TuneCore in distribution deal with subscription service KKbox

• Deal brings TuneCore artistes to fast-growing markets and 200mil subscribers
• Available in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, HK, Macao and Malaysia

 

BURBANK, California-based TuneCore said it has become a distribution partner for digital music subscription service KKbox.
 
As of May 1, music distributed through TuneCore will be available to consumers throughout Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Malaysia as part of KKbox's digital music subscription service, TuneCore said in a statement.
 
The KKbox deal furthers TuneCore's goal to bring more music to more people around the world, while also increasing revenue-generating opportunities for artistes who partner with the company to get their music heard globally, it added.
 
The new relationship gives TuneCore artistes a unique opportunity to reach KKbox's 200 million subscribers, a number that is expected to grow as the service pursues aggressive expansion plans, TuneCore said.
 
KKbox has a library of over 10 million music tracks from more than 500 music labels and publishers, and brings additional value through a print music magazine, original editorial, exclusive artiste videos, community features and live concerts.
 
“With more and more consumers using digital music services across a growing number of smartphones and devices, Asia is an incredibly exciting market that is ripe with opportunity for TuneCore artistes,” said its president and chief operating officer Scott Ackerman.
 
“We're excited to be a major US-based music distribution partner for KKbox and offer artistes entry into a region where getting distributed has often been a challenge regardless of high consumer demand,” he added.
 
TuneCore says it brings more music to more people, while helping musicians and songwriters increase money-earning opportunities and take charge of their own careers.
 
The company also claims to have one of the highest artiste revenue-generating music catalogues in the world, earning TuneCore artistes US$405.6 million on 6.1 billion streams and downloads since inception.
 
TuneCore Music Distribution services help artistes, labels and managers sell their music worldwide through iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, Google Play, and other major download and streaming sites while retaining 100% of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee.
 
KKbox itself initially launched in Taiwan in 2004, and its expansion to Hong Kong in 2009 resulted in steadily increasing subscriptions, the company said.
 
In December 2010, Japan’s telecom giant KDDI Group acquired a majority share of KKbox’s outstanding stocks, and in March 2011, KKbox accepted investment from HTC.
 
“TuneCore has proven to be an ideal partner for KKbox, with strong technology and a stellar reputation as a leader in digital music distribution,” said KKbox managing director Alex Wang.
 
“Following our success with TuneCore Japan, establishing a worldwide relationship with TuneCore is a natural next step, and we are confident our large and growing subscriber-base will be a valuable music discovery platform for TuneCore artistes,” he added.
 
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