Wait, What? Spotify Now Live In India!

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Spotify India, let's download the HELL out of the worlds best streaming App!

Talks about Spotify's launch in India had been going on for long. It was earlier suggested that the Swedish music streaming giant would launch its services in India starting January 31. When that didn't happen, Spotify's launch was expected to be delayed by a few weeks. But now, based on the recent developments, the launch of the streaming service was expected to be delayed even further owing to a lawsuit filed by Warner/Chappell Music (WCM). Earlier this week, According to a report in The Verge, WCM has filed a lawsuit in the Mumbai High Court seeking an injunction to block Spotify from playing music from its catalog in India.

Warner Music, in an official statement, said, "After months of negotiations, Spotify abruptly changed course and has falsely asserted a statutory license for our songwriters' music publishing rights in India. We had no choice but to ask an Indian court for an injunction to prevent this. It's our goal to hammer out a deal that works for everyone."

For months, Spotify and Warner Music had been unsuccessfully negotiating a deal for licensing agreements. Spotify, on the other hand, said that Warner revoked a previously agreed-upon publishing license for reasons wholly unrelated to Spotify's launch in India.

Replying to Warner's statement, Spotify spokesperson responded, that Warner's abusive behavior will harm non-Warner artists, labels and publishers, and will prevent Spotify from competing in the market leaving them with no choice but to file for a statutory licence.

A statutory license, under the section of the Indian Copyright Law, allows broadcasters to obtain a license for the copyrighted work even if the copyright holder denies the rights. Bombay High Court has declined to grant an emergency injunction, requested by WMG which could've potentially prevented Spotify from Launching in India. Meanwhile, Spotify, which has over 200 million users globally, has stepped into the Indian market, currently, music streaming platforms like Gaana, JioSaavn, Apple Music and Amazon Music rule the turf. Spotify has already secured a licensing agreement with T-Series that has a huge library of songs. WMG, on the other hand, has big-ticket artists like Katy Perry and Led Zeppelin in its kitty. So, It's A WIN!

PRICING! Competitive With Apple Music

For a consumer market that is used to free-consumption of music, the company has a free ad-supported tier for them to use the service. Spotify Premium will be charged 119 INR per month after the free trial period has ended. This is actually one rupee less per month than Apple Music is charging in the region. For those who don’t want to commit to a full month, you will also have single-day, week and month plan to choose from. Discounts are also available as you can get 3 months up front for 389 INR, 6 months up front for 719 INR, or 1,189 INR if you pay for a full year. Students are also eligible for a 50% discount.

Dear Spotify, We Are Delighted To Welcome You, SO glad you came!