Spotify is now available in Korea!

On February 1, the app launched on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store, successfully opening up the database of 60,000 songs and 4 billion playlists to users in Korea. Some of its services include a personalized curating service and the option to enjoy music while being active on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook as well as on devices like LG TV, Microsoft Xbox, and more.

Spotify’s music editor team also revealed unique playlists for Korea. The team continually updates their playlists based on their study of all the playlists created by their 320 million users. As mentioned, Spotify is a frontrunner in recommending music to users on a personalized basis. Some of these playlists include “Daily Mix,” a daily mix of one’s usual favorites and new music, “New Weekly Recommendations,” a playlist that reflects one’s usual music taste updated every Monday, and “Release Radar,” a playlist that recommends new music that might fit one’s preference that updates every Friday.

One thing to note is that music distributed by KakaoM will not be available on Spotify. As the distributing company houses four labels and artists such as IU, this is a great disadvantage to Spotify. KakaoM’s share of music distribution reached 37.5 percent as of last year.

How well Spotify secures music content is a key factor of its competitiveness in the domestic market. Therefore, it is expected that much attention will be paid to how well Spotify secures music contracts. Especially with relationships already established between KakaoM and Melon as well as CJ and Genie Music, it is unclear whether Spotify will be able to acquire music smoothly. In the case of Apple Music, it entered the Korean market in 2016 but failed to make an initial hit due to difficulties in securing domestic music and has shown a low market share ever since.

Park Sang Wook, the managing director of the Korea branch, stated, “We have been working together with artists, labels, and distributing companies to provide a quality of service that will satisfy domestic users and artists.” He also emphasized that efforts will be made to further Korea’s music industry.

Alex Norstrom, Spotify’s Chief Premium Business Officer, said, “We are very happy to announce the official launch that has been long awaited by Korea’s music fans and artists. We will help more Korean artists connect with fans not only in Korea but also around the world. We will work with other players in the industry to provide an excellent music experience for users in Korea.”

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