Music streamer inks exclusive distribution deal
NetEase Cloud Music, a Chinese music streaming service, announced today a strategic multi-year distribution partnership with B2 Music.
Under the terms of the agreement, NCM will be the strategic Chinese distribution partner for B2’s album series, “Billboard Presents Electric Asia,” “VIBE Presents Urban Asia” and “SPIN Presents Indie Asia.”
Iconic brands in music, the Billboard, VIBE and SPIN compilations bring together the best music from around Asia, including collaborations with Western stars. With over 30 percent of all dance music consumed in China being on NCM, the Billboard series features some of the best electronic dance music from the region.
“Volume 1 of Electric Asia,” released last year, included hits from major artists including the Steve Aoki remix of Chinese superstar Zhang Liangying’s “Dust My Shoulders Off.”
The first album released under the new partnership between NCM and B2 is “VIBE Presents Urban Asia Vol. 1.”
Released today worldwide, the album, which includes four exclusive new tracks, features many of the biggest hip-hop stars from China and around Asia. The first single, “Youth Anthem,” released on April 27, is an exclusive track featuring top Chinese rapper Boss X (feat. Xu Xinwen & Alex Hong).
Chinese K-pop idol Jackson Wang from Got7 is featured on the exclusive “Can’t Breathe.” Other notable artists include Higher Brothers and Edison Chen from Chinna, Thaitanium from Thailand and Divine from India, as well as artists from Mongolia, Bangladesh, South Korea and Japan.
“The diversity of rap and hip-hop in Asia is astounding. From local dialects to cross-border collaborations with international stars, the region is producing an exciting range of music,” said Jonathan Serbin, head of Asia for Billboard. “This series will provide exposure to the world-class artists developing in this part of the world.”
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