Bollywood boycott! Angry music fans say they will cancel their Spotify subscription after the streaming giant DELETES hundreds of hit songs
Bollywood music fans have said they will cancel their Spotify subscriptions after the streaming giant removed hundreds of popular songs from its platform.
Distraught fans of the Indian film genre said they opened their playlists to find they had been torn apart by the movement, with tracks from Bollywood hits such as Bajirao Mastani or Baar Baar Dekho suddenly disappearing.
The streaming giant says it has been unable to reach a deal with India’s biggest film houses over the right to stream the music after a previous contract expired.
Some fans are so outraged that they have taken to social media to say they will suspend their Premium membership, which costs around £9.99 a month, in protest of the move.
Bollywood film industry is worth billions, with a global fan base.
Spotify has upset Bollywood fans after it removed hundreds of tracks from popular movies from its platform this week, including songs by Ranveer Singh, right, and Deepika Padukone from the hit film Bajirao Mastani.
On Twitter, one user, @JagritiNadiger, wrote: ‘Spotify just say sorry. I am not paying a premium for my playlist to be devoid of Bollywood songs.
@imaancipation added: “I need Spotify to say yes to whatever deal Bollywood is giving them because I can’t go on living like this – half my playlist is grayed out.”
@AnanyaTurlapati added: ‘Some of my favorite Bollywood songs are gone. Will they come back or should I cancel my Spotify premium subscription?
@kirbycide666 wrote: ‘Give me back my Bollywood music! That was my coping music!! return it!’
Tracks featuring Alia Bhatt, left, and Varun Dhawan, who star in the Bollywood blockbuster Kalank, released in 2019, are among those currently missing from Spotify.
The streaming giant told BBC Newsbeat that it has failed to reach an agreement with the Indian film houses that own the rights to the songs.
Fans of the songs say they will boycott the platform if their favorite hits are not returned.
Spotify strikes licensing deals for all the tracks it offers to users, and it seems the streaming goliath just couldn’t put ink to paper with those who own the rights.
The provider told him BBC News that he was unable to renew his license agreement for the songs.
Movie songs rated iconic by fans, including Zaalima from the 2017 film Raees and the soundtracks to 2018’s Veere Di Wedding and the award-winning Gully Boy, released in 2019, are currently unavailable.
It’s not the first time Spotify has had trouble convincing licensees to share their music. In 2014, Taylor Swift removed all of her songs followed by streaming.
The brand’s co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek persuaded the Shake it Off singer to re-sign with Spotify after negotiations four years later.
