KKBox, the popular Taiwan-based music streaming service, has announced that it plans to expand into the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia before the end of the year.
According to a report from the Taipei Times, the company is in talks with local CD retailers and telecom providers from these countries as it prepares to expand across the Asia-Pacific region.
KKBox currently operates in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, and as of June 1st of this month, Japan.
The moves arrives as other international players in the music-streaming space set their sights on capturing markets in Asia. Last April Spotify entered the continent for the first time with launches in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, and expressed optimism towards the company’s future in neighboring territories. Spotify operates in 28 countries and has over 6 million paying users.
Meanwhile, in August 2012, Deezer – Spotify’s biggest international rival – launched in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
While it might seem as though these services are going head-to-head, keep in mind that Spotify and Deezer specialize in Western music. As a result, it’s possible that these three firms could grow together and co-exist.
KKBox has a library of over 10 million songs, the majority of which are by Asian and Chinese-language artists. Its userbase exceeds 10 million listeners – 1 million of whom pay for unlimited access to music and additional features, while the remainder can access up to five free songs a day. In a recent Financial Times piece, the company stated it had been profitable since 2008, but did not offer additional details regarding its finances.
Image credit: scubabrett22/Flickr
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