Tokyo, 2016-Aug-10 — /EPR Retail News/ — Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) today announced the launch of “Rakuten Music,” a service offering unlimited streaming of music for a fixed rate through an iOS or Android app.
Rakuten Music was designed and developed as a “one-stop music service” allowing users to listen to and buy music seamlessly. Registered users are able to use their smartphones and tablets to select music or artists of their choice from among approximately 3 million pieces of Japanese and international music, ranging from the latest J-POP hits to famous international recordings and songs, which they can enjoy listening to anywhere anytime. New tracks are planned to be added regularly, and the service aims to make 20 to 30 million songs available within the year. Moreover, CDs, music-related DVDs, and Blu-ray products sold through Rakuten Books will be displayed on the search engine results pages and information pages for each of the artists. Tapping on the product names will allow users to obtain coupons offering a 5% discount on purchased products, as well as purchase them immediately through Rakuten Books.
The app also has a comprehensive “recommend” function*1 that can recommend songs and playlists optimized to the individual user’s tastes based on listening habits. The more the service is used, the more it is able to propose personalized playlists and songs to suit user tastes, bringing users into contact with a variety of music for a variety of situations and moods.
Users can sign up for the “Standard Plan”*2 on Rakuten Music offering use of all functions and unlimited streaming of all music for approximately a month. The fee is 980 yen (including tax) for 30 days if the payment is made using Rakuten ID Payment, or 1,080 yen (including tax) for one month if the payment is made using an Apple ID. The service may be enjoyed free of charge for the first month after registration*2, *3. Moreover, users may switch to a “Light Plan” (*4) after signing up for the service, which offers 20 hours of music streaming. The Light Plan costs 500 yen (including tax) for 30 days if the payment is made using Rakuten ID Payment, or 600 yen (including tax) for one month if the payment is made using an Apple ID.
To commemorate the launch of the service, users who sign up for Rakuten Music for the first time between today and August 31, and continue to use the service until Saturday, October 1, while making payments using Rakuten ID Payment will be awarded 500 Rakuten Super Points*5. A campaign*6 will also be run for users who continue using Rakuten Music until the first day of the third month after signing up where they will become eligible to be awarded three times the normal number of Rakuten Super Points when shopping on Rakuten Ichiba or Rakuten Books every Wednesday during their term of registration.
As the share of fixed rate (subscription-based) music streaming services in the domestic market continues to grow, Rakuten will offer users new and highly convenient services that fuse digital music streaming with e-commerce, while at the same time promoting sales of packaged media, including CDs and music DVDs, to vitalize the overall music industry in Japan.
*1 The systems for, e.g., the Personalized Recommend function, have been provided by Sockets Inc.
*2 Registration is automatically renewed (charged) every 30 days for payments made using a Rakuten ID, and every month for payments made using an Apple ID.
*3 The fee for the Standard Plan will be charged automatically after the free trial period.
*4 Some of the music will not be available through the Light Plan.
*5 The campaign is subject to changes or cancellation without prior notification. Please refer to the campaign page for more details (http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/music/campaign/ichiba/).
*6 Users must submit applications every Wednesday to become eligible for the campaign. The maximum number of points awarded is 200. The campaign is subject to changes or cancellation without prior notification. Please refer to the campaign page for more details (http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/music/campaign/ichiba/).
Source: Rakuten