Singtel launches new data-free music service with Spotify, KKBOX, MeRadio and AMPed

SINGAPORE — In what must be thrilling news for music fans and streaming services alike, Singtel becomes the first telco here to launch a new plan that allows customers to stream music without incurring additional local data charges.

Called Singtel Music, the telco’s latest service allows its customers to subscribe to a premium account from either Spotify, KKBOX or AMPed, and they can stream and download music without affecting their current data allowance. In addition, they can also tune in to 13 stations from the MeRadio music portal.

Singtel Music will be available to all Singtel postpaid customers at S$7.90 per month with a 12-month contract or S$9.90 per month with no contract.

In comparison, direct subscriptions to Spotify Premium and KKBOX Premium cost S$9.90 a month, while a subscription to AMPed Premium ranges from S$7.90 for a 12-month contract to S$9.90 for a monthly one.

“Many of our customers are big music fans, but they hold back from listening to music on their smartphones for fear of busting their data allowance. They can now enjoy music on their phones without spending anything on data.” said Diana Chen, vice president of mobile marketing, consumer Singapore, at Singtel.

In response to queries about whether there were concerns that Singtel Music, with its cheaper annual plan, would cannibalise subscriptions for new and existing Spotify Premium customers, Sunita Kaur, managing director of Spotify (Asia), said she believed it was important to give consumers more choices.

“We want to make Spotify available to even more Singaporeans and Singtel Music means we can reach even more people,” said Kaur, who added that one in three Singaporeans currently use Spotify. “Our users want a variety of ways to feed their music habit and this fantastic deal makes getting Spotify Premium even more simple and affordable. At the same time, Singtel can offer its users the best music experience available.”

And as more people subscribe to streaming services in Singapore, Mediacorp, which runs the MeRadio music portal, said it would continue to upgrade its radio offerings to give its audiences a better digital experience. The collaboration is also timely, as the company is celebrating 80 years of radio broadcasting this year.

“MeRadio will see a refresh by introducing a better interface for accessing all of Mediacorp’s 13 radio stations and other new features. We are constantly looking for new ways to enhance the listening experience for our users and offering free data makes it even sweeter for our listeners,” said Mr Lai Mun Dart, head of youth segment, Mediacorp.

Singtel Music comes on the heels of the telco’s exclusive tie-up with Netflix, which was launched earlier this year, and gives its customers promotional offers to access television shows and movies on the streaming service.

“Technological disruption has totally changed the way our customers consume media,” Chen explained. “As such, we view the OTT (Over-The-Top) space as a new area to explore partnerships and collaborations. We are working to give our customers exclusive and quality differentiated content, whether they choose to consume it at home or on-the-go. We will work closely with traditional and non-traditional content providers to offer a wider range of entertainment options to our customers.”

Customers can sign up for the service online or at any Singtel Shop. In order access the music, they simply need to create a Spotify, KKBOX or AMPed account with Singtel Music.