After last week’s failed negotiations for a renewal of their licensing deal, Spotify withdrew the entirety of Zee Music Company’s Bollywood music catalog. Several Bollywood fans took to social media to express their disappointment, with some going so far as to threaten to terminate their membership in the music streaming service altogether.
According to the Hindustan Times, Spotify, in a statement, said, “Spotify and Zee Music have been unable to achieve a licensing agreement. Spotify has been trying to work with Zee Music in a flexible manner throughout these conversations, and we remain committed to continuing our good-faith negotiations in the hopes of reaching a mutually agreed solution as soon as possible.
Jersey (2022) and Drive (2019)’s “Makhna” and “Raees” (2017)’s “Zaalima” were both culled for their respective songs. Veere Di Wedding (2018), Gully Boy (2019), and Kalank (2019) are just a few of the films whose soundtracks have been removed.
A supporter voiced their disappointment with the decision on the social networking site. What’s up with Spotify and Bollywood? They shouldn’t be removing so much music. When asked, “What do they have against Daaru Desi and Kala Chashma?” Check out a tweet.
Disclaimer: The streaming service doesn’t let you listen to every song or podcast that’s ever been made. Like Netflix, it secures licenses from record labels and other stakeholders in the music industry so that their songs can be streamed digitally.
Before this year was out, Zee Music and the music streaming service Gaana had severed connections since the company had decided not to extend its licensing arrangement with Gaana. A paid subscription model was introduced for Gaana a few months later. The company’s YouTube channel has 93.6 million subscribers. T-Series, with 239 million subscribers, is ahead of them on YouTube.
