The launch of Apple Music and its quick emergence across the global markets has sparked a need for other streaming services to keep up by broadening their international reach. One such company moving closer to establishing itself as a major Apple competitor in Asia is the immensely popular Spotify, who’s priming itself to launch in Japan and Indonesia. Though it’s been two-and-half years since its initial launch in six Asian markets, the company has experienced significant lag compared to the new Apple Music, whose dominance as a company has already allowed it to settle in throughout most of the continent.

Japan has been a long-time focus of Spotify, but the path toward its fruition has been arduous. CDs still make up a significant part of the country’s music sales, while the launch of its native streaming service, Line, was debuted in June, making competition even stiffer. Furthermore, a spokesperson noted that they must proceed with caution due to Japan’s “really tough” licensing policies.

While Japan’s progress remains slow, Spotify has set its sights on another burgeoning Asian market: Indonesia. As the country enters into the semi-periphery, internet usage has increased and mobile phone sales have gone up 55% in the past year, thus signaling potential for the country to become “mobile first” and develop a considerable demand for music streaming. It’s predicted that the launch in Indonesia will occur sooner than Japan since its policies around music are less intense.

Via: Tech Crunch

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Tags: apple music, spotify

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