French music streaming service Deezer is set to launch in over 100 countries by the end of the year, following its partnership with Facebook.
Speaking to Reuters, Chief Executive Axel Dauchez said that Deezer’s approach differed from its rivals, such as U.S.-based Pandora and Sweden’s Spotify, because it had decided to avoid the US market because of the high costs and intense competition involved.
Instead he said Deezer will soon launch in a slew of other places overlooked by its rivals, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico and Brazil.
Deezer will then try to replicate its successful model with Orange France, by integrating its music service into local operators’ subscription plans.
Deezer has already done so in the UK and other countries will follow.
After slightly more than a year, the Orange partnership has yielded nearly 1.3 million paying subscribers with a strong integration between the two companies’ teams. Deezer is due to break even and report EUR 50 million of revenue this year.
Asked whether Deezer would need to raise additional funds to fuel its international expansion, Dauchez said that it would depend on the level of investments needed next year.
