Spotify working towards India launch, says CEO

Spotify is working to bring its service to the Indian market, according to CEO Daniel Ek. Ek announced the news during a recent presentation (via The Economic Times), though he didn’t provide a timeline for when it would roll out.

“We are working on launching in some of the biggest markets in the world, including India, Russia, and Africa which has a very rich musical culture,” Ek said.

Despite sounding slightly out of touch (of course the continent of Africa, home to more than a billion people and some of the world’s most celebrated musicians, has a rich musical culture), it’s welcome news that India has been named at the top of the list of upcoming markets.

Spotify has been making big moves in India in recent months in anticipation of its launch there, including leasing office space in Mumbai in February. It also hired former Google Business Manager Akshat Harbola as the head of its India operations at the end of last year.

The company says it has 308 employees spread across 20 markets as of the end of 2017, but it’s not clear how many are stationed in India. The service also recently landed in Israel, Romania, Vietnam and South Africa—so it may not take long to roll out elsewhere.

For some thoughts on how Spotify compares to the current music streaming competition, hit the link.