Spotify is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 489 million monthly active users, including 205 million paying subscribers, as of December 2022. Recently, Spotify has removed Bollywood songs from the music app.
Spotify removed Bollywood songs, but Why?
Following the expiration of the prior agreement, Spotify claims it was unable to come to an understanding with the owners of the tracks.
Numerous fan favorites and soundtracks with millions of listening were among the hits that were cut, including Malhari from the epic romance Bajirao Mastani and Kala Chashma from Baar Baar Dekho.
It’s left holes in many users’ playlists, who only realized the songs had gone after loading them up and hitting play.
Fans angry
When BBC Newsbeat spoke to Bollywood fan Vishma Rai, she was on a coach.
Normally she’d have a playlist full of her favorites – from films like Kalank and Ram-Leela – to get her through the journey.
But this time she found many were missing.
“I’m so upset, this is insane,” she says.
“It’s so bad that Kalank songs are gone. One of my favorites was the title track and it’s just so upsetting. I don’t know what I’m gonna listen to now when I want to feel loved up.”
Bollywood music enhances the action on-screen and continues to be heard in headphones years after a film’s release, according to fans like Vishma.
When a movie doesn’t perform well, people may remember the music instead.
Nagada Sang Dhol from the tragic love story drama Ram-Leela, which Vishma calls “one of the most epic movies ever,” is another of her favorites.
And she won’t just miss them while traveling by coach.
“The fact that they are not there is extremely annoying. They used to make up a significant portion of my daily motivating songs, “she claims.
“But now I’m at a loss for what to do. I really miss them, and it makes me sad.”
Spotify states on its website that it doesn’t offer access to all of the world’s music and podcasts.
It enters into licensing agreements with publishers and rights holders, just like any other streaming service, to make use of its tracks.
It works in a manner akin to Netflix apps, whereby titles will vanish before resurfacing on a competing platform.
Or contracts expire, as it did with Bollywood music, and Spotify told BBC Newsbeat that it hasn’t yet been able to negotiate a new one.
But fans like Vishma will be happy to know that there’s still hope.
Spotify said it would continue “good faith” attempts to find a “creative solution” with Zee Music – part of one of India’s biggest entertainment companies.
Also read: Bollywood actors call out media house for invading Alia Bhatt’s privacy
