Spotify is making adjustments to its free service in India; these took effect on October 9, 2023. These modifications will prevent free users in India from being able to play songs in a particular order within a playlist, repeat songs, go back to previous songs, or pick a particular section of a song to listen to.
These modifications are aimed at providing a consistent free user experience across all markets where Spotify is available. One significant alteration is that the traditional shuffle mode will become a premium feature, and the default listening mode for free users will be Smart Shuffle. However, free users will still have the option to select individual songs they want to play, and there will be no restrictions on the number of hours they can stream music. Additionally, users can replay songs by returning to the playlist and selecting their preferred track.
Smart Shuffle, introduced in March 2023, incorporates Spotify's personalised song recommendations into playlists, aligning with the vibe or mood of existing playlist songs. This feature aims to keep users' listening sessions fresh and enhance their overall music streaming experience. Users will also retain the ability to add or hide songs within their playlists.
Notably, while some of Spotify's competitors, like Gaana and ByteDance's Resso, have transitioned to subscription-only services in the past year, Spotify has not increased its prices in India. This move comes as Spotify has observed robust growth in its user base in India since its entry into the market in 2019, with India ranking among its top five markets in terms of user numbers. Despite this growth, India has not yet significantly contributed to Spotify's global revenues.
Spotify's primary revenue source continues to be subscriptions, accounting for approximately 87% of the company's total revenue in Q2. In India, Spotify offers subscription plans ranging from Rs 7 per day to Rs 119 per month for individual accounts and up to Rs 179 per month for family accounts. These changes in India's free service are part of Spotify's efforts to refine its offerings and potentially attract more paid subscribers in the country.
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