Update: Spotify now available in Indonesia, eyeing India and Japan next

Update, March 30: Spotify launched today in Indonesia, on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Spotify is bringing its catalog of 30 million songs to Indonesia, including top local hits. The service is free for all users in the basic version, and Premium users will get on-demand play, offline playback and no ads for Rp 49,990 per month.

Original post, March 23: Apple Music might be growing fast, but Spotify is not losing one inch of ground. Now boasting 30 million paying subscribers – and many more freeloaders – Spotify is looking at Asia for its next expansion bout.

Spotify confirmed this week that it will launch in Indonesia on March 30, in its first new foray in Asia since the launch in Philippines in April 2014.

With a population of 250 million, Indonesia is an absolutely massive market and a fast growing one at that – like other developing countries, the country has a large pool of non-smartphone users waiting to come online. The potential is huge, but Spotify is a little late to the party – in contrast, Apple Music has been available in Indonesia and 99 other countries right from its inception.

According to sources cited by TechCrunch, Spotify’s next target in Asia is Japan. The Swedish company has had an office in Tokyo for several years, but a recent hiring spree suggests it’s finally getting ready to offer its service to Japanese customers. Fueling speculation, Spotify recently added support for sharing songs through Line, the social network that is wildly popular in Japan and other East Asian countries.

Spotify also has an “exploratory” interest in India, according to TechCrunch. Details are scarce, but from the sound of the report, Spotify’s plans in India are in a very early stage, so don’t expect a launch in the close future. Here, Spotify will have to compete not only with international players like Apple Music – and eventually Google Play Music – but also popular local alternatives like Gaana and Saavn.