Spotify music streaming app to launch in India by end of March

Spotify was earlier expected to launch in India on January 31. The launch has been now delayed till late March.

Spotify this week acquired podcast platforms Gimlet and Anchor (AFP)

Spotify fans in India will have to wait for the app little longer.

One of the world's largest music streaming applications was expected to launch in India in January. But it has been now delayed till late March.

Spotify is facing multiple issues before its official launch, ranging from last-minute contractual negotiations with local music labels to customising the application for the Indian audience, said technology journalist Sahil Mohan Gupta citing people familiar to the matter.

It may be recalled that Spotify was in talks with many of the major rights holders in India including T-series. "Our deal with them is on," Bhushan Kumar, the managing director of record label T-Series said in November last year.

Spotify recently invited a few journalists for a closed door meeting in Mumbai on January 30. The meeting, however, never took place. Interesting enough, Spotify was scheduled to officially launch in India on January 31.

The Apple Music-rival began its preparations for the Indian market last year. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek disclosed that the company was looking at the markets beyond the US and that India was one of top priorities.

 

Also, I have some exclusive insider new. Spotify's launch in India will likely happen in late March. A bunch of issues regarding contracts and much more. #SpotifyInIndia

— Sahil Mohan Gupta (@DigitallyBones) February 7, 2019

"We are working on launching in some of the biggest markets in the world, places like India, Russia, and Africa which has a very rich musical culture," Ek said in an interview in March last year.

Roughly eight months later Spotify rolled out to 13 Arab markets, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Morocco but not Libya, Iraq, Syria, or Yemen. It also expanded to certain markets in North Africa.

In India, Spotify will compete with the local music streaming applications such as JioSaavn, Gaana, Wynk Music, and Hungama. International platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, and Google Music have already entered the Indian market.

While Spotify has already launched a Lite version of the main app for low-end phones and slower networks, the company is also said to be rolling out extended free trial plans for the Indian users.