Spotify launches in Japan, its mobile lyrics feature makes global debut

By Kris Wouk Published September 29, 2016

Spotify — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s a big week for Spotify: On Monday the company announced a new Daily Mix playlist to complement its Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists, and now it’s finally available in one of the biggest music markets in the world. The company announced at a press conference on Thursday that it is now finally available in Japan.

“We’re incredibly excited to launch Spotify with a uniquely Japanese music experience,” Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek said in a statement. “With Spotify’s revolutionary discovery and personalization features that fit your every mood, we aim to help people enjoy more music and connect more artists with fans than ever before.”

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Both the free ad-supported version of the music streaming service and the monthly subscription plan are available, with the latter costing 980 yen, roughly equivalent to the $10 per month it costs in the United States. Following the launch, the service will be available in a total of 60 markets worldwide.

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Alongside the international playlists available in other countries, a range of Japan-exclusive playlists curated by a group of Tokyo-based music experts are also present, including Tokyo Super Hits and Best of J-Rock. That’s not the only special feature coming to Japan, either.

Making its global debut in Japan, a new mobile lyrics feature is also available, possibly due to the popularity of karaoke in the country. Lyrics aren’t limited to mobile devices either, as they’re also available in the desktop app, a feature that isn’t available in the U.S. anymore: The Musixmatch-powered feature disappeared from the desktop app in May.

While Spotify is now available in Japan, it isn’t open to everyone just yet. The streaming service is currently in invite-only beta in Japan, and no specific launch date has been announced at the time of this writing. For now, Japanese music fans looking to try the service will have to head to the service’s website to request an invite.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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