Still No Spotify Japan - Pollstar News

Spotify has been planning to launch its streaming service in Japan and set up an office some time ago for that purpose, but nothing has come of it.

There were reports in October in the tech press saying that Spotify Japan was about to become a reality but still there is no concrete information about a date. The latest news has the company forming a partnership with Japan’s most popular messaging app, Line, that would let Line users share Spotify tracks through the app.

TechCrunch is reporting that Spotify Japan is filling 12 positions, including head of consumer marketing, and folks from the head office are making lots of trips to Tokyo.

Last year, several local publications predicted Spotify would accelerate its launch in Japan after both Apple and Line started their own streaming services in the country, but apparently Japan’s infamous copyright issues remain a sticking point between Spotify and Japan’s recording industry.

Nevertheless, the company is continuing with its Asian expansion by going live in Indonesia at the end of March. Smartphone sales in the world’s fourth-most populous country in the world are expected to grow by 20 percent this year. In addition, there are rumors that Spotify is looking to launch in India.