Picture this: You eagerly open your Spotify app, ready to immerse yourself in the sweet melodies of your meticulously curated playlist. But as the first few notes play, you notice something is off. Your heart sinks as you realize that half of the beloved tracks that once brought you so much joy have vanished into thin air.
If you happen to be a die-hard Bollywood aficionado, this nightmare scenario might hit a little too close to home. The struggle of finding reliable sources for streaming the latest and greatest tunes from the vibrant world of Hindi cinema is real, and even the most loyal of Spotify users can’t always escape unscathed.
Spotify, the popular music streaming app, has faced backlash from Bollywood music lovers after removing some of the most popular tracks from their platform. The removal of the tracks has disrupted users’ playlists, leaving many frustrated and disappointed.
According to reports, over two dozen famous Bollywood songs have been removed from Spotify, including some of the most popular tracks from films like ‘ABCD 2’, ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, ‘Badhai Do’, ‘Bang Bang’, ‘Secret Superstar’, ‘Dangal’, ‘Kalank’, ‘Misson Mangal’, ‘Pad Man’, ‘3 idiots’, ‘Kedarnath’, ‘Jersey’, ‘Raazi’, and more!
Here’s the reason why!
The removal of the tracks is due to a licensing dispute between Spotify and Zee Music Company, an Indian record label. Negotiations for a renewal of their licensing agreement fell through, resulting in the removal of Zee Music Company’s catalogue from the platform. This includes film soundtracks distributed through Zee Music’s sister company, Zee Studios.
Spotify has tried to find a mutually agreeable solution with Zee Music, but so far, negotiations have been unsuccessful.
Fans of Bollywood music took to social media to express how they feel about it, with some users calling for a boycott of the streaming service. However, others have urged Spotify to find a solution to the licensing dispute so that users can once again access their favourite Bollywood tracks.
Read what the fans have to say!
This is not the first time that Zee Music Company has had a licensing agreement issue with a music streaming platform. Last year, the company cut ties with Indian commercial music streaming platform Gaana over similar issues.
Despite the licensing dispute, Spotify remains a popular music streaming platform in India, with millions of users. However, the removal of these popular Bollywood tracks has left many music lovers in India wondering where they will turn to for their music fix. Let’s just hope that we all get to hear our favourite songs on Spotify soon!
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