UPDATED 00:19 EDT / DECEMBER 12 2014

NEWS

LINE to add streaming music in deal with Sony, Avex

lineInstant messaging giant LINE Corp. is expanding into streaming music with a new deal announced with Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Japanese record label Avex Digital Inc.

Joint venture company LINE MUSIC Corporation will offer streaming music to LINE’s 560 million users (170 million active,) but what form it takes wasn’t clear from the press release, which states:

LINE MUSIC Corporation is currently in the process of holding concrete discussions on how to best capitalize on the appealing content and experience developing music services possessed by both ADG and SME, as well as the global user base and experience developing and operating smartphone services boasted by LINE, in order to provide opportunities for users to be exposed to new music, and to further develop and accelerate the expansion of the music industry as a whole by creating all new ways of enjoying music in the smartphone era.

Although the music streaming business is already well served, LINE is a company that has managed to take something basic like stickers and turn it into a $100 million + business a year; if there’s money to be made they’ll well placed to make it work.

LINE has been keen on capitalizing on its large user base, and is also looking at expending into mobile payments and even food delivery. The company currently offers mobile gaming in addition to its core instant messaging service.

While perhaps not well known in the West, LINE competes with WeChat across Asia. Line dominates it home market of Japan where it had 50 million users as of February 2014, and is also extremely popular in Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan.


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