Tech & Sci
23:30, 22-Aug-2017
Spotify's launch in Thailand pushes its expansion in Asia
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US music streaming service provider Spotify officially launched its service in Thailand on Tuesday as a part of its Asia expansion plans.
Thailand is Spotify's 61st launch worldwide and 7th in Asia.
In 2013, Spotify first entered the region by launching the services in China's Hong Kong, and Singapore and Malaysia. The company restarted its Asia expansion last year by entering Japan and Indonesia.
As one of the world's most popular streaming service providers, Spotify provides approximately 30 million soundtracks. Its Premium service costs about 129 THB in Thailand, or a little over four US dollars, which is in the price range of other Asian markets but much cheaper than what its US and UK subscribers pay.
However, Thailand is not an easy market to conquer. The revenue the country earns from online music has declined by over 20 percent since 2012. Spotify's Asia head Sunita Kaur said the company will introduce daily and weekly packages to try and boost its potential in the country.
As of June, Spotify has 60 million paid subscribers. Its next destination in Asia is Vietnam, according to TechCrunch.
It is most unlikely that the company will enter Chinese mainland since the market there is deeply rooted with other essential services such as QQ Music and NetEase Music. The music service in Chinese mainland heavily relies on commercials, and provides most of the songs for free on their platforms.
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