Music lovers in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco now have access to music streaming service Spotify, after it launched in the Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday.
Spotify said its services would be available in 13 Arab countries in the region, excluding Libya, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The streaming service has been available unofficially in the Middle East for several years using accounts registered in other markets, but will now have its free service available as well as the premium monthly offering at 49.99 Egyptian pounds or $2.8.
Claudius Boller, who is Spotify’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa told Reuters that the Middle East’s youthful population and high smartphone penetration were expected to drive regional growth.
The company also launched its ‘Arab hub’ collection of playlists of Arab music on Wednesday to better cater to their new market.
Outside of Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, South Africa is the only other African country where the Swedish music streaming is available.
According to its website, Spotify, which was founded in 2008, has 87 million subscribers in 78 markets around the world.
