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MTN introduces music streaming service

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 24 Apr 2015
MTN Music+ focuses on content produced in Africa, by Africans.
MTN Music+ focuses on content produced in Africa, by Africans.

MTN has introduced a localised streaming and downloading music service in a bid to foster talent from SA and Africa at large.

Dubbed MTN Music+, the music offering is available to MTN subscribers and is accessible through both the Web and mobile devices. The service is compatible with iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices.

"Music+ subscribers can also share music and videos with friends and preview tracks under the same user profile," explains the operator.

MTN SA chief marketing officer Larry Annetts says content on Music+ is "heavily biased" in favour of music content from SA and Africa, a point he says is a differentiating factor.

"MTN Music+ seeks to develop local content and give aspiring artists a platform to showcase their talent to a captive audience of millions of users across the continent. Music+ expands the artists' distribution footprint beyond the narrow confines of their home markets and beyond conventional means."

MTN has partnered with Huawei to bring the music service to subscribers.

Huawei Technologies MD Edric Chu says the platform is designed to provide users with an interactive, user-friendly service. "The service requires no significant device restrictions or additional device requirements."

In February, when MTN officially launched its video-on-demand service, FrontRow, Annetts said the company had been looking at bringing an MTN-branded music streaming service to South African consumers, following a "very successful" take up of a similar local offering in Nigeria.

In October last year, MTN rival Vodacom confirmed rumours around the time that it was in talks with Deezer to introduce a music streaming service of its own.

This came a few months after MTN announced a streaming service in partnership with Simfy, for R49 per month.

In terms of MTN's latest online music offering, registration is free, as are 30-second previews of tracks, for on- and off-net customers.

Subscription options include a three-day subscription for R10, including 50MB of data; weekly subscription for R25 (plus 150MB of data); and a monthly subscription for R49, including 500MB of data.

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