In a move that aligns with the recent trend of Chinese tech companies exiting the Indian market, Bytedance has decided to shutter its music streaming platform, Resso, in the country by the end of January.
The decision follows the removal of the Resso app from both Google Play and Apple App Store in mid-December 2023. This action was taken in compliance with directives from the Indian government, as reported by Moneycontrol.
A spokesperson for Bytedance cited local market conditions as the driving force behind the decision, expressing regret that the company can no longer continue to serve Resso users in India. The shutdown is scheduled for January 31, with users being offered a refund of their remaining subscription fees.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Bytedance has pulled the plug on Resso. In the previous year, the platform was discontinued in Indonesia and Brazil. Bytedance replaced it with a new subscription-based music streaming service, TikTok Music, in these regions. However, no such replacement is planned for India, given that TikTok Music shares the same publisher as the banned TikTok, while Resso was published by a British Virgin Island-based company called Moon Video.
Resso, which entered the Indian market in 2020, faced challenges as it competed with both domestic and global players such as Spotify, YouTube Music, JioSaavn, and Wynk. The platform initially offered free and paid subscription plans but transitioned to a premium-only model in May of the previous year to enhance the user experience and benefit rights holders and artists.
Resso’s shutdown in India adds it to the growing list of Chinese apps banned by Indian authorities due to security concerns amid geopolitical tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. While the platform initially managed to avoid bans, the tightening regulatory environment eventually caught up with it.
Despite hurdles, Resso achieved significant success in India, becoming a top-grossing app on the Play Store and amassing over 250 million installs by mid-2023. However, the broader crackdown on Chinese companies in India has forced several entities, including Xiaomi-owned Zili and Xiaomi’s Mi Pay and Mi Credit, to cease operations.
This move also aligns with the trend of Chinese smartphone makers, such as Oppo and Vivo, facing scrutiny for alleged tax evasion and violations of money laundering norms.
