
Audio By Carbonatix
Over the next few days, Spotify will be launching its service in 85 new markets, and will also roll out 36 new languages on the platform. The news was announced at its online event, “Stream On” today.
The expansion includes markets across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Combined, these markets include more than a billion people. With these launches, Spotify says “sounds and stories that once remained local will have access to a global audience of fans across nearly 180 markets.”
And as part of its ongoing commitment to building a truly borderless audio ecosystem — connecting creators, listeners and content — this move represents the company’s broadest market expansion to date.
According to the company, it will be working closely with local creators and partners in each market to deliver a tailored experience that meets their unique needs, with scaled language translations and specialized payment formats.
In addition, Spotify’s expansion will likely accelerate the discovery of more genres like Afrobeats, Amapiano, K-Pop and Reggaeton that have earned a place in the global music scene.
“The existing rich music cultures in each of these markets will now be able to reach Spotify’s global audience. All this untapped music energy and access to our innovative creator tools will help propel artists to new heights and empower them to turn their passion into a profession,” an excerpt in the company’s statement read.
Working with local creators and partners, here’s a holistic approach to how Spotify plans to roll out its music offerings in each region.
First off, its free and premium plans will be available across all the markets. It will also offer individual, family, duo and student plan options in select markets, which Spotify doesn’t specify.
Also in each of these new markets, Spotify will offer its full global catalogue. The company adds that it will continuously work with local rights holders and partners to expand its catalogues to include more local offerings globally.
Full podcast catalogues of the global streaming giant will be launched in the majority of these markets. For the other markets, Spotify will work closely with local partners to introduce more podcasts from its catalogue, as well as Spotify’s proprietary creator platform, Anchor.
Other offerings include providing a personalized experience to users through its home screen and browse and search features.
Upon launch in these markets, Spotify will be available on mobile and desktop web players while the company works with local partners to introduce Spotify on more platforms, including TV, speakers, wearables and cars in the coming months.
“Having more listeners on our platform creates more opportunities for artists and podcasters to make a living from their work. And more creators means more audio content for our users to discover,” said Alex Norström, Spotify chief freemium business officer.
“This creates an essential flywheel between creators and listeners that is the foundation of our business — and in the end, it is what will propel the audio industry forward.”
Spotify currently has more than 340 million active users and 150 million subscribers using its ad-free premium product across 93 markets. This expansion will take the streaming giant to 178 markets globally.
Here are the new markets — in Africa, they include Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan make up the Asian market.
For Europe, it’s Georgia and San Marino. Markets in the Caribbean and Latin America include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papau New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu complete the list from Oceania.
The expansion news follows a thread of announcements Spotify made where it also rolled out Spotify HiFi in select global markets and launched a new tool “Discovery Mode” in beta.
Latest Stories
-
Integrity, adaptability key to career success, Absa Chief Risk Officer urges UESD students
4 minutes -
Absa Bank empowers Persons With Disabilities through financial literacy programme
8 minutes -
Mrs Essie Nyamekye Quainoo
12 minutes -
Interior Ministry recovers 73 assets linked to drug trafficking through intensified anti-narcotics operations
18 minutes -
Mahama’s first-year performance scores 4.9/10 in IERPP assessment
22 minutes -
YEA partners Ghana Digital Centres to train 2,000 youth in AI, cybersecurity and digital skills
35 minutes -
Cabinet to reconvene on Constitution review position paper
40 minutes -
Adom Brands formally petitions Ghana Armed Forces over alleged assault on reporter in Nkwanta South
54 minutes -
Big Ghun donates educational materials to Makye Israel School in second Bigg Save Project
56 minutes -
Ghana Campaign wins at 2026 IPRA Golden World Awards as global PR excellence takes centre stage
60 minutes -
Galamsey could collapse Ghana’s cocoa industry – COCOBOD warns
1 hour -
1 in 5 districts face severe teacher shortages despite near-universal school enrolment – Report
1 hour -
Interior Ministry reviews Nkwanta South curfew hours amid ongoing conflict
1 hour -
Indian High Commissioner visits GPHA to explore cooperation in maritime sector
1 hour -
GNFS recovers body of 11-year-old boy who drowned at Adenta Aviation
1 hour