Music streaming service Spotify has officially launched in India. Spotify India subscription price is Rs. 119 per month and Rs. 1,189 per year. Spotify also offers top-up packs for those who don't want to pay for a recurring subscription. These top packs start at as little as Rs. 13 for one day and can cost as much as Rs. 719 for six months. Sweden-based Spotify is the music streaming service with the highest number of paying subscribers in the world. India is the 79th country that Spotify has launched in globally, and the 11th country to get the service in Asia.
Spotify is known for music streaming but it also features podcasts. The music streaming service is known for its algorithm-based music recommendations engine, which curates music to your taste. The service is primarily likely to be used on Web, Android and iOS at the moment, but it also has apps on various other platforms such as Xbox One, Windows 10, PlayStation 4, Amazon Echo, smart TV, smart speakers, etc.
For its India launch, Spotify has offered some localisations on its apps. Once you tap the Search button, you'll see Bollywood, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telegu, among other categories. This will vary based on your preferences, but there is a clear attempt to help people discover Indian music. Just like in other markets, Spotify has brought an ad-supported free tier to India. Spotify Premium on the other hand gives users access to features like offline mode, improved sound quality, Spotify Connect, and ad-free listening. In India, the free tier is better than most countries, as it lets users stream 'every song' on demand. In other markets, playlists are locked to 'shuffle play'.
While Spotify officially launched today, its apps have been available on Android and iOS since yesterday. These allowed us to sign up and verify Spotify's India price and payment methods as well. Spotify's India pricing makes it one of the most expensive music streaming services in India and the service hasn't yet made the family plan available in the country. Spotify has 96 million paying subscribers and 207 million users, the company reiterated.
Spotify's India launch has been in the works for quite a while, with its CEO Daniel Ek acknowledging this in March 2018. More recently, Warner Music sued Spotify over licensing rights in India. The legal dispute between Warner Music and Spotify appears to be ongoing but that hasn't stopped Spotify from launching in the country.
