Tencent joins forces with Apple Music to bring Chinese artists to global listeners
- Record labels and artists distributing their works through Tencent Music’s platform will be able to also launch their content on Apple Music
- Tencent Music reports an increase in paid listeners in the quarter ended September despite Beijing’s tightened scrutiny of music streaming
The music-streaming arm of Tencent Holdings will make a catalogue of Chinese songs available to subscribers of Apple’s music-streaming service in a global partnership with the US giant.
The tie-up will allow record labels and artists who distribute their works through TME Music Cloud, a platform owned by Tencent Music Entertainment, to launch their content on Apple Music, said Tencent Music on Tuesday.
“Bringing TME’s premium music content from Chinese labels and creators to Apple Music users worldwide will enable music lovers to explore China’s unique music culture and genres, further enhancing the global discovery of Chinese music and assisting in the international development of Chinese musicians,” said Tencent Music in a statement.
The company declined to share details on which musicians and songs will be made available on Apple Music.
On Monday, New York-listed Tencent Music, which owns three of China’s most popular music streaming apps, reported that its number of paying users jumped 37.7 per cent year on year to 71 million in the quarter ended September, representing 11.2 per cent of its total users.
In comparison, 13.3 per cent of rival NetEase Cloud Music’s users, equivalent to 24 million users, had a paid subscription in the first quarter of 2021, according to a document filed to the Hong Kong stock exchange in August in preparation for a planned initial public offering, which had been put on hold amid tightening regulatory scrutiny by Beijing.