Google has followed Apple to launch its music streaming service in India as it looks to build loyalty among users to remain in its ecosystem and take on local rivals such as Gaana and Saavn.
The Silicon Valley giant's move to charge a monthly subscription for its service also underscores the shift Indian consumers have to pay than consume a service with advertisements. The service is priced at an inaugural offer Rs 89 per month, a third lower than Apple's subscription fee of Rs 120.
Apple Music has a student plan that it offers at Rs 60 a month as it looks to engage first time users and convert them to its ecosystem as it becomes aggressive in India. Google, which dominates India's internet market as most users come online on smartphones that run on the Android platform, is keen to protect its turf.
Its service is also available on rival Apple's iOS platform and on desktop as both technology giants battle it in India, the last large open market in the world.
Indian music streaming services Gaana and Saavn have a paid subscription model, but also earn revenue by offering free streaming of music to users supported with advertisements. Both firms have huge library of local music, while both Apple and Google are also dipping into their collection of international music to tap users.
"With Google Play Music subscription, Indian subscribers can listen to their favourite music across a variety of languages, including Hindi, English, Tamil and more. This music can be accessed from any device with your Google Account," said Elias Roman, lead product manager, Google Play Music in a statement. "To make the experience deeply personalised, we've plugged into Google's understanding of context and machine learning to recommend the right music at the right moment based on each listener's preference, place and activity."
Google's push with its music service in India comes ahead of Apple's plan to use services as a bait to lure local users ahead of its big expansion in the country. Apple is offering its music services on Android devices, giving it a taste of its ecosystem. It is locally assembling its affordable iPhone SE in the country, which it wants to position as an aspirational smartphone for young Indian users. Apple has also begun streaming its music on the entertainment platform of cab aggregator Ola and reach out to its over 25 million customers.