Rhapsody International Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. Launch High-Resolution Audio Streaming Experience in Japan

SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Rhapsody International Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., or "SMEJ," today announced the formal launch of the label's on demand, high resolution streaming music service called "mora qualitas" in Japan. The premier service allows Japanese music fans to have both the convenience of on-demand and the superior quality of high resolution music.

SMEJ launched mora qualitas to bring Japanese subscribers a brand new audio experience. Audiophiles can now stream high resolution music with the depth and richness of what the artist intended. Music will be sourced from multiple labels and distributors, as well as Sony Music Entertainment.

Mora qualitas subscribers can stream FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files at a standard of 24-bit/96kHz (Hi-Resolution)/ 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD quality) through a variety of hardware devices including Digital Analog Converters from Sony's entire line of Hi-Res audio equipment.

"The world of streaming is accelerating and as great companies like Sony Music Entertainment Japan expand into streaming audio, it's an exciting time for the industry overall," said Brian Ringer, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific Region of Rhapsody. "With the introduction of mora qualitas, music and audio fans in Japan can easily stream their favorite music in high resolution audio."

Japanese music fans can listen to high resolution music from top talent such as Queen, Norah Jones, Steely Dan and Japanese artists like Hikaru Utada, DREAMS COME TRUE and more. Subscribers will be able to access music from Universal Music Japan, Warner Music Japan, Victor Entertainment and more in addition to Sony Music Entertainment Japan's stable of global artists.

Mora qualitas Service Features:

• Enjoy music the way it was made, featuring lossless FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) at a standard of 24-bit/44.1-96kHz (High-Resolution)
• Direct access to the most popular music in Japan, and a deep catalog of both Japanese and Western artists.
• Discover new music through mora qualitas recommendations, top playlists and friends.
• Lose yourself in a curated library of music, and featured spotlights of top new High Resolution album releases.
• Listen to your music Windows and Macintosh desktops with an iOS and Android mobile app coming soon.
• Fully compatible with a long list of Digital to Audio Converter (DAC) and other Hi-Res audio listening equipment.
• Explore artists and albums, and interact with other music fans through shared playlists and other content.

"Sony is taking high resolution sound quality to new heights. We're building on the success of Mora, our original high res download service in Japan, and after six years we're in tune with what our customers want from their streaming audio provider," said Shigeki Tanaka, Senior Vice President of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. "We chose Napster as our trusted partner because they have the global music experience, sophisticated API and passion to help us launch Japan's new premier service."

Rhapsody's platform Powered by Napster provides Sony Music Entertainment Japan's "mora qualitas" service with a full suite of technologies and solutions that includes media streaming and download infrastructure, applications, personalization, recommendations, rights management, customer billing and royalty calculation capabilities.

Napster's in a prime position to power the coming wave of high resolution music services and contribute to the growth of the Japanese music industry with its Powered by Napster platform. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report 2019 spotlighted the growth of music revenue in Japan which saw an increase of 3.4% for 2018. The main driver for this, according to the report, is streaming, which measured 32.6% growth over the year. The most significant development in the streaming market was top-level pop acts such as Hikaru Utada and Yumi Matsutoya among others that are making their catalogs available on streaming platforms like mora qualitas.

Music fans in Japan can subscribe to mora qualitas for 1,980 Yen a month / around $18.50 US dollars. 

Mora qualitas is available for Windows and Macintosh desktop users, initially, with an Android and iOS mobile app slated to launch soon.

For more information about Powered by Napster please visit https://business.napster.com/.

About Rhapsody International, Inc.  
Rhapsody International is a pioneer in digital music and the leading provider of music streaming technologies and services for businesses.  Rhapsody operates premium subscription service Napster in 34 countries and gives millions of consumers unlimited ad free access to music on any device-- online or offline. It also owns Powered by Napster, a complete music and audio platform service, that allows companies to quickly launch their own branded music and audio service. Rhapsody is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America.   Follow @Napster on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and learn more at www.napster.com

About Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), Inc.  
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), or SMEJ, holds all shares and serves as headquarters for the management and administration of all Sony Music Group subsidiaries, while continuing to grow as a diversified entertainment company. Operations include marketing and tie-ins, finding and developing artists, various entertainers and creators, as well as building our businesses abroad. SMEJ strives to continue finding new opportunities for the entertainment business by coordinating the various business resources throughout the Sony Music Group, in areas such as digital content where some of the latest technologies including VR and AI are applied, digital publishing, exhibition design, education, and sports entertainment.

SOURCE Rhapsody International Inc.

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