Spotify plans to launch in more than 80 other countries

Spotify audio streaming service plans to nearly double its geographic footprint and launch in 85 more countries, adding 36 languages ​​to its platform during the process.

The Swedish firm announced international expansion on Tuesday at a live event featuring Justin Bieber, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Spotify said the expansion, in what are seen largely as developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean, will allow an additional one billion people to use its platform.

In the coming days, Spotify will be launched in countries such as Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Samoa, Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize.

“These moves represent Spotify’s broadest market expansion to date,” Spotify said. Following the expansion, Spotify will be available in more than 170 countries.

Spotify was launched in 2008 just one year after the launch of the first iPhone and garnered 345 million monthly active users in 95 countries. Of these, 155 million are premium-paying subscribers.

Although Spotify started as a music streaming platform, it now allows you to listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and meditations.

The Stockholm-based firm has spent hundreds of millions of dollars securing exclusive podcast series, including a new Barack and Michelle Obama show featuring Bruce Springsteen.

Spotify faces stiff competition from Apple, Amazon and Google, which have launched their own music streaming services in recent years.

It can be said that Apple Music, the company’s main competitor, and Spotify are involved in a bitter antitrust dispute with Apple. Spotify doesn’t think it’s fair to have to pay a commission to Apple, or what it considers a “tax,” when users subscribe to and pay for their service through Apple’s App Store. He lodged a complaint with the European Commission in March 2019 and there is an ongoing investigation.

Spotify’s share price fell 4% to $ 350 on Monday and fell 0.5% more, to $ 348, in outpatient operations.