WHAT?! Spotify REMOVES Bollywood Songs After Zee Music Fails To Renew Licensing Agreement; Bollywood Fans Express Their Displeasure On Twitter!
Bollywood fans and users of Bollywood music took to their social media to voice their displeasure over the move
In a rather shocking turn of events, music app Spotify was forced to remove their entire catalogue of Bollywood songs from the Zee Music Company after negotiations for a renewal of their licensing agreement failed to go through last week. Bollywood fans and users of Bollywood music took to their social media to voice their displeasure over the move. Many have even threatened to cancel their subscription to the app.
The music company did not renew the licensing agreement with the music app Gaana and cut ties with them in 2022. A few months later, Gaana became a subscription-only service.
In a statement released by 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.”
The music app has even added a disclaimer on its website that doesn’t provide access to all the music and podcasts in the world. Like the streaming platform Netflix, it negotiates to license deals with publishers and rights owners so their music tracks can be played online, reported Hindustan Times.
Fans stormed Twitter and complained about the move. One user wrote, "is spotify beefing with bollywood why are they taking off almost all the songs what do they have against daaru desi and kala chashma." Another user vented, "Nagada Sang Dhol and a whole litany of Bollywood songs were removed from Spotify and my week is ruined."
While another user told other music listeners, "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." "spotify removing all my bollywood bangers is a crime," added yet another Twitter user.
Several iconic 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.
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