Streaming music on their laptops and phones may be something new for Filipino music lovers, but a recent survey of the music market in the region suggests that it may already be gaining traction domestically, thanks to new services that offer affordable music streaming to the masses.
According to new research from JANA, a Boston-based mobile technology firm, 18% of its survey respondents in the Philippines listen to songs via a music streaming app, compared with only 14% who said they use the radio to do so.
Nonetheless, listening to songs on one’s music library still emerged as the top music listening method among 23% of the respondents of the survey, which was conducted from May 1 to 2, 2014.
“The app market is dominated by local services such as Saavn in India, TTPod in Indonesia, SPINNR in the Philippines, and Zing MP3 in Vietnam,” the study, which delved on the music markets of four key countries in the region, said.
In the Philippines, SPINNR emerged as the country’s most-used streaming app with 32% of respondents saying they use it to listen to music on their smartphones. Other streaming services used locally include Spotify (14%) and Soundcloud (12%). Spotify recently announced that its user base has reached over 40 million across 56 markets worldwide.
Music for all
“The ongoing shift to streaming among Filipino music lovers is a welcome sign for the music industry and consumers alike, because it gives a lot more users access to more music tracks currently available in the market,” said Mellissa Limcaoco, Innovation and Product Development Head at Philippine mobile leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).
“Just a few years ago, music streaming was not a familiar concept among most Filipino music lovers. With SPINNR, Smart has paved the way for more fans to affordably enjoy music anytime, anywhere without worrying about the limited storage space on their mobile devices,” Limcaoco added.
SPINNR, a homegrown music streaming app available to all Smart, Talk ‘N Text, and Sun Cellular subscribers nationwide, offers one-month VIP access for as low as P49 (or P2.50 per day) with no additional data charges and offline music listening access.
Limcaoco said SPINNR has been successful in revolutionizing music consumption in the Philippines by offering the most affordable streaming package at P2.50 a day, boosted by the ‘nationwidest’ network coverage of Smart.
“For just P2.50, which is close to the price of one text message, Filipinos now have access to millions of songs at their fingertips,” she added.
To get Filipinos started on enjoying songs via music streaming, SPINNR is offering a 15-day free trial to all first-time users of the service.
