We’ve written a lot about Indian streaming services Gaana, Saavn (now JioSaavn) and Wynk Music over the last couple of years. Their next source of competition may come from telco Vodafone, which recently merged with another Indian mobile operator, Idea Cellular. The latter company already has its Idea Music app, which combines streaming, downloading, playlists and radio-style features. Now it seems the telco is having a rethink.
“We are sunsetting the Idea Music app, and we will come up very soon with an offering that will provide the best-in-class music streaming services, through a partnership that we are in the final stages of closing,” said CEO Balesh Sharma, according to local reports.
The wording is important here: a ‘best-in-class’ music-streaming partnership, rather than a brand new service. JioSaavn and Wynk Music would surely be non-starters, given that they’re owned by rival telcos. Gaana could be a candidate (although a spokesperson contacted by TelecomTalk ‘dismissed’ the idea). Dare we suggest that Spotify might also be a candidate? Predictions of a late-January launch for Spotify in India didn’t pan out, but a partnership with Vodafone Idea – India’s largest telco with nearly 408m customers last August at the time of the merger – could be a powerful launchpad for Spotify.
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