Spotify launches 3-day early access for Premium users in India
What's the story
Spotify has launched a new feature called 'Premium Early Access' in India. The feature allows Premium subscribers to listen to select new music releases up to three days before they are made available for everyone else. The initiative will be available from August 28, with Universal Music Group (UMG) being the first label to launch its 'Hear It First' campaign under this framework.
Artist lineup
Badshah and Harrdy Sandhu's songs will be available early
The first local releases under this new feature include Badshah and Divya Kumar's Chimna as well as Harrdy Sandhu's Stuck On You.
Both songs will be available to Premium subscribers on August 28, with a wider release planned for August 31.
Spotify has also promised that more local and international artists will join the program in the coming weeks.
User access
How to access the 'Premium Early Access' feature?
The 'Premium Early Access' feature is available to users on Spotify's Premium Standard, Premium Platinum, and Premium Student plans in India.
Eligible releases will automatically appear in users' feeds without any action required from subscribers.
However, it's important to note that this feature will only apply to releases where artists and their labels have collaborated with Spotify for the program.
Access timeline
Spotify Free users will also get access
Spotify Free users will be able to listen to every Premium Early Access release once the early access window ends.
The company also clarified that no music will be permanently held back and that not all new releases will have an early access window.
Users who want earlier access can subscribe to a Premium plan, according to Spotify's announcement.