Raso told MBW that continued global expansion was a priority for Tuned Global, which offers a range of B2B services to its partners, from a simple delivery of licensed music from 100+ record labels and aggregators, all the way through to creating a full music streaming app with customized elements.
Today (December 17), the company has unveiled a suite of new deals that increase Tuned Global’s presence across Asia, covering Thailand, Mongolia and Japan.
In Japan, Tuned Global has renewed its partnership with the country’s largest homegrown music streaming service, Line Music.
The two-year deal continues a relationship between Tuned Global and Line Music that dates back to 2016.
Tuned Global’s ‘Intaga’ technology enables the firm to ingest large volumes of incoming files from rights holders and deliver content in the appropriate format to Line Music. The technology also allows Line Music to efficiently administer all aspects of catalog management.
“our current deal expansions solidify our belief that we are the leading B2B music tech provider in the region, notwithstanding projects now extending right around the globe.”
Meanwhile, two new deals in Thailand see Tuned Global move to become a major player in a market that saw streaming revenues double last year, according to 2019’s IFPI Global Music Report.
The first of these is with True Digital Group, a division of the True Corporation and owner of TrueInternet – Thailand’s largest ISP – and mobile operator TrueMove.
The new deal will see Tuned Global’s music API fully integrated into True Digital’s entertainment app ecosystem, TrueID, enabling functionality such as user management, search, and recommendations.
The second Thai deal is with a hospitality sector company. Tuned Global will build its branded background music app, which will deliver curated music services to this company’s business clients and across the company’s venues.
In Mongolia, Tuned Global has contracted with Arrangement Vision Entertainment (AVE) to deliver a fully interactive music streaming app, AV Play, which will also enable users to book performances from local artists.
Tuned Global has been active in Asia since it started in 2011, having launched successful tech projects in territories such as Indonesia and Malaysia, and worked closely with telcos in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
“Tuned Global’s expertise in building streaming apparatus along with their advice and deep understanding of the streaming sector in this unique market has been invaluable.”
Misaki Iki, Line Music
Speaking to MBW, Tuned Global’s Chief Revenue Officer, Spiro Arkoudis, said: “We’ve been operating in various parts of the Asian market for quite a few years now, and our current deal expansions solidify our belief that we are the leading B2B music tech provider in the region, notwithstanding projects now extending right around the globe.
“Looking at places such as South East Asia for example, these markets are quite fragmented and it’s important to understand the social economic constraints, cultural and religious differences, the nuances in deploying in some markets that skew heavily on OS systems (e.g. Android vs iOS), and the capacity for local pundits to pay for music access or methods of subsidisation (e.g. brands).
“Domestic repertoire plays an important part, and on-boarding local content owners via our direct B2B client deals and giving them a platform to monetise their work, is a rewarding part of the process.”
He added: “Having hands-on experience on the ground over the years, we’ve deployed a range of different music services and music tech projects for various clients in countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and now countries such as Thailand and Mongolia. Our platform and technology has been adapted to meet the expectations of all these fragmented markets and their needs.
“Then you have Japan, a fascinating music world within its own right, and we’ve been privileged enough to work our client such Line Music for a several years now, and that’s exposed us to completely different gamut of digital music consumption behaviours, fan interactions, app feature sets that differ to what we see in other markets we’re active in. They definitely raise the bar.”
“We could not be more excited to finally be going live with Tuned Global. Their platform is clean, scalable and has many features we did not have prior, all out of the box.”
Brian William Clark, True Digital Group
Misaki Iki, Head of BD, Line Music said, “We are delighted to renew our long-standing partnership with Tuned Global. Their expertise in building the streaming apparatus along with their advice and deep understanding of the streaming sector in this unique market has been invaluable. We are proud to be working with them.”
Brian William Clark, Chief Product Officer, True Digital Group commented: “We could not be more excited to finally be going live with Tuned Global. Their platform is clean, scalable and has many features we did not have prior, all out of the box. Additionally, they are just an awesome team to work with. They invest in a real relationship and bring integrity to their work — I don’t view them as a vendor, instead I view them as a partner.”
Con Raso, co-founder and MD of Tuned Global added, “I’m enormously proud of the company’s expanding footprint across the Asian marketplace. Our flagship product is the provision of a full and comprehensive turnkey solution and to help drive user engagement.
“These are our top priorities and the new deals are dramatic and compelling evidence of that strategy coming to fruition. I look forward to working with our current and new partners in the region.”
