Leading independent DIY digital music distributor TuneCore, a division of global digital music company Paris-based Believe, expands its payment methods in the Philippines and Southeast Asia to better serve its growing artist base in the region. The first of its kind global agreement affirms the company’s commitment to providing the best user experience for independent artists in the Philippines and the SEA region where alternative payment options are more popular than credit cards.
TuneCore, whose international presence has more than doubled over the last 18 months, has partnered with global financial technology platform Adyen. The company has launched localized payment methods in the Philippines through Gcash. Others include Indonesia through Dana (GoPay coming soon), Vietnam through MoMo, and Global (Non-US countries) through China Union Pay.
Andreea Gleeson, CEO of TuneCore, emphasizes: “As TuneCore continues to expand, we not only offer best-in-class services on a worldwide level, the company also brings that same mindset to our local markets. For TuneCore artists, we not only want to support their artistry but we want to make it easy for them to distribute their music. Last year we launched the New Artist plan, which enables creators to release their music to social platforms for no upfront fee. Now with the launch of our expanded payment services, creators can access full distribution services seamlessly.”
Cyrus Chen, Head of TuneCore Southeast Asia, adds: “In Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam, card penetration remains low while e-wallets usage is quickly becoming ubiquitous among the population in recent years. By prioritizing our payments infrastructure to include local payment options that our artists prefer, demonstrates our commitment to the region’s growth. This is part of TuneCore’s hyper-localization efforts to ensure the most positive user experience for our Southeast Asian artists.”
In the coming months, TuneCore will push the program out to other countries and regions. Earlier this year, TuneCore launched its revolutionary new pricing program which allows artists at any stage of their careers to distribute their music. The program allows music creators to release tracks and albums on an unlimited basis via plans ranging from free/no upfront cost (new artist), $14.99 (rising artist), $29.99 (breakout artist) to $49.99 (professional).
Faryal Khan-Thompson, Vice President, International, TuneCore, shares: “Southeast Asia is an important market for TuneCore as there is an abundance of talent and growth in the region. Our partnership with Adyen simplifies and streamlines payments, giving access to music creators who previously would not have been able to distribute.”