5 things you need to know about Spotify South Africa
The world’s biggest music streaming service Spotify launched in South Africa this week as part of a bigger strategy to list on the New York Stock Exchange.
The streaming service with over 159 million active users worldwide went live on Monday 12 March ahead of its plan to list in New York. The company fueled speculation of its launch in SA after advertising for a senior editor and music programmer in 2017. Here are five things you need to know about the streaming service and its offering:
1. Spotify is the largest music streaming service in the world
The music subscription service boasts a community of almost 159 million users, including 71 million paying premium subscribers. The platform has 30 million songs and is expected to reach 100 million paying premium subscribers by 2020. In 2017, Spotify generated R58 billion ($4.99 billion) in revenue but recorded R19 billion ($1.5 billion) in losses.
Whatever your scene, we got you. Your favourite artists are waiting on Spotify. 💚 #SpotifySouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/os5vFMmOLD
— Spotify Africa (@SpotifyAfrica) March 13, 2018
2. Spotify’s streaming price is the same as its competitors
Spotify is offering a free 30-day trial for users and its premium service, which costs R59.99/month, kicks in after the trial period ends. This is pretty much the standard price offered by its local competitors such as Google, Apple, Simfy Africa, Deezer and others.
3. Spotify is cheaper in SA than in the USA
Spotify’s paying subscription is only R59.99/month in South Africa, which is cheap compared to its $9.99 in the USA. South African users save R57 at the current exchange rate. South Africa is Spotify’s 64th market, launched at the same time as Israel and Vietnam.
4. You can download Spotify on your devices
The Spotify app is also now available in the Google Play Store for Android phones and on the Apple store for iphone users. You can download it on your phone, computer or tablet. All you need is 710Kb of space. The app is quick and easy to install, and once you’ve registered, you’re able to hear your favourite songs immediately.
5. Your data will not be compromised too much
In South Africa, data consumption is one of the biggest worries when it comes to music streaming. Spotify is certainly aware of this and this is why they have said that they will be decreasing streaming speeds to 24kbps on South African networks to consume less data. This however might compromise the quality of listening. Another option is to listen offline.
