Smart Expands Music Portfolio with Launch of Deezer offers

Wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is broadening its music portfolio with the introduction of premium bundles for global music-streaming service Deezer, strengthening its foothold in the music space as it eyes to capture majority of the music listening market in the Philippines.

The announcement of the Deezer bundles complements Smart’s homegrown music service SPINNR, which has revolutionized the music consumption habits of Filipinos by offering song downloads for as low as Php10 and music streaming for just Php2.50 per day, roughly equivalent to the value of three text messages.

“Deezer completes Smart’s music portfolio as we strive to provide the complete music experience to all kinds of users,” said Charles A. Lim, EVP and Head of the Wireless Consumer Division at Smart.

“SPINNR provides the total music experience to our subscribers with streaming and downloads of all the latest and hottest songs, the most anticipated concert events, meet-and-greets with their favorite artists and exclusive access to official merchandise. Deezer, on the other hand, provides music streaming with a large catalog of 30 million songs and the widest availability in more than 100 countries around the world,” Lim added.

Vast potential. Lim said there is vast potential in the music space considering the proliferation of new types of mobile devices in the Philippines, considered the fastest-growing smartphone market in Southeast Asia by a GfK Asia study in 2012.

“With smartphone adoption still expected to jump exponentially in the coming months, more users will gain access to Internet-enabled devices capable of music streaming, and Smart is the only mobile provider that will have a full lineup of music services ready for them,” Lim added.

Smart also has the distinct advantage in providing the best music-streaming experience to all subscribers with its highly modernized network—completed in 2012—that is capable of delivering superfast mobile Internet to all users nationwide.

Changing behavior. Even though streaming is still a relatively new way of consuming music in the Philippines, Smart’s Head of Innovation and Product Development Mellissa Limcaoco said they’re seeing more and more subscribers jumping into the music streaming bandwagon.

“Just a few years ago, music streaming was not a familiar concept among most Filipino music lovers. With SPINNR, Smart has paved the way for more fans to affordably enjoy music anytime, anywhere without worrying about the limited storage space on their mobile devices,” Limcaoco said.

She added that with the introduction of Deezer to its music portfolio, Smart expects music streaming to be more pervasive as it hopes to address the varied tastes of music fans nationwide.

“The high smartphone penetration in Philippines means that music lovers are taking their world, and their music, on the go,” said Steven Frank, Business Development Manager for Deezer in Asia Pacific. “With over 30 million tracks in our catalog, Philippine music fans can enjoy their favorite songs and discover new music from international, Asian or OPM artists with high-speed Internet connection by Smart, no matter where they are.”

Premium offers. Deezer offers, with over 30 million songs and powerful music discovery solutions, will initially be available to Smart Postpaid subscribers through Unlisurf Premium Plans starting at just P1,175 a month, bundled with the year’s latest smartphones and unlimited LTE surfing.

Users, for example, can get the Sony Xperia M2 at Unlisurf Premium Plan 1175, with unlimited mobile surfing, free calls and texts, and a Deezer Premium+ subscription already included in the package. Other phones available include the Nokia Lumia 1020 at Plan 1675; and the Sony Xperia Z2 as well as the Samsung Galaxy S5 at Plan 2175.

As an exclusive perk to early subscribers, Smart will be giving those who sign up for any of the Unlisurf Premium Plans a P175 bill rebate for six months.

Existing Postpaid subscribers, meanwhile, can take advantage of the various Deezer Music Packs that come with a free Deezer Premium+ subscription. These include Deezer Daily for Php25 (1-day Deezer access plus 25 SMS and 10MB of mobile data for Deezer streaming), Deezer Weekly for Php125 (7-day Deezer access plus 125 SMS, and 50MB of mobile data for Deezer streaming), and Deezer Monthly for P250 (30-day Deezer access plus 250 SMS, and 100MB of mobile data for Deezer streaming).

Offers for Smart Prepaid subscribers will be announced soon. For more information on Smart’s Deezer offers, visit smart.com.ph/Deezer.