MUMBAI: When buzz emerged that Microsoft was spinning off the free personal music streaming service- MixRadio, as an independent entity in July 2014 following its acquisition of Nokia, there was absolutely no clarity on what shape the spinoff would take. Speculation was that probably, private equity firms or venture capitalists would pump in investments. And then there was silence.
Today, the veil of secrecy was lifted on the road ahead for MixRadio. A release issued today states that Japanese LINE Corp, the global owner and operator of the free call and messaging app, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire MixRadio from Microsoft Corporation.
As the world’s leading mobile messenger with 170 million monthly active users in 230 countries, LINE constantly seeks to expand its range of services to become an integral part of consumers’ daily lives. Acknowledging the fact that Music and Entertainment are essential aspects in life, LINE has chosen to acquire MixRadio, a highly acclaimed service that offers the world’s most personal and truly mobile-optimised music streaming service to millions of listeners across 31 countries.
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MixRadio will continue to collaborate with Microsoft to offer a personalised music experience as a third party service on Lumia smartphones. The note states that the MixRadio team firmly believes that LINE is the optimal partner to support the company’s future expansion and development.
MixRadio has already begun expansion across new devices and platforms such as home audio and wearables. It has also recently launched its own recommendation engine with the aim of delivering the next level of personalised music listening.
The team that developed MixRadio, along with the MixRadio leadership team, will join the new company, and continue to be headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom.
LINE Corporation CGO (Chief Globalisation Officer) and LINE Plus Corporation CEO, Jung-ho Shin said, “LINE has been ceaselessly evolving to become the world’s leading mobile life platform. I am confident that MixRadio provides an outstanding music service, which is an important component of consumers’ lives. I also believe that LINE’s global footprints will further enable MixRadio to bring endless pleasure to them.”
MixRadio head Jyrki Rosenberg adds, “LINE shares our vision and passion for simple, personal and fun user experiences while constantly delivering innovation to our listeners. This partnership presents huge scope to expand our service to even more people around the world.”
Clearly, MixRadio seems set to be on a straight Line to success.
