Spotify was tipped to be lining up a launch in India, which would be the 14th new market announced by the company in recent weeks as it seeks to expand its reach.

The potential move into India was reported by Variety, which noted the music app company could face several hurdles including securing licences from major labels, along with fierce competition in the country from domestic providers Gaana and Saavn (backed by Tencent), Hungama and Airtel Wynk.

Global rivals Apple Music and Amazon also have a presence in India.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as Spotify opened an office in Mumbai with a staff of 300 in March and was reportedly in talks to acquire local competitors, possibly Saavn or Gaana (although it ultimately failed to do so).

There isn’t much detail about the launch, except that the free trial period for the app’s premium, ad-free version may be longer than the usual 30 days to attract more users.

Reports earlier this year indicated top music labels Universal, Sony and Warner were upset Spotify was starting to directly licence artists instead of going through them.

In retaliation, they planned to block any new territorial licences the company applied for. However, more recently the labels appear to have softened and are open to talks.