Spotify, which has been gearing up to launch in India for several years, could do so as soon as January 31, sources tell Variety.
While industry insiders say the streaming giant has not yet locked down deals for the country with the three major-label groups — Sony, Universal and Warner — it is possible that Spotify could launch in India without them: Those companies are not as big in India as they are in many other countries, and Monday morning’s announcement that Spotify has inked a content deal with T-Series, the country’s leading music and film company, ensures that it will be rolling out with plenty of popular content.
However, Spotify’s launch in India hinges on additional deals that are yet to be finalized. While the app will be available in English, the company hopes to expand into different regional music markets in India, a country with 1.33 billion people and dozens of dialects — music in five languages is expected to be available on the initial launch. While the partnership with T-series covers a wide range of commercial Hindi music, including Bollywood soundtracks, the main regional music dominating India includes Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Bengali, which likely means connections with labels specializing in those languages.
Spotify is rumored to be hosting a launch party in Mumbai on January 31, which means they’re working against the clock to secure deals before the end of the month.
A rep for the company declined requests for comment.
Even if the licensing is secured, more obstacles remain. In addition to the fierce competition from local streamers like Saavn and Gaana (which sources say Spotify had considered purchasing in the past), Spotify could be staring down a potentially slow conversion from free to premium, and large sections of the country have broadband difficulties; although Internet access is inexpensive in India, infrastructure is still developing in many areas. However, Spotify faced similar challenges in Indonesia and Africa, and launched in those territories anyway.
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