Saavn Launches in English in India with 250,000 Songs

Saavn, today announced the launch of its newest product, Saavn English. Saavn English brings music from artists including Jay-Z, Pitbull, Shakira, and Michael Jackson to Saavn.com, for Indian listeners. Saavn also plans to launch Saavn English on mobile platforms such as iOS, Android, and Java/J2ME

(Feature phones).To kick off, Saavn English will begin with more than a quarter of a million songs from label partners Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The library will include new releases and catalog classics by Sony Music artists, including AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, INXS, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Justin Timberlake, Kings of Leon, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Miguel, Oasis, Pink Floyd, and Usher; and by Universal Music Group artists, including Bob Marley, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, David Guetta, Jennifer Lopez, and Kanye West.

Saavn’s foray into English-language music marks the genre’s arrival in legal music streaming in India. The launch of Saavn English also puts Saavn in direct competition with companies like Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio – international digital music services which have yet to launch in India. English-language music has a global appeal, and India is no exception.

“As the nation with the second-largest population of English-speakers in the world (just over 125 million people), India is a prime market for Western music. At Saavn, our aim has always been to provide a wide genre of music to our users, and the introduction of Saavn English is a testament to our success in providing Saavn’s users with complete music entertainment,” said Paramdeep Singh, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Saavn.

Saavn already has music licensing deals in place with over 300 South Asian record labels, giving the service the largest content catalog of Indian music, from the latest Bollywood numbers to the earliest Bollywood records from the 1930s. Saavn has 1 million-plus tracks under license, which is 99% of the known catalog across Bollywood, regional, and devotional music, and serves listeners in over 200 countries.