Spotify Removes hundreds of Bollywood Songs from Zee Music's Catalog in Licensing Dispute

Spotify Removes Zee Music's Catalog in Licensing Dispute

Hey music lovers, have you noticed something missing from your Spotify playlists lately? You might have been disappointed to find out that Spotify has removed the entire catalog of Zee Music Company, one of India’s most prominent music labels, from its platform, reports Billboard.

What’s going on? Well, it seems that Spotify and Zee Music Company have failed to reach an agreement on licensing terms, and as a result, Spotify has decided to take down all the songs owned by Zee Music Company. This means you won’t be able to stream or download any of their tracks on Spotify anymore.

This is a massive blow for both Spotify and Zee Music Company and their listeners. Spotify is one of India’s most popular music streaming services, with over 70 million users.

Zee Music Company is one of the leading music labels in India, with a catalog of over 200 thousand songs across various genres and languages. Some of their hit artists include Arijit Singh, Vishal-Shekhar, Amit Trivedi, and Shreya Ghoshal.

Spotify removes hundreds of Bollywood songs from music app https://t.co/Qh2RLDv1gz

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 20, 2023

So why did this happen? According to reports, Spotify and Zee Music Company had a licensing deal that expired in August 2022. They were in talks to renew the agreement but could not agree on the terms and conditions. Zee Music Company apparently wanted higher royalties from Spotify than they were paying before. Spotify was not willing to pay more and offered lower rates than before.

Spotify has issued a statement saying that they are “disappointed” with the outcome and hope to “resolve this situation soon.” They also said they are “committed” to bringing the best music experience to their users in India. Zee Music Company has not commented on the matter yet.

This is not the first time Spotify has faced licensing issues in India. In 2019, when it launched in India, it faced a legal battle with Warner Music Group over licensing rights for its songs. The dispute was settled in 2020 after both parties agreed on a multi-territory deal.

We hope that Spotify and Zee Music Company can sort out their differences soon and bring back their music catalog to millions of fans in India.