The music app Spotify was forced to remove the entire catalog of Bollywood songs from Zee Music Company after negotiations for a renewal of their licensing agreement failed to go through last week. Users and fans of Bollywood music have been taking to social media to voice their displeasure over the move. Some have even threatened to cancel their subscription to the app.
Zee Music also severed connections with the music app Gaana in 2022 by declining to extend its licensing arrangement with it. Gaana switched to being a subscription-only service a few months later.
According to a report on Billboard, the music app said in a statement, “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.”
On its website, the music app makes it clear that it cannot give users access to all of the world’s music and podcasts. It strikes licensing agreements with publishers and rights holders so that their music recordings can be played online, much like the streaming service Netflix does.
Songs like Makhna from Drive (2019), Zaalima from Raees (2017), and Maiyya Mainu from Jersey (2022) have all been taken out. Additionally removed were the soundtracks for the period drama Kalank (2019), the award-winning Gully Boy (2019), and the romantic comedy Veere Di Wedding (2018).
