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Recochoku enters Japan streaming biz
March 1, 2013
Another player has entered Japan’s music-streaming sweepstakes.
Recochoku, a digital content aggregator owned by major Japanese labels, is launching a smartphone-based streaming service called “RecoChoku Best” in early March. It’s due to become available on PCs this summer.
Smartphone-based music delivery is the fastest-growing segment of the Japanese music industry. Recochoku risked being left behind with services tailored for users of “legacy” mobile phones.
More than 1 million songs — mainly Japanese pop — will be available for streaming for a monthly fee of 980 yen ($10.61).
RecoChoku Best users will be able to listen to music even in places like subways where there’s no phone or Wi-Fi signal. That’s because data on music previously selected by users is stored in their devices’ cache memory.
Several leading Japanese labels are making their repertoire available via RecoChoku Best, including EMI Music Japan, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), Victor Entertainment, Pony Canyon, Universal Music Japan and Warner Music Japan.