Deezer Takes Aim At Spotify With New App Studio, APIs, Echonest And Songkick Deals And App Updates

Deezer, which earlier this year announced a $130 million round of funding to ramp up its music streaming business internationally. But to make sure that its service can compete against Spotify and others on the product level, today Deezer is also adding a bunch of new bells and whistles: it is launching a new app store called the App Studio and a set of APIs for others to embed the Deezer experience elsewhere; it’s partnering with (Spotify’s partner) Echonest for music discovery and Songkick for event listings; and it’s upgrading its iOS and Android apps.

The goal is for Deezer both to drive more users overall to its platform â€" it says that currently it has 26 million across across 160 countries â€" and to get more of them paying for the service. There are currently 2 million paying for Deezer’s service, compared to Spotify’s 4 million paying users on a subscriber base of 15 million overall.

Part of the approach is to find “green” users new to the business of paying for streaming music services, but it is also to poach those that are already committed elsewhere. Deezer is doing that by making sure that its service matches Spotify on a feature-by-feature level, but also by making it easy for people to switch. Among the eight apps currently in the App Studio is one called Spotizr, specifically created to let people import their Spotify playlist into Deezer. Other apps like PIAS, for discovering independent artists shows, that Deezer will also be looking to propagate its app store with the same apps as Spotify’s.

Some of that is also aiming to take the functionality deeper. While Spotify features an app for Songkick in its App Center, Deezer has integrated the functionality directly into its API. This means that the service of discovering concerts and other events for a particular artist listened to on Deezer is something that developers can call up when using Deezer’s APIs, and that it will be present as default information as part of Deezer’s own service.

The news comes at the same time as Spotify is gearing up to announce news of its own in December. Sources have told us that this will offer users the ability to discover music by following influential users on the platform. Spotify also now has a beta of browser-based version of its service for people to use the service without needing to download a separate client.

Along with Deezer’s new App Studio and enhanced functionality on its own service, it is also improving its social profile and how Deezer content can be shared elsewhere. Among these, songs listened to on Deezer are now appearing in Facebook’s notification center, where non-Deezer users can listen to them as well. On the new iOS and Android apps, users can also now see what songs their friends are tagging and marking as favorites. And similarly, it’s easier now for you to send your own playlists out to others.

Full release below.

DEEZER GOES TO WORK DRIVING MUSIC DISCOVERY WITH APP STUDIO AND NEW PARTNERSHIPS

28^th November 2012

Global music subscription service Deezer is forging ahead with its aim of driving music discovery worldwide. Deezer is pleased to announce the next stage of ‘Open Deezer’ â€" the easiest and broadest music API open to developers â€" as well as new strategic partnerships and a series of innovative technological updates.

This week Deezer unveils:

·       A new Deezer App Studio that will enable the discovery of rich new app experiences built around music

·       Partnerships with Echonest and Songkick to aid musical discovery and the integration of music into applications

·       Updates to Deezer’s iOS and Android apps that enable the seamless discovery of music through friends

Daniel Marhely, Deezer Founder said, “Deezer’s music service is built around discovery so we need it to be continuously fresh and engaging for music fans. That is why we developed our Open Deezer programme as an invitation to the boldest and most innovative developers to take music discovery to the next level. Similarly we’re building smart partnerships to better integrate music into apps and the web â€" with an eye to making it easy to share music with friends when you’re on the go, wherever you may be.”

Open Deezer steps up a gear with new App Studio

Today Deezer launched the second phase of its Open API Programme. Launched in May, Open Deezer enabled developers to seamlessly integrate the 20 million tracks in Deezer’s library into their products across all platforms, worldwide. Now, Deezer is taking the next step towards enabling musical discovery everywhere through the launch of its App Studio. In addition to featuring Deezer functionality and content within their own products, ‘Deezer Devs’ can now place feature-rich apps inside Deezer.com, affording them greater visibility and helping make Deezer a more engaging destination for music fans.

Marhely commented, ““In the last six months we have seen some excellent app ideas take shape, enabled by our open API.  We particularly love the ones developed by bright sparks or young startups which are helping to enrich the music ecosystem. Take edjing as an example â€" it turns mobile phones into DJ decks powered by Deezer music â€" it’s inspired.”

Deezer’s App Centre will not only feature desktop apps, but will also enable the discovery of web, iOS and Android apps built with the Open Deezer API.

Jean-Marc Plueger, the CEO of YaSound, an app which enables people to discover internet radio stations, said:

“YaSound is thrilled to participate to this great revolution: for the first time on the web, people from 160 countries worldwide will be able to great new services with music at their heart through the Deezer App Store. With Deezer’s YaSound app, music fans everywhere will be able to discover music through the largest database of internet radio stations, covering every genre.” 

Deezer integrates Songkick to drive offline musical discovery, adds new partnerships

Deezer wants to enable musical discovery in the real world, not just the online one. Deezer has built Songkick’s concert recommendation API into the heart of Deezer’s new personalised music libraries. Music fans can now access local concert listings based on their listening habits.

Deezer is working hard to build smart partnerships with cutting edge music and technology businesses. By partnering with music intelligence provider Echonest, Deezer is making it easier for developers to embed Deezer music into their apps.

But that’s not all. Deezer has also been busy working on:

·       Extended Facebook integration: Brings Deezer directly into Facebook’s Notification Centre.  Deezer subscribers can share their favourite songs as they listen with any of their Facebook friends â€" including people who don’t have Deezer.

·       Mobile social discovery: Updates to Deezer’s iPhone iOS and Android apps include new social discovery features and a ‘Friends’ feature that allows music fans to tap into their best friends’ music collections and latest artist discoveries.

·       Easier mobile sharing: New mobile features include a navigation bar to make it easier for mobile users to build and share their music library. In one swipe, music fans can add tracks to playlists, access album or artist pages, and share their music with friends.

 

- Ends -

 

 

Notes to editors:

Global App Centre: Apps available at launch:

 

·       PIAS â€" Discover independent artists and labels

 

·       Twusic â€" Social radio powered by Twitter sharing

 

·       Shuffler -  Curated music blog aggregator

 

·       eDJing â€" Puts you in the DJ booth, letting you mix two Deezer tracks of your choice

 

·       What’s That Track? â€" Social music quiz game that tests your musical knowledge

 

·       Wallzr â€" Create desktop wallpaper based on your favourite Deezer playlists

 

·       Spotizr â€" Imports any Spotify playlist into Deezer

 

·       Lalilala â€" The social singing game â€" ‘Draw Something for music’

 

The process for developers is simple: submit your app through Deezer’s developer website and wait for the Deezer team’s prompt approval. The App Centre will continue to expand over the next few months, culminating in a showcase revealing newly-added apps.