Spotify is expanding its subscription streaming service to 80 new markets including Kenya. This is the company’s broadest expansion plan allowing over a billion users access to the platform in over 36 languages.
Spotify Founder and CEO, Daniel Ek said that they would work with local artists and partners to cater to the musical needs for each care. AndroidKenya reports that the company has been running tests with artists in Kenya and Tanzania in the last few weeks. This is partly because they intend to integrate the app with local payment gateways such as Safaricom’s MPesa.
Spotify will offer both free and premium plans for the markets, although they have not divulged details regarding their pricing yet. Plans will be categorized for individuals, family students and duo. Free users typically have restricted access to music coupled with ad interruptions, while premium users get a smoother, ad-free experience.
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Users will be allowed access to a worldwide catalogue for a personalized experience. Upon launch, the company will offer its full worldwide catalogue to the new markets while working with local rights holders and partners for additional local offerings.
Spotify will also avail its full podcast experience upon launch and enable access to both mobile and desktop users.
The Kenyan market already has a number of music streaming apps including BoomPlay, Deezer, and Apple Music.
The new markets will include:
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Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Curaçao, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
