Deezer is launching in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, bringing its footprint to 91 markets. Echoing its carrier deals with Orange in the UK and France, the launch in Thailand is in partnership with local telco dtac. The company’s activity in Asia is moving up a gear – Indonesia and the Philippines will see launches soon – and suggests the company is swiftly making good on CEO Axel Dauchez’s promise to eventually go live in 200 markets and become “the first ever truly global music service”.
That expansion strategy is one driven by a focus on underserved markets where it can establish a presence with all the advantages of being a first mover, although this is also heavy with risk as it will take time for such models to bed into new markets. For now Deezer is avoiding the US (where it faces huge competition from the likes of Rhapsody, Pandora, Rdio, Spotify and more). The rapid roll out in Asia is regarded by Deezer as “a huge opportunity”, citing high rates of smartphone penetration and high-speed internet access.
What recent investor Len Blavatnik will think of the move is unsure: when the Warner Music owner invested in Deezer earlier this month reports suggested he would urge a swift US launch.
Meanwhile, music video platform Vevo launched in Brazil yesterday, promising 50,000 high-definition music videos, concerts and original music programming from international and local acts. Although Vevo has been available in Brazil through syndication partner YouTube since 2011, the launch means the Vevo.com site as well as Vevo apps for smartphones and iPad are now available in the country. Both Vevo and Deezer, of course, are benefitting from some major funding to fuel their global expansion: Deezer recently raised more funding from VCs, while Vevo has the backing of major labels Universal and Sony.
Music Ally’s next Learn Live webinar will help you understand what’s required for artists to thrive in new international markets!