Shaheer Ahmed
After last week’s unsuccessful discussions for a renewal of their license deal, Spotify withdrew the entirety of Zee Music Company’s Bollywood music collection. And with this Spotify removes certain Bollywood songs.
Fans of Bollywood did not take it well, and many took to social media to express their disgust, with some going so far as to threaten to terminate their membership in the music streaming service altogether.
Jersey (2022) and Drive (2019)’s “Makhna” and “Raees” (2017)’s “Zaalima” were both culled for their respective songs. Veere Di Wedding (2018), Gully Boy (2019), and Kalank (2019) are just a few of the films whose soundtracks have been removed.
A supporter expressed their disappointment with the decision on the social networking site. Is Spotify picking a fight with Bollywood? When will they stop removing virtually all of the music? And Kala Chashma and Daaru Desi, what do they have against them? See what others are saying on Twitter.
is spotify beefing with bollywood why are they taking off almost all the songs what do they have against daaru desi and kala chashma
— mina ୨୧ (@versacenoon) March 15, 2023
Another person stated that this had “ruined their week.” The removal of Nagada Sang Dhol and dozens of other Bollywood songs from Spotify has wrecked my week.
THEYRE REMOVING BOLLYWOOD SONGS OFF SPOTIFY I HATE THIS YEAR SO MUCH AND ITS ONLY MARCH https://t.co/XdO9ZVZ6wt
— kiwi ¹⁰¹⁴ 🌼 (@sunf1owervolish) March 17, 2023
As Spotify removes certain Bollywood songs, fans are shocked and upset over it.
FIRST RAMLEELA AND BAJIRAO MASTANI AND THEN OMKARA AND NOW THE KALANK SOUNDTRACK IS GONE FROM SPOTIFY TOO ????? what a horrible horrible time for desi girls wtf
— faerie (@faetalflaw) March 15, 2023
how am i gonna romanticize my life if spotify keeps taking off bollywood songs 😕
— G.G (@scratchedflower) March 18, 2023
A user, though, warned listeners that internet streaming systems should “never replace physical collections.”
Another reminder that while streaming can be great and has an important role, it should NEVER be regarded as a replacement for a physical collection #Spotify #Bollywood pic.twitter.com/GwxdgSm8JK
— AndrewDixonMusic (@ADixonMusic) March 20, 2023
The streaming platform’s website contains a notice stating that it does not offer access to all music and podcasts on the globe. Similar to Netflix, it negotiates license agreements with publishers and rights holders to allow internet streaming of their music recordings.
The year prior, Zee Music did not extend its license arrangement with the music application Gaana and severed connections with the company. A few months later, Gaana transitioned to a subscription-only model. The producing firm has 93,6 million YouTube followers. It ranks second on YouTube behind T-Series, which has 239 million users.
