New App Offers Over 1.5 Million Songs Including New Releases from Popular Japanese and International Artists

 

Tokyo, Japan – June 11, 2015 – LINE Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, today announced the official launch of the on-demand music subscription service “LINE MUSIC,” for Android and iPhone devices.

 

LINE MUSIC Official Homepage https://music.line.me/　

 

LINE MUSIC is an on-demand music subscription service, differing from the mainly prevalent radio-style subscription services currently found in Japan. With LINE MUSIC, users have the freedom to listen to the songs and artists of their choice, whenever and wherever they are. They can also create playlists of their favorite music. The first wave of music to join the launch includes Japanese music, Western music, K-pop, anime music, Vocaloid and more. The service offers over 1.5 million songs, including music from top artists Kana Nishino, Sandaime J Soul Brothers, and Che'Nelle. Additionally, the service boasts a wide variety of pre-made playlists, rankings, and more, offering users a multitude of ways to discover new music.

 

What sets LINE MUSIC apart from similar services is its tight integration with the LINE messenger app. Users can effortlessly send music or playlists directly to friends or groups on the LINE app’s chat screen^＊1, or share them on their Timeline. Songs sent by users in the LINE app can be played inside the app’s chat and Timeline screens, offering a revolutionary way to enjoy music as a social experience. 

^{＊1： Requires LINE version 5.0.0 or higher.}

 

LINE is also continuing to launch official LINE accounts for artists with music on LINE MUSIC.^＊2 Artists who have official accounts can add links to their LINE MUSIC artist page, stream music from their official accounts, post music playlists and more. By artists linking their LINE MUSIC and official accounts, users will be able to broaden their encounters with new music and artists.

^{＊2： 102 artist will have official LINE accounts upon the launch of service.} 

 

Subscription plans range from a JPY 500 basic plan, which offers a 30 day subscription with 20 hours of streaming music and access to all of LINE MUSIC’s features, to a JPY 1,000 premium plan, which offers a 30 day subscription with unlimited streaming music and all LINE MUSIC features. Users have the freedom to choose the subscription plan that best suits their music listening needs.^＊3 Discounts will be offered to students, making plans accessible for as low as JPY 300. Furthermore, to commemorate the launch of the service, LINE is offering an all-access premium plan free trial from June 11 to August 9 for all users.^＊4

^{＊3：More subscription plan details can be found below}

^{＊4：Once the free trial ends, users must sign up for a subscription plan if they wish to continue using the service. (Users will not be automatically subscribed to a subscription plan.)}

 

A browser version of the service is planned for release in July in order to allow users even more versatile access to LINE MUSIC content. With the release of the browser version of LINE MUSIC, users will be able to enjoy their content from both their mobile devices and their PCs.

 

LINE MUSIC plans to continue to expand its music catalog in the future, as well as offer users various promotions. With the concept "Ongaku wo LINE suru,” the service strives to go beyond being a music listening platform where users only listen to music they already like, and instead offer a platform that allows users to discover new songs and artists as well as enjoy their favorite tunes.

 

Remarks from LINE MUSIC CEO Jun Masuda:

With the launch of LINE MUSIC, we have realized our goal of creating a service through which this generation’s users can discover and enjoy music in a novel way. In particular, the service’s JPY 500 basic plan and student discount will offer younger users who have not yet used this type of music service a way to discover new artists and even entire genres of music, sparking a chorus of conversations along the way. We have plans to actively increase the number of songs, labels, and artists on LINE MUSIC in the future, and hope we can raise our users’ interest in music and revitalize the music industry in an effort to become the top music streaming service available.

 

 

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

LINE MUSIC Service Overview

 

Ongaku wo LINE suru – Share music with your LINE friends

LINE MUSIC users are not limited to sending songs or playlists from the app to their friends and Timeline in the LINE app, but can also send them right from the LINE app chat screen to friends and groups. Songs sent on LINE can be played back in full without having to open the LINE MUSIC app, allowing close friends to listen to songs together while chatting, a group to play happy birthday for a group member while sending them congratulatory messages, and more, offering users a way to share and enjoy music together in real time. Even users without a LINE MUSIC subscription can listen to 30 seconds of LINE MUSIC songs, and use the sharing feature without any restrictions. 

