Spotify has imposed restrictions on its free tier users in India. These users will no longer be able to manually play songs in a specific order or rewind. They also won't be able to repeat songs, go back to previous songs, or select a specific part of a song.
Spotify
has announced restrictions in India for its free tier users. Now on, users who are not subscribed to
Spotify Premium
, will not be able to manually play songs in a specific order, or even rewind, and more.
Spotify users who are not paying a subscription fee will not be able to play songs in a specific order in a playlist, repeat songs, go back to previous songs, or select a specific part of a song.
And, if they want these benefits, the only option will be to subscribe to Spotify
Premium
, which starts at Rs 119 a month in India.
Less freebies for free users
India has one of the highest monthly active user counts for the service, ranking the top five countries, Spotify told TechCrunch. “However, it does not fall under top markets in terms of subscribers to free users ratio — given the majority of users in India opt for the ad-supported model,” added the company.
The experience for free users in India is now close to what users in other countries experience, and these changes come as the market has matured now, according to Spotify.
Those not subscribed to the Premium tier will have the freedom to select and play any song they like, and there will be no limitations on the duration of streaming. Additionally, users can easily listen to any song again by simply revisiting the playlist and tapping on the preferred track.
Starting from now,
Smart Shuffle
will be the default listening mode for all free users, and they will not be able to disable it. The traditional shuffle mode will only be available as a premium feature.
Smart Shuffle suggests songs based on the user's taste and the current song or playlist they are listening to. This feature, which has been available to subscribers, was initially launched to provide better suggestions for adding songs to a particular playlist.
Despite price hikes in several countries, Spotify has not increased subscription prices in India till now.
FAQs
In October 2023, the Swedish company introduced restrictions for free users in India, including those on playing songs in a specific order, repeat songs, or access previous songs with a tap. These features are now exclusive to its premium subscribers.
What happened to Spotify for free? ›
Spotify has restricted some features for free users in India. Free users will no longer be able to play songs in a specific order. The company is trying to encourage premium subscriptions.
What are the new rules for Spotify in India? ›
Spotify has imposed restrictions on its free tier users in India. These users will no longer be able to manually play songs in a specific order or rewind. They also won't be able to repeat songs, go back to previous songs, or select a specific part of a song.
Is Spotify losing subscribers? ›
Over the course of 2023, Spotify's userbase and premium subscribers grew by 113 and 31 million, respectively, setting records for the company. The results cap off a year that included both cost-cutting and price increases for the world's largest audio streaming service.
Why is Spotify banned in India? ›
Spotify music streaming service has decided to lock certain features behind paywall in an attempt to increase Premium subscribers in India. Users who are on the free tier of Spotify will no longer be able to rewind scrub or repeat songs.
What happens if you use Spotify for free? ›
With Spotify Free you can listen to all the music and podcasts you can with Spotify Premium, but the kicker is the following: Your listening will be interrupted by adverts. You can't download music to listen to offline, only podcasts.
Is Spotify completely free now? ›
Basic functions such as playing music are totally free, but you can also choose to upgrade to Spotify Premium. Whether you have Premium or not, you can: Get recommendations based on your taste. Build collections of music and podcasts.
Which country most uses Spotify? ›
The country with the most users is the United States, with over 100 million Spotify users.
Why is Spotify struggling? ›
For one, the service doesn't directly create its own revenue. Artists and labels take up to 70% of the profit from streams, meaning that Spotify only sees between $0.001 and $0.002 per stream — not nearly enough to make up for the close to $10 billion in royalties the service has paid since its inception.
Why are so many people leaving Spotify? ›
Another common reason people want to move music from Spotify to Apple Music is that they don't love the Spotify UI - mostly because it can feel cluttered. Apple as a brand is known for its clean-looking UI, and Apple Music is no exception. Wrapped, Re-wind, Playlists in bottles, and more.
These updates have left many free users dissatisfied, prompting a backlash on social media. Some upset users have even pledged to uninstall the app in protest. #Spotify in India. No free users will be entertained on Spotify.
Why are Indian songs leaving Spotify? ›
"Spotify and Zee Music have been unable to reach a licensing agreement," Spotify told Billboard. "Throughout these negotiations, Spotify has tried to find creative ways to strike a deal with Zee Music and will continue our good faith negotiations in hopes of finding a mutually agreeable solution soon."
Is Spotify struggling in India? ›
Months after implementing restrictions on some key features for Indian users, Spotify has not seen any drastic change in revenue numbers or its user base in the country and is focused on striking a balance between its free and premium services, a senior executive of the music streaming platform said.
Why has my Spotify changed to free? ›
There could be a few reasons why your Spotify Premium subscription suddenly changed to free . It could be due to a technical issue , an error in billing , or even a change in your payment method . Another possibility is that your subscription has expired , and you were not aware of it .
Why can't Spotify be free? ›
How is Spotify free? Spotify is able to offer a free subscription because of the money it gets from audio advertisem*nts which slot in between songs and appear as banners on the app. These ads are of course designed to make you want to sign up to Premium for undisturbed listening of your favourite songs.
Why is Spotify removing free features? ›
In a move to persuade people to buy the Premium plan, Spotify, the popular music streaming service, is now removing some features for free users that were otherwise available for all. This change has started rolling out in India.
Did Spotify used to be free? ›
Spotify launched in the United States in July 2011, and offered a six-month, ad-supported trial period, during which new users could listen to an unlimited amount of music for free. In January 2012, the free trial periods began to expire, limiting users to ten hours of streaming each month and five plays per song.
