Where is NetEase music available?
NetEase Music is a music streaming service developed by NetEase, one of the largest internet companies in China. NetEase launched its music streaming platform in 2013 as a free service, and later introduced paid subscription plans with additional features. As of 2021, NetEase Music has over 800 million registered users and over 30 million paying subscribers, making it one of the largest music streaming services in China and Asia.
NetEase Music provides licensed streaming access to a catalog of over 30 million tracks, with a focus on Chinese language music. However, the service also includes English language and international music. NetEase Music is known for its focus on establishing relationships with domestic Chinese labels and artists. It provides original content, live streaming, and social features tailored to Chinese music fans.
The key background points are that NetEase Music is a major music streaming platform owned by Chinese internet giant NetEase, it has a very large user base concentrated in China and Asia, and it has put an emphasis on Chinese language music and artists. Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand the introduction section.
China
NetEase Cloud Music is one of the most popular music streaming services in mainland China. As of August 2023, it had over 206 million monthly active users in the country, representing year-over-year growth of 13.7% (Source). NetEase held approximately 12% market share of China’s digital music streaming market in 2021, behind leaders QQ Music and KuGou Music (Source).
NetEase Cloud Music has a large catalog of both domestic and international music available to stream in China. As of late 2023, it offered over 30 million tracks from over 646,000 registered independent artists (Source). The service aims to connect Western artists with Chinese audiences by licensing their music. NetEase also invests in domestic acts, producing original Chinese pop music and promoting it through the platform.
Factors driving NetEase’s popularity in China include its large catalog, licensing deals with major Western labels like Universal and Sony, and investments in local artists. Challenges include heavy competition from entrenched rivals and the need to comply with China’s strict internet regulations.
Hong Kong and Macau
NetEase music is available in Hong Kong and Macau thanks to the popularity of Cantonese music in the regions. According to Verdict, NetEase Music’s Cloud Village IPO in Hong Kong saw its valuation cut nearly in half amid China’s tech crackdown, but the offering still went ahead given the demand for streaming services in Hong Kong and Macau.
“Cloud Village, the music streaming unit of Chinese internet company NetEase Inc, has seen its Hong Kong IPO cut nearly in half after drawing weak investor appetite amid China’s sweeping tech sector crackdown.” https://www.verdict.co.uk/netease-streaming-units-second-hong-kong-ipo/
Even with the valuation cut, NetEase Music continues to see strong interest in Hong Kong and Macau due to the popularity of Cantopop and Cantonese music. NetEase Music has licensing deals with major Hong Kong record labels to provide users access to top C-Pop artists.
Taiwan
NetEase Music entered the Taiwan market in 2015. As of 2018, it held around 13% market share in the Taiwanese music streaming market, making it one of the top players along with KKBox, Spotify and Apple Music. NetEase Music’s library includes both Mandarin and Taiwanese artists, appealing to a broad local audience. The app offers a free ad-supported tier along with paid subscription plans. NetEase has partnered with local record labels and artists for exclusive content and promotions in Taiwan. While facing stiff competition, NetEase Music has steadily grown its user base by offering a mix of popular Chinese and Taiwanese music.
Japan
NetEase Cloud Music first entered the Japanese market in 2018 through a partnership with Pony Canyon to license its extensive J-Pop and anime music catalog (Source: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/netease-cloud-music-strikes-licensing-deal-with-j-pop-and-anime-music-company-pony-canyon12/). In 2020, NetEase continued expanding in Japan by partnering with Johnny & Associates, Studio Ghibli, and BPMTokyo for copyright cooperation (Source: https://ir.netease.com/news-releases/news-release-details/netease-cloud-music-named-no1-platform-china-japanese-music). Most recently in 2022, NetEase Cloud Music partnered with prominent Japanese music distributor Space Shower to further increase its Japanese music offerings (Source: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/netease-cloud-music-strikes-partnership-with-japanese-music-distributor-space-shower-fuga/). Through these major licensing deals over the past 5 years, NetEase Cloud Music has steadily established itself as a leading platform for Japanese music in China.
Southeast Asia
NetEase music is available in several Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. According to Netease Cloud Music wants to be ‘the bridge’ between …, NetEase launched in Singapore in 2021 as part of an international expansion. NetEase Music’s library includes both Western and Asian pop music. The streaming service has gained popularity in Southeast Asia for its focus on serving niche music tastes and indie artists.
Some key facts about NetEase Music’s presence in Southeast Asia:
- Available in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines
- Launched in Singapore in 2021
- Features Western and Asian pop music
- Known for niche tastes and indie artists
South Korea
NetEase Cloud Music has been expanding its K-pop portfolio by partnering with major South Korean entertainment companies. In July 2022, NetEase Cloud Music signed a licensing deal with YG Entertainment to distribute music from popular K-pop artists like BLACKPINK, Big Bang, Winner, and iKON on its platform (Source). This deal followed an earlier agreement with SM Entertainment in June to distribute SM artists’ music.
NetEase also has an office in South Korea dedicated to its online gaming business. The NetEase Games South Korea office is located in Seongnam and focuses on publishing NetEase games like Knives Out and Identity V in the South Korean market (Source). Through these gaming and music deals, NetEase has been increasing its presence in South Korea.
India
NetEase Music launched in India in 2019 with the goal of providing localized music content to Indian users. One key way NetEase has localized is by partnering with Indian record labels like T-Series to license Indian songs and make them available on the platform (source). In 2020, NetEase signed a major licensing deal with Universal Music Group to distribute their catalog, including international artists, directly in India (source).
NetEase has also aimed to cater to local preferences by allowing Indian users to search songs in Hindi and integrating support for Indian payment methods. Additionally, the NetEase Music app launched with an India-centric design and interface. As part of its localization efforts, NetEase plans to open offices in Mumbai and Delhi to further understand the Indian market.
United States
Despite its popularity in many Asian countries, NetEase Cloud Music currently has limited availability in the United States. Although some users have accessed the service via VPN or while traveling abroad, NetEase Cloud Music does not officially operate or have licenses for much of its music library in the US market.
This lack of availability stems from the difficulties of licensing and royalties when bringing Chinese music platforms to Western audiences. NetEase Cloud Music was designed around the preferences and listening habits of Chinese users, making a direct translation challenging. Furthermore, the licensing costs associated with NetEase’s vast music catalog pose a barrier to entry in the United States.
Many experts cite the unique dynamics of the American and Chinese music industries as the primary obstacle for NetEase establishing a presence stateside. Unlike Chinese streaming platforms which focus on singles, US listeners often prefer full albums or playlists. There are also differences in demand for genres like Mandopop or C-pop which are popular domestically in China but have limited appeal to English speakers.
While NetEase has not officially commented on plans for a US launch, analysts speculate the service may attempt to carve out a niche among Mandarin speakers first before expanding more broadly. However, significant hurdles remain around licensing and adapting NetEase’s model for Western users. For the foreseeable future, availability of NetEase Cloud Music in the United States will likely remain extremely limited. [1]
Conclusion
In summary, NetEase Cloud Music has achieved significant reach across Asia, with availability in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, South Korea, and India. However, availability in Western markets like the United States still appears limited. NetEase Cloud Music’s goal is to serve as a bridge between Western artists and Eastern audiences. Given their partnerships with major record labels like Sony Music Entertainment, it is likely just a matter of time before NetEase Cloud Music continues expanding into additional Western markets. The platform has already achieved impressive growth, with over 600,000 registered independent artists and millions of tracks available. As NetEase Cloud Music increases global availability, it has the potential to further establish itself as a top global music streaming platform.