Spotify removes several Bollywood songs over licensing issue, fans lash out

Spotify has removed an entire catalogue of Bollywood songs from Zee Music Company after negotiations for a renewal of their licensing agreement failed to go through last week. Bollywood fans did not take it easy and voiced their displeasure on social media, with some even threatening to cancel their subscription to the music streaming platform.

According to the Hindustan Times, Spotify, in a statement said, “Spotify and Zee Music have been unable to reach a licensing agreement. Throughout these negotiations, Spotify has tried to find creative ways to strike a deal with Zee Music and will continue our good faith negotiations in hopes of finding a mutually agreeable solution soon.”

Songs like Maiyya Mainu from Jersey (2022), Makhna from Drive (2019) and Zaalima from Raees (2017) have all been removed. Soundtracks of the rom-com Veere Di Wedding (2018), the award-winning Gully Boy (2019) and the period drama Kalank (2019) have also been taken down.

A fan took to the microblogging site to lament the move. “Is Spotify beefing with Bollywood? Why are they taking off almost all the songs? What do they have against Daaru Desi and Kala Chashma?" read a tweet.

Another user said their “week is ruined” because of this. "Nagada Sang Dhol and a whole litany of Bollywood songs were removed from Spotify and my week is ruined."

A user said it’s a “crime” to remove all their favourite songs.

However, a user reminded fans that online streaming platforms should “never be a replacement for physical collections.”

The streaming platform has a disclaimer on its website that it doesn't provide access to all the music and podcasts in the world. Like Netflix, it negotiates licensing deals with publishers and rights owners so their music tracks can be played online.

Last year, Zee Music did not renew its licensing agreement with the music app Gaana and cut ties with them. A few months later, Gaana became a subscription-only service. The production company has 93.6 million subscribers on YouTube. It comes in second to T-Series, which has 239 million subscribers on YouTube.