Sweden-based global music streaming service Spotify has announced its availability in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

The streaming service, which claims to have over 70 million tracks, is not new in Africa and consumers in regions where it does not directly stream, access the service through virtual private networks.

“By bringing in a best in class product and a localised experience made for Africa, we will contribute to boosting the growth of the local streaming ecosystem,” said Phiona Okumu, Spotify Head of Music Sub-Saharan Africa. “We hope our new listeners are going to love the revolutionary audio experience we are bringing to the rest of the continent.”

Spotify will compete with local music services such as Boomplay which raised US$20-million to expand its services in Africa and is understood to have over 75 million global users, 86% of whom are in Africa; as well as Mdundo which raised approximately US$6.4-million on the Nasdaq First North Growth market in Denmark.

Mdundo has over 5 million users across Africa.

But the tables could turn on the local music streamers as the Swedish company boasts of over 345 million global users with a total of US$2.6-billion in funding. It will also target music genres across the continent to add to its international playlists.

“As we’ve expanded our international reach over the years, we’ve connected over 8 million artists with listeners across nearly every continent, putting Spotify firmly at the heart of the global audio economy,” said Alex Norström, Chief Freemium Business Officer of Spotify. “Launching in these new markets is a key next step to fulfilling our ongoing commitment to building a truly borderless audio ecosystem.”

Premium accounts of Spotify will also be available in these regions, offering local payment options such as mobile money and M-Pesa.

Packages in Kenya will range from Kshs149 for students to Kshs479 for a family of six.