One of the most influential companies in music has launched a music subscription service in China. This month, Douyin, ByteDance’s China-specific counterpart to TikTok, released a beta of Qishui Yinyue (translated to “Soda Music” in English).
Qishui Yinyue has virtually no relationship to TikTok other than sharing ByteDance as a parent company. They operate independently in separate markets and “there are no relations between the apps at all or in any way,” a company spokesperson told Billboard in an email response to questions. TikTok operates outside of China; Douyin, available only in China, is a separate platform with different — some say more advanced — e-commerce and social features.
ByteDance has another music streaming service, Resso, that operates in Brazil, Indonesia and India. Launched in 2020, Resso reportedly had 40 million monthly active users in Nov. 2021. But Qishui Yinyue is available only in China “and there are no plans to offer it in any other markets,” the spokesperson told Billboard.
China was the 10th-largest recorded music market in the world in 2021, according to IFPI. Its two largest music streaming companies, Tencent Music Entertainment and Cloud Village, have a large lead over any newcomer. As of Dec. 31, 2021, TME and Cloud Village have 76.2 million and 28.9 million paying users, respectively, according to the companies’ financial statements.
For the time being, Qishui Yinyue is more concerned with acquiring users than generating revenue; premium features are currently available to anyone using the app. “Monetization is not a priority at this time,” according to the spokesperson, who declined to disclose pricing. Some reports said Qishui Yinyue has 10 million tracks; the company spokesperson did not disclose the catalog size to Billboard.
Douyin demonstrated good timing in launching Qishui Yinyue now. The Chinese government opened the door to new entrants last year when it forced TME to cancel its exclusive licensing agreements with content owners. Cloud Village called the government’s order a “favourable shift as it fosters healthier development of the overall online music industry in China.”
