Spotify Launches in Russia and 12 Other Countries

Spotify is now available in Russia, Croatia, Ukraine, and 10 other countries in Eastern Europe. This brings the total number of countries the streaming music service operates in to 92. It’s also likely to bag Spotify millions of new listeners, both free and paid.

The 13 new countries Spotify is available in are Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. In total, this makes Spotify newly available to 250 million people.

Spotify Creates a Custom Experience for Russia

According to Spotify, the music streaming service currently boasts 286 million listeners, with 130 million of those paying for Premium. The rest use Spotify for free, putting up with the occasional ad and losing some functionality on mobile devices.

Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify VP, Markets and Subscriber Growth, claims Spotify is offering a custom-built experience in Russia. This means “working with local musicians, labels and cultural tastemakers to offer a revolutionary and unrivaled fully Russian music experience.”

Users in 13 additional European markets—including Russia—can now join Spotify’s existing 286 million listeners and 130 million Premium subscribers. Read more. https://t.co/I8fA54B2X6

— Spotify News (@SpotifyNews) July 14, 2020

Specifically in Russia, Spotify is launching with 100 playlists curated and updated by a team of Russian music experts. These curated playlists include Hot Hits Russia, New Music Friday Russia, This Is in Russian, and Fully Fresh. There are also genre-specific playlists.

While the other countries aren’t getting quite the same level of attention lavished on them, there will still be “200 new playlists featuring artists from across the region.” These will be available to fans around the world, meaning everyone can explore Eastern European music.

Which Spotify Subscription Is Best for You?

Listeners across the region will be able to choose to use either the ad-supported version of Spotify for free or the paid-for Spotify Premium. The latter includes Premium Duo for couples, Premium Family for families, and Premium Student.

These are the same offerings available in the US and other markets. However, if you’re confused by the various options, be sure to read our article all about the different Spotify subscription options that are available. Doing so could save you some money.

Read the full article: Spotify Launches in Russia and 12 Other Countries