The Spotify app is a regular companion for millions of music lovers and podcast listeners all over the world and has a dedicated following. Like other music lovers, K Pop fans are also among the legions of Spotify users. However, there was recently some disagreement between K Pop fans and Spotify. Here’s what happened:
Hundreds of songs from acts like Sistar, IU, Monsta X and Epik High disappeared from Spotify because of a licencing issue with Kakao M, a Korean music distributor. As this tweet from Epik High indicates, both fans and artistes suffer due to the issues intermediaries have with each other.
Licencing disputes resulted in that peculiar greying out of songs on a Spotify playlist.
Kakao M insists that it is Spotify that refused to renew their deal in spite of the distributor showing a willingness to do so.
Expiration of deals and the process of renegotiation will mean fans no longer have access.
Spotify has indicated that the situation may be temporary.
In spite of assurances, fans are still upset that they cannot currently access their favourite music.
Fans are angry with whoever they choose to blame in the situation: Spotify or Kakao M.
Hundreds of songs have disappeared.
According to some of the tweeple, Spotify has done this in the past with Japanese pop.
There were many who were willing to delete the app and move elsewhere.
Though Spotify has a free version, subscribers pay to keep their experience ad free. K pop fans may not bother.
They were happy about some things and unhappy about others.
For K Pop fans, this is kind of devastating.
People are letting Spotify know that they are not the only music streaming option around.
They are looking enviously at other streaming services.
Right now many songs of acts like Block B, Nu'est, Seventeen, Mamamoo, Lovelyz, Apink, Zico, Brave Girls, CNBlue, Younha and many others aren't available. According to reports, ‘negotiations are still on’. Meanwhile, K pop fans are still angry at Spotify and bereft of the music they love
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