 

Endless Discovery – Playlists, Rankings, and Friend’s Choice

LINE MUSIC is home to a diverse selection of carefully curated playlists, such as genres including Japanese music and R&B, and different moods, such as “Party Music” and “Ambient Music for Work.” New playlists are added each week, which users can enjoy in whatever situation suits them. Users can also create and share their own custom playlists. LINE MUSIC also includes rankings based on user playbacks and share statistics, as well as Friend’s Choice, which allows users to see the songs their friends listen to the most. ^＊5 

^{＊5： Friend’s Choice shows an aggregate of listening trends among the user’s friends, and does not identify what individual users listen to.}   

 

A Musical Treasure Trove － Over 1.5 million songs from major labels featuring chart toppers, popular artists, and new releases

The first wave of music to join LINE MUSIC tops 1.5 million songs which include J-POP, Western music, Vocaloid, and many more genres from 28 major labels and production studios. LINE MUSIC’s library features both popular hits and new releases, with artists such as Kana Nishino, Sandaime J Soul Brothers, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, Ayumi Hamasaki, UVERworld, Che'Nelle, BIGBANG, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, and Michael Jackson. Plans are in place to form partnerships with more Japanese labels, artists, and indie bands, with the goal of expanding LINE MUSIC’s library to 5 million songs by the end of this year. In 2016, LINE MUSIC expects to add music from all over the world, increasing its library to over 30 million songs.

 

【Service Launch and Future Contributing Labels and Production Studios】

Labels (23 Companies)

Inpartmaint Inc. / avex digital Inc. / KADOKAWA CORPORATION* / KING RECORD CO., LTD.* / Crypton Future Media, Inc. / SPACE SHOWER NETWORKS INC. / Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / TOY'S FACTORY Inc.* / TuneCore Japan KK / TEICHIKU ENTERTAINMENT, INC. / Tokuma Japan Communications Co., Ltd. / DREAMUSIC Inc. / Nippon Crown Co., Ltd. / NIPPON COLUMBIA CO., LTD. / VAP Inc. / FILE RECORDS Inc. / FOR LIFE MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, INC. / PONY CANYON INC. / Musicmine inc. / UK.PROJECT / Universal Music LLC / Rambling RECORDS / Warner Music Japan Inc.*

Production Studios (5 Companies)

AKS Co., Ltd.* / TV ASAHI MUSIC CO.,LTD* / MAVERICK DC GROUP / Buzzic / loversoul music & associates

＊：Music will continue to be added to LINE MUSIC after the service has started.

 

Subscription Plans for All – 20 hours of tunes for JPY 500, unlimited tunes for JPY 1000, and student plans starting at JPY 300

Subscription tickets for LINE MUSIC can be purchased from within the app or from LINE STORE (https://store.line.me). This feature is planned to be implemented by mid-July. Subscription plans are valid for 30 days and range from the basic plan, which allows 20 hours of streaming music for JPY 500 (Android/LINE STORE) to the premium plan, which offers unlimited listening over the same period for JPY 1,000 (Android/LINE STORE) or JPY 1,080 (iOS).^＊6 Basic plan users can also purchase tickets for 10 additional hours of listening for JPY 300. All plans have discounts for student users^＊7, allowing them access to the basic plan for JPY 300, and the premium plan for JPY 600.

^{＊6： Prices are set based on each app store’s regulations.}

^{＊7： Eligible users must register their school name in the settings screen.}

 

To commemorate the launch of service, LINE is offering an all-access premium plan free trial from June 11 to August 9 for all users. Once the free trial ends, users must sign up for a subscription plan if they wish to continue using the service. (Users will not be automatically subscribed to a subscription plan.) 

 

What is LINE STORE?　https://store.line.me 

LINE STORE is a browser-based online shop which sells LINE stickers, paid items for LINE games, and more. Users can purchase items on LINE STORE using a credit card, mobile phone payment through their carrier, or prepaid cards sold at convenience stores.

 

Customizable Audio Settings－Users can choose automatic bitrate or pick from 3 bitrate settings 

In LINE MUSIC, users can customize the bitrate at which their music is streamed, allowing them to set a perfect balance between their desired audio quality and data usage rate. Settings include high (320 kbs), medium (192 kbs), and low (64 kbs). They can also choose automatic bitrate, which will automatically optimize the bitrate based on the quality of the user’s network connection. LINE MUSIC can also save songs in its cache, allowing users to replay those songs without worrying about using their mobile device’s data plan.^＊8,9

^{＊8： Users can enable or disable the cache and adjust its bitrate.}

^{＊9： Users must be online to play songs in their cache in order to verify their subscription plan.}

 

App Overview

App name: LINE Music

Supported devices: Android, iPhone

Supported language: Japanese

Supported regions: Japan

Service began: June 11, 2015

Cost: Free (offers in-app purchases)

Developer and Operator: LINE MUSIC Corporation

Copyright Notation: © LINE MUSIC Corporation

App Store　 http://itunes.apple.com/app/linemusic/id966142320?mt=1

Google Play　http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.linecorp.linemusic.android

 

Official Website: https://music.line.me/ 

Official Blog: http://music-mag.line.me/ja/

Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/LINEMUSIC_JP

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linemusic.jp

 

Android and Google Play are registered trademarks of Google Inc. iPhone, iTunes, and App Store are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All information is true and accurate at the time of publication, and subject to change without notice.

 

• LINE
• FACEBOOK
• X