Spotify launches in India; free and subscription-based versions available

Leading global music streaming service Spotify is now officially available in India. 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 207 million users, including 96 million subscribers, globally.

Spotify has introduced all-new features keeping in mind the personal tastes of Indian music fans, offering local and international music. The Spotify app is available to download for free or with an upgrade to Spotify Premium for Rs 119 per month.

In a release issued, Daniel Ek, Founder and CEO, Spotify, said, “As Spotify grows, our goal is to bring millions of artists and billions of fans together from every country and background. India has an incredibly rich music culture and to best serve this market, we are launching a custom-built experience. Not only will Spotify bring Indian artists to the world, we will also bring the world’s music to fans across India. Spotify’s music family just got a whole lot bigger.”

Spotify comes to India with a mix of features, including more than 40 million songs offering Indian and international music, 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: Curated by a team of Indian music experts and updated regularly, new playlists include Indiestan, Rap91, Namaste Love, Punjabi101, Bollywood Butter, Top Hits in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi. These sit alongside international playlists that include Mint, RapCaviar, Viva Latino and the This is… artist compilations. Besides these, creator and fan-built playlists are also available.

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: New algorithmic playlists will track 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 favoured by people all over India, whether they are listening to local Bollywood and Punjabi hits, or discovering curated global playlists of K-pop or Reggaeton.”

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