YouTube Music beats Spotify with 3 million downloads in just one week

First came Spotify, and YouTube Music followed suit, and now the two global giants are battling it out for dominance in the Indian music streaming market.

Back in March, just after its arrival in India, Swedish audio-streaming platform Spotify stirred quite a frenzy when it announced that it had racked up a million unique listeners. All this, just within a week of its launch in the country.

Now latest reports claim that YouTube Music has taken a lead in terms of the number of downloads in the first week. The Google-owned music streaming platform has hit a 3 million downloads record in the first week since its arrival here, said Susan Wojcicki, Chief Executive Officer of YouTube.

Also Read: Cheaper than Spotify? Apple Music cuts down India subscription prices, plans starts at Rs 49/month

YouTube Music, which was launched on March 12, comes packed with an array of services including official songs, albums, thousands of playlists, and artists, and YouTube’s tremendous catalogue of remixes, live performances, covers, and music videos.

To up its game in the price-sensitive India market, the company introduced two monthly subscription plans along with an ad-supported version of the music app that users can access for free.

For Rs 99 per month, audiophiles can stream music on YouTube Music Premium, and for a subscription of Rs 129 per month they can access YouTube originals like Cobra Kai, and BTS: Burn The Stage.

This puts the global streaming giant at par with other homegrown services – such as Gaana Plus, Wynk, and JioSaavn pro – who have plans starting from Rs 99 per month.

That YouTube is aiming for a grander bite of the music streaming market in India is no surprise. But moving ahead, the company is setting even bigger goals, targeting a 500 million-strong user base by 2020.

Wojcicki said,

“Right here in India, more and more people are using video for entertainment and learning. And by 2020, it’s expected that 500 million internet users in India will consume online video. The momentum and the potential is vast."

Also Read: YouTube Music app is finally here: background playback, smart search, and more