDance spokesperson
TikTok Music is available in five markets: Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
The music streaming service was made available to the public in Australia, Singapore and Mexico in October 2023.
The launch followed an initial beta roll-out in the three markets in July 2023, just two weeks after TikTok officially launched the service in Brazil and Indonesia.
Resso ceased to operate in Brazil and Indonesia as of September 5, 2023 (following the launch of TikTok Music in those two markets).
TikTok Music said last year that Resso users would be able to transfer their accounts to the new app “with the click of a button”.
ByteDance confirmed today that there are no plans to launch TikTok Music in India.
In Brazil and Indonesia, the TikTok Music service is licensed by and includes the catalogs of all three major record companies: Sony Music, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group.
TikTok Music’s public launch in Australia, Singapore and Mexico, however, took place with the recorded music repertoire of just two major music companies: Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group.
That means that the recorded music catalog of Universal Music Group is not currently available on TikTok’s premium music streaming service in Australia, Singapore and Mexico. (For clarity: UMG’s recorded music catalog is available on TikTok Music in Brazil and Indonesia.)Music Business Worldwide
