Enhancing Access to Spotify in currently Underserved Regions

[katarighe]

Note: I kindly request moderators not to close this post quickly. Spotify Customer Service specifically recommended I post this idea here so the development team can look into it and consider making changes in the future. Your understanding and support are greatly appreciated.

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Hello Spotify Community,

I’ve been a loyal Spotify customer for six years and have greatly appreciated the service. Currently, I am living in a country where Spotify is currently not available which is Turkmenistan, but I am lucky to be enjoying a one-month Premium subscription without interruption. Unfortunately, once it expires, I’ll face significant difficulty accessing Spotify. I may even be forced to travel to a country where the service is available to continue enjoying the music I love.

This situation raises an important question: Why is Spotify unavailable in Turkmenistan and other similar countries? Other streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Deezer are accessible here for years, so there seems to be no significant barrier preventing Spotify from operating in these regions.

After discussing this matter with Spotify Customer Service for a while, they recommended I post my concern here on the Ideas board of the Spotify Community so that the appropriate teams can take note of my concern.

As of today, there are 16 countries and territories where Spotify is currently not available: Afghanistan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Central African Republic, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Yemen.

In contrast, there are 184 countries and territories where Spotify is currently available, mostly in Europe, as well as Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.

After researching, I’ve identified two groups of countries regarding Spotify’s potential operations in the future:

Group 1 - Countries Where Spotify Can Likely Operate: Afghanistan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Yemen. These countries already have other streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Deezer available, proving that similar platforms can successfully operate in these regions.

Group 2 - Countries Where Spotify Likely Cannot Operate: China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria. These countries face sanctions, regulatory barriers, or political issues that make it difficult for Spotify to expand into these territories.

It’s worth noting that Spotify suspended services in Russia in March 2022 due to sanctions, but for the other countries in the first group, there don’t appear to be significant barriers to entry given the availability of other streaming services long before Spotify.

Spotify’s last major expansion occurred in December 2022 when the service was launched in Ethiopia. At the time, Spotify promised that it would continue to expand its availability to new regions gradually. However, as of now, there hasn’t been any further expansion, and it’s unclear whether Spotify is actively working to bring its service to more countries.

I urge Spotify to revisit its expansion plans and consider launching in countries where barriers to entry are minimal. Countries like Somalia and Turkmenistan would greatly benefit from having access to Spotify, as they already support other streaming platforms, proving the demand for such services.

Expanding into these regions not only benefits Spotify by reaching new audiences but also gives millions of people the opportunity to enjoy Spotify’s unique music experience.

I hope this post will encourage Spotify’s team to consider these points seriously and prioritize expanding to more underserved regions. It would mean the world to people in these countries to have access to Spotify’s incredible platform.

Thank you for listening, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Sincerely,

Mohamed

[Eni]

Hey there @katarighe, 

Thanks for getting in touch about this here in the Community.

We moved your post from the Ideas board to the relevant Help board, since it doesn’t meet one of our Idea Exchange guidelines, namely point 8 "No requests for availability in new countries."

 We don't have any info to share about this at the moment, but we appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us. We'll make sure to pass it onto the right team, as we always strive to improve your experience.

We’d also suggest keeping an eye on our Newsroom as any important announcements about this topic will be posted there.

Hope this helps. If you need a hand with anything else, the Community is here for you. 

[katarighe]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out and for taking the time to assist me.

A customer service representative suggested that I share my concern here in the Spotify Community, specifically on the Ideas board, to help draw more attention to it. My concern is about Spotify's unavailability in 16 countries and territories, including Turkmenistan, where I currently reside.

As someone who deeply enjoys music and appreciates Spotify's unique features, I have been eagerly awaiting the platform's launch in my region. Unfortunately, the lack of access has limited my ability to fully enjoy the service and participate in the Spotify ecosystem.

I understand that expanding into new markets involves various challenges, but I believe there is significant potential for Spotify in these underserved regions. Many people here are enthusiastic about streaming services and would greatly benefit from having access to Spotify's vast library of music and podcasts given its popularity.

Finally, if there’s any way I can further support this initiative—such as providing feedback, gathering interest from the local community, or contributing to the Ideas board—I’d be more than happy to help.

Thank you once again for your time and for creating such an amazing platform. I’m looking forward to any updates regarding this matter.