Spotify announced it is now available in India. The company made a soft launch of its services in the country and has announced a slew of plans which it hopes will appeal to the people in the country.
Things begin with the usual free trial period which is applicable for a month. After that, eager buyers can opt for a variety of plans that range from Rs. 13 for a single day or Rs. 39 for a week. Monthly premium charges stand at Rs. 129 while a three-month plan will cost Rs. 389. Similarly, membership plans for half a year cost of Rs. 719 while one will have to dole out Rs. 1,189 for being a premium member for an entire year.
The above plans also happen to be the cheapest Spotify charges anywhere in the world. For instance, the monthly plan stands at a mere $1.81 as per current conversion rates. The same in the United States is priced $9.99. This again is understandable considering the price-sensitive nature of the Indian consumers.
That apart, Spotify is also a late entrant to the Indian market and has to take on a competition that is already well entrenched. Those include global majors like Google Play Music that has started operation in the country in 2017 while Apple Music had arrived even earlier at 2015.
Then there is a clutch of local players as well. Those include the likes of Gaana which also happens to be the biggest player here with over 80 million monthly users. Wynk Music too is another formidable player here and is backed by telecom operator Airtel. Not to mention there also is the JioSaavn launch by Reliance Industries and is available free to Jio operators which happens to be the largest mobile user base in India.
Spotify, identified as the world’s largest music streaming service provider has been conspicuously missing in the country which boasts of the world’s second largest smartphone userbase. India has more smartphone users than the entire population of the United States and is second only to China in this respect. Interestingly, Spotify isn’t available in China where the company is censored by its Internet laws.
