PRESS RELEASE

Today, Spotify is launching in the sixth-largest music market in the world: South Korea (according to the 2019 IFPI Global Music Report). According to Spotify, Koreans can now access over 60 million tracks and over 4 billion playlists from around the world, as well as enjoy personalized music recommendations and discover new music. Music lovers in Korea can stream Spotify’s broad music catalogue, spanning everything from the country’s own K-Pop to Latin American reggaeton, European electronic, and beyond.

Korea’s launch brings Spotify’s global footprint to now 93 total markets and, “Is a critical next step in our global expansion journey,” says Spotify. Chief Freemium Business Officer, Alex Norström, adds, “We always want to be where the listeners and artists are, and South Korea is rich in both. This launch presents a massive opportunity for us to not only further our mission of bringing new and quality content to more audiences, but also help local Korean artists tap into Spotify’s 320 million listeners worldwide. We hope to create more opportunities for Korean artists across all genres to be discovered by listeners around the world.”

Since debuting its first K-Pop playlist in 2014, Spotify reports that their share of K-Pop consumption has increased by more than 2,000%. But thinking beyond K-Pop, the digital service provider is also introducing a range of new playlists made exclusively for South Korea. Spotify’s Korean music experts have already begun compiling curated collections, and have featured playlists that represent some of the more popular genres for consumers in that market. This include a wide range of Korean music—including K-Pop—hip-hop, indie, OST, R&B, and more, according to Spotify, and is localized in over 72 countries including Russia, India, Brazil, and the UAE.

For Korean consumers, the Spotify app is available to download for both Premium Individual and Duo plans. New Spotify listeners can try out Spotify Premium for seven days on their mobile phones—for free—without inputting their credit card information. Or, to enjoy three months of free Spotify Premium, add credit card information by the end of June 2021.