Spotify is now available in South Korea!
Updated (March 2021)
On February 1st, Spotify officially launched in South Korea!
As I mentioned last October (see below), I’m excited to see their collaborations with local artists. Check out Spotify Korea’s Instagram account!
On February 28th, Spotify faced licensing issues - but eventually found a resolution through an agreement with Kakao Entertainment.
Anyway, excited to keep up with its journey in my motherland! It’s always fascinating to follow global brand launches in Korea. I love observing how Koreans consume and even evolve the brand in the local market.
Source: @spotifykr
Written on Oct 2020
I hear Spotify will be launching in South Korea soon!
When I was working in Seoul, I wondered why Spotify isn’t in the Korean market yet - and finally, it's in the works!
I'm excited to see this global product with innovative data technology take off at one of the fastest-growing music markets in the world. South Korea ranks 6th in the global music market, according to Bloomberg News.
On the local side, it’s an exciting time right now for the Korean music industry. I grew up listening to K-pop and I'm noticing how Korean artists are receiving more global spotlight in the recent 2-3 years than ever before.
Source: Big Hit Entertainment
BTS is sweeping the world with its internationally-knit ARMY fandom. In August, their hit song “Dynamite” ranked #1 on Billboard Hot 100 - and made BTS the first Korean act to do so.
Earlier this month, BLACKPINK became the highest-ranking female Korean group with their release of "The Album" which ranked 2nd on Billboard Global 200.
At the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, boy groups EXO and GOT7 made it to the Top Social Artist nominee list - along with winner BTS and pop stars like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. EXO and GOT7 became the 2nd and 3rd Korean acts to make the list after BTS.
After decades of breaking ground in the American music industry, the world is finally paying attention to the next move of K-pop in the small city of Seoul.
In February 2020, BTS released the "MAP OF THE SOUL: 7" album. I went to Spotify to listen as soon as it was out. When I opened the app, I was ECSTATIC to discover an entire playlist of Spotify-exclusive short video interviews and audio messages by BTS.
This the type of content that I imagine would come out through Spotify Korea. Introducing new Korean artists to a global userbase, creating Korean language content with international artists... The possibilities are endless!
Any thoughts? How do you think Spotify will do in the Korean market? What do you think will be Spotify's competitive factors in Korea - and at large, in the Asian market? #WhenGlobalMeetsKorea
*This article was first published on my LinkedIn page on October 19, 2020.