Since Spotify launched in India last year, one of the major gripes listeners had was the absence of major artists such as Coldplay, Linkin Park, Led Zeppelin, and Ed Sheeran. Now, the streaming service has signed a new global licensing deal with Warner Music Group (WMG) that allows users in India to access music from artists under this conglomerate’s labels, including the ones mentioned above. These songs aren’t available on Spotify India right now, but it shouldn’t be a long wait as they’re already available on the streaming service in some other countries. In a joint statement, WMG and Spotify said under the new deal, the former’s catalog is being expanded to additional countries: The WMG has a complex structure that includes multiple record labels including Asylum, Atlantic, Elektra, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire and Warner Records, as well as Warner Chappell Music, the company’s music publishing arm. When Spotify launched in India, it launched with a catalog from Warner Chappell Music. However, both were involved in a court dispute related to licensing that was solved by a new deal last year. With this deal, Spotify has expanded its catalog that is more in line with international rivals such as Apple Music and newly launched Resso by TikTok developer Bytedance. As we reported in February, the Indian music streaming market has more than 200 million users. And with multiple players jostling to get consumers’ attention, having a large library with millions of songs can be an important factor for a music lover to choose one service over its competitors.
