ByteDance will shut down music streaming service Resso in India at the end of January. Advertising sign confirmed with a ByteDance representative.
The decision, which was first reported by India Money checkit came after Resso was removed from the Google Play and Apple App stores in December at the behest of the Indian government. Advertising sign was unable to determine the reason behind these removals at press time.
Notably, India was Resso's last remaining market after the app was previously shut down in Brazil and Indonesia.
“Unfortunately, due to local market conditions, we can no longer continue to serve Resso users in India,” a ByteDance spokesperson said in a statement sent to Advertising sign. “We have therefore taken the decision to close Resso and its related activities on January 31st. Users will be offered a refund for remaining subscription fees.”
Another factor working against Resso in India – where streaming competitors include widely used platforms such as Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn and Wynk – was the removal of its catalog from the service by Sony Music in September 2022.
ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, first launched Resso in India and Indonesia in March 2020, offering both free and paid tiers, before introducing it to Brazil later that year. In May 2023, ByteDance ended the free tier, making Resso a premium-only service.
In July, ByteDance announced that it would launch its new social music streaming service, TikTok Music, in Brazil and Indonesia, leading to the closure of Resso in both markets. Just two weeks later, TikTok Music went into closed beta in three additional countries: Mexico, Australia, and Singapore, followed by a public launch in those markets in October.
ByteDance confirmed with Advertising sign that it does not plan to launch TikTok Music in India, where the government banned TikTok in June 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing data privacy concerns. These bans became permanent in January 2021.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/business/streaming/bytedance-shuts-down-resso-music-streaming-service-india-1235580540/
