NetEase Cloud Music Leads Electronic/ Dance Music Growth in China

With online music platforms playing an increasingly important role in both popularizing electronic/ dance music and shaping the accompanying culture, iiMedia Research ranked the online platforms based on its Target Group Index (TGI). NetEase Cloud Music came out tops with a TGI of 122.2, which is significantly higher than the industry average; the second spot went to QQ Music at 103.7, followed closely by Kugou Music.

This has been manifested by the increase in number of online streams of electronic/ dance music in China – in 2016, there were 163.05 billion streams while 38.7% growth is projected for 2017 to 226.08 billion. By 2020, this number is likely to reach an incredible 360.86 billion, marking electronic/ dance music as an exponential growth genre.

In 2016, the number of electronic/ dance music streams on NetEase Cloud Music grew by 434%, representing the fastest music genre growth on the platform. Correspondingly, the number of listeners of the genre showed a phenomenal year-on-year increase of 147%. Electronic/ dance music has soared to become the second most popular genre on NetEase Cloud Music, outpacing rock, folk and hip-hop. 

Interviewees on the iiMedia Research panel gave the highest rating to NetEase Cloud Music for professional proficiency in the electronic/ dance music genre, ahead of Kugou Music. NetEase Cloud Music's unique characteristics of customized personal recommendations, user comments, vast catalogue of playlists and embedded social network community have elevated it to become the largest domestic hub of electronic/ dance music lovers.

iiMedia Research noted that the number of playlists for electronic/ dance music generated by users on the platform witnessed exponential growth, contributing to unprecedented levels of engagement. Year-to-date Sep 2017, the number of electronic playlists grew at a rate of 128.1%, compared to the same period last year.

The other prong of NetEase Cloud Music's high level of user engagement is its in-built social network and user comments. At the recent International Music Summit (IMS) Asia-Pacific 2017 conference in Shanghai, NetEase Music Cloud's International Business Director Ms Jessie Wang highlighted in her keynote speech on the state of electronic music in China that the typical listener of electronic music on the service views an average of more than 75 comments each week whilst contributing about 16 comments – a rather remarkable level of interaction.

Ms Wang also noted that in providing the most comprehensive electronic/ dance music offering in China, NetEase Cloud Music has nurtured a highly active and passionate community that will play a significant role in driving the success of the electronic music sector in China. To further develop this sector, Ms Wang announced the launch of dance music lifestyle brand Fever to better serve fans of the genre.

Added Mathew Daniel, NetEase Cloud Music's Vice-President, International: "Along with the increasing popularity of electronic artists and DJs in China via NetEase Cloud Music and its social platform, we are also, interestingly, noticing international music over-indexing as a whole on our music service. This is certainly welcome news to international labels and artists who can now work closely with us."

NetEase Cloud Music, which started only in 2013, has shown phenomenal growth relative to its competitors, taking just 2 years to reach 100 million users; currently it has over 300 million users.

SOURCE NetEase Cloud Music