Spotify is set to launch in South Korea in the first half of next year, the streaming company has announced.
A press release stated that users in South Korea will have access to 60 million tracks and over 4 billion playlists while Korean artists will be able to reach local and international fans.
Spotify launches in South Korea with the intention of accelerating the growth of Korea’s streaming market.
We are proud to have been a part of the K-pop global story
Alex Norström, Spotify
Alex Norström, chief freemium business officer at Spotify said: “We are excited about our upcoming launch in South Korea, a market recognised as an epicentre for music, culture and tech innovation. Spotify has been a partner to the Korean music industry for many years now. We are proud to have been a part of the K-pop global story, showcasing the genre on our platform and enabling its discovery all over the world, from Asia to the US, South America, Europe and the Middle East. We’re looking forward to working with our valued local partners to uncover more Korean artists, and to connect them with fans in South Korea and all over the world.”
Spotify debuted its first K-Pop playlist in 2014, and listeners have streamed more than 180 billion minutes of the genre since, adding K-Pop tracks to more than 120 million playlists. The share of K-Pop listening has increased by more than 2,000% in the last six years. Spotify’s Radar programme also features a Radar Korea playlist.