Bytedance has begun testing its new music-streaming service Resso in India and Indonesia. Music Ally received a tip-off yesterday about the app’s availability, and began researching it, but since then Bloomberg has published a report claiming that the new app has been downloaded 27k times since its stealthy launch, but also suggesting that Resso has yet to seal licensing deals with the three global major labels.
“Resso is currently in a beta testing phase. We are optimistic about its long-term prospects but we are still very early in the process and only in a limited number of developing markets,” is the quote from Resso’s spokesperson. Happily, there’s a fair amount of information on what the app does and how its business model works online already (translation: we’re not letting our cyber-sleuthing yesterday go to waste!)
Start with the official Resso website, with its ‘Tune in Together’ slogan, its links to the iOS and Android versions of the app, and its explanation of how the app’s social features will work. TikTok is clearly an influence in the user-generated features: “Each song can be interpreted in ways more than one. Check out the videos and gifs others have used to express their favourite music. Add new ones and tell us what’s your vibe,” explains the site.
People will be able to view scrolling lyrics, create and share playlists, and comment on tracks. Oh, and there’s already an Instagram account up and running for Resso India…
There’s also a customer-service website with more information on Resso’s freemium model. Free users will be able to create ‘vibes’ and lyrics quotes, as well as accessing full lyrics to songs. However, they’ll need a premium subscription to play any song on-demand, download music, listen without ads, get an unlimited number of skips, and access ‘high-quality audio’. Subscriptions will be paid for in-app using Apple and Google’s systems, there’s a 30-day free trial, and according to Apple’s App Store the monthly price in India will be 119 rupees ($1.70) a month.
The customer-service site also explains a bit more about Resso’s plans for personalisation, with a playlist called (look away now, Spotify!) Your Daily Mix. It’s described as “a playlist recommendation based on your music style. It is updated daily based on your favorites and some recommendations made by us”. Meanwhile, artists will get their own profiles on Resso, which for fans is “where you’ll find all releases available by a particular artist, plus everything you need to know about them”.
A report earlier in the year suggested that Bytedance already had licensing deals with Indian music giants T-Series and Times Music, so it’s logical that Resso is being tested in that country first, along with Indonesia. The three global majors plus Merlin will be important to sign before a wider rollout. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that former WMG exec Ole Obermann has joined Bytedance and TikTok as their global head of music, so sealing those deals will be on he and his team’s to-do list, alongside learning from Resso’s beta test.
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