TikTok owner ByteDance launches music app Resso in India

Beijing headquartered technology company ByteDance has launched a music app called Resso in India and Indonesia. Still in its beta phase, the Android version of the app was launched in May this year on the Google Play Store in India. 

ByteDance owns and operates popular short video platform TikTok, which has 200 million Monthly Active Users in India. 

First reported by Bloomberg, Resso competes with the likes of Spotify which launched operations in India earlier this year, Tencent backed Gaana and Youtube Music which have a presence in the India market. 

The app combines social features of Youtube Music, enabling comments and likes on the songs as well as GIF creation associated with each song. Resso displays lyrics of the songs and has a basic collection of Hindi and English songs as well as other Indic languages including Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, among others.

The app comes with a 14-day free trial period and has Google Wallet, Paytm and Fortumo as payment options for its premium subscription in India with a price band of Rs 99 for a 30-day premium subscription. The premium version allows users to download music and opt for ad-free music.

The Bloomberg report stated that ByteDance had not signed any rights contracts with the three large music labels -- Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. The app is an addition to the monetisation strategy of ByteDance which also runs a host of popular apps in China. 

Earlier this year, TikTok also started monetising its platform with brand partnerships and sponsored content.

TikTok has had a turbulent time with the Madras High Court directing the central government to ban the download of TikTok on charges of hosting obscene content and child pornography.