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Music Industry

NetEase Cloud Music: Is It Worth It?

Photograph of the blog post author, Annika Hope

Annika Hope

19.7.2022

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What is NetEase Cloud Music?

NetEase Cloud Music is a streaming service based in China, which is owned by NetEase Inc, geared towards the younger end and creates a strong social community. In May 2022, it now has 36.7 million paying users and 181.7 million users in total. The NetEase Cloud Music app launched in May 2013 and has had massive success in the digital music distribution world, and is ever-growing. 

It has had many investments over the years, but in 2019 a large retail giant called Alibaba invested $ 7 million in the company. They seem to be doing very well and keep attracting more paying users every year. The CEO, William Lei Ding has backed the company since 1999 and his only goal is to see it thrive. If you are not a paying customer, it will still give you free access to any song you choose to listen to. 

If you are interested in NetEase music streaming, check out the NetEase music website for all the latest news and events. 

It is currently competing with the other largest music streaming company in China, Tencent Music, which owns QQ Music, but NetEase has taken the lead and is worth more than its competitor. 

NetEase Cloud Music App

Do you want to know more about the NetEase Cloud Music download app, you are trying to find a streaming service that is going to work for you, as there are so many out there. The NetEase music streaming app is mainly for people in China, but you can use it to find any famous artists out there. There is the NetEase cloud music android app or if you have an iPhone, then you can use the NetEase cloud music download ios version.

For Android users, you can download the NetEase cloud music APK and you are on your way! They have made the process very easy and you will be able to find any act from Madonna to The Beatles. All you need to do is tap on the song to stream them or download them to keep them on your phone. 

The latest version of the app was released on the 8th of July this year.

Netease Cloud Music app store is where you can download the app and it will preview what the app will look like for both Android and ios, in terms of features. It is also easy to access a NetEase cloud music download pc version if you want to try this as well. You just need to download it through Chrome. 

Netease Cloud Music Logo (PRNewsFoto/Netease Cloud Music)

Features of NetEase Cloud Music Platform 

  • Not only can you download or stream any song of your choice, but you can connect with other music lovers out there. The service is geared towards those of a younger age, and people can leave comments under each song. In September 2020, NetEase Cloud Music announced their Cloud Healing Center” (Yuncun Zhiyusuo), which NetEase said is one of the strongest features of the platform. However, NetEase said there has been an outpour of negative, and sad comments and they want to moderate the emotional content. Users disagree and feel that it is helpful. Users have posted about breakups, personal tragedies, anxiety, and loneliness in the past. 
  • It includes Chinese, European, Japanese and Korean songs which fall under the genres of electronic music, rap, rock, ACG, ancient, and classical
  • In terms of a NetEase Cloud Music API, it will recommend songs for you based on your previous music choices, using a very intelligent algorithm.  
  • There is a library of over 6.5 billion playlists, so you can customize your own playlists, the lists are endless.
  • On the app store, it has received a rating of 4.5 out of 5, and customers seem happy with the service. 

How Does NetEase Compare To Spotify?

It does look like both streaming giants offer the same services, as in free or subscription-based usability, but NetEase did increase its paying online music users by +7.8 million, whereas Tencent Music increased theirs by +4 million. This far outperformed Spotify which only increased its paying online music users by +2 million. 

There is a possibility for streaming on multiple devices, but Spotify does this too.  

The music library is the same for both, however, the language settings will still be roughly 90% Chinese, as it is a Chinese company, even if you change your settings to English. 

The social community aspect of NetEase demonstrates a dissimilarity between the two streaming services and it is well known for supporting and enhancing the careers of emerging artists in the industry. In terms of the Chinese Generation Z community, it had been noted as the most prominent music streaming app out there.  

As a streaming service that allows its users to sing along to songs and make their own music videos, it is unique in that respect. 

Distribution Agreement with Sony Music Entertainment

In May 2017, NetEase Cloud Music entered into a direct distribution agreement with Sony Music Entertainment (SME). SuaME headquartered in New York has a world-renowned roster of commercially successful artists who they have nurtured. They own several influential music labels including RCA, Columbia, Arista, and EPIC along with eminent audio and video recordings.

Under the agreement, NetEase will make music from SMEs available to its users in the Chinese mainland. Music distribution, music streaming services, online karaoke, and music vlogs (Mlogs), were just some of the ways that SME and NetEase Cloud Music expanded their relationship together to bring more of an immersive experience to the younger music lovers of China. 

To broaden their music platform, they worked with SME to magnify the presence of Chinese artists but also global superstars, such as G.E.M., Karen Mok, Jolin Tsai, A-Lin, Nana-Ouyang, Sophia Huang, Eric Chou, and Evan Lin. 

SME President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, Dennis Kooker said, “We are pleased to be partnering with NetEase Cloud Music to further grow the availability of our music in China and increase the level of global investment in our roster of world-class artists. China is one of the most dynamic music markets in the world, and we look forward to working with NetEase Cloud Music to develop innovative approaches for our tremendous creative talent to connect with fans locally.”    

William Lei Ding, Vice President of NetEase Cloud Music, said “With access to SME’s abundant catalogue of top artists across the globe, we’re thrilled to provide more unique and influential music content for our audience’s diverse tastes. The partnership will enrich and enliven our already vast and expanding library of quality music and propel China’s online music ecosystem forward. As leading companies in the music and entertainment industry, SME and NetEase are committed to providing music lovers with the ultimate audio experience and we look forward to working together with SME to explore more opportunities that benefit our vibrant community of music lovers.”

Final Thoughts 

It is evidently clear that Chinese online music is here to stay and even if it takes a little while to set up, the benefits of using this music streaming platform are second to none. It not only allows users to listen to music but is also a place where you can discuss music with others and give them recommendations. It is worth your time and money if you choose to subscribe.

The use of AI – as it would be with any streaming platform now – has made sure that NetEase Cloud Music is a success. As of December 2020, ‘of every 10 music streams consumed on the platform, 2.8 came through the recommendation algorithm’.

So, now you know a little bit more about the streaming service, maybe you want to try it out for yourself and start streaming!


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