A new “JB HI-FI NOW” music streaming service is set to take on several overseas services such as Napster Rhapsody as well as the local Sony Anabus.fm. The server will go live in April 2012 with over 8 million songs from over 100,000 artists.
According to Niv Novak, the CEO of Playback Systems who is the distributor of Sonos gear in Australia, the launch of the new service is “brilliant”.
“Sonos is committed to streaming all the music on earth and supporting JB HIFI’s new music service would be in line with our goals. Sonos already support numerous leading music subscription services available in Australia including Sony Australia’s anubis.fm.”
Other Companies set to make the service available as an app on their devices include TV Companies LG, Samsung and Panasonic.
JB Hi-Fi anticipates launching a new music subscription streaming service in the second quarter of FY12. Currently JB Hi Fi is the biggest seller of music and videos in Australia.
This new service will leverage off the Company’s strong music heritage and is a natural extension to its current physical music sales the Company claims.
A staged roll-out is anticipated over the quarter for Mac and PC, with a mobile solution to be added shortly after.
“We intend to have between 6 to 8 million tracks from 100,000 artists at launch and will continue to grow this number over time. The service will allow for unlimited access and listening to music from your Mac, PC or mobile device” said CEO Terry Smart.
