WELCOMING SOUTH EAST ASIA TO THE NOKIA MUSIC FAMILY!

Music fans in South East Asia rejoice, last week Nokia Musiclaunched stores and Mix Radio in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, which sees the unique music streaming experience now available to music fans in 31 countries around the Globe  – something that the mix masters at Nokia Music HQ are excited about.

We talked to mixer Diccon Jefferies and Widhi Asmoro, Entertainment Manager for the regions, about what to expect from the Nokia Mix Radio experience and their highlights.

What has Mix Radio’s availability done for your music collection, and what will be different for listeners in your region??

Widhi: In terms of discovery, even though I live in South East Asia I am still enjoying finding new kinds of music. It’s like opening a door to a new dimension. You might hear a beat reminiscent of 80s New Wave that has been adapted to local tastes.

Diccon: There are plenty of differences between each of the three territories that we could point out. Everyone loves a bit of K-Pop but there’s lots of homegrown music that’s incredibly popular, Thailand, in particular, has many strong music scenes which are their own take on more overtly western genres, from Pop to Rap and Metal. Vietnam is a little more localised and less genre-based, with a lot of songs based around moods, and more traditional Vietnamese music too.

Do you have a particular highlight?

Widhi: ‘Celebrate SEA’ – the mix showcasing music from Southeast Asia region from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and including Indonesia & Singapore here you will find the best of the best songs and artists.

Diccon: It’s just great seeing a service go live and knowing that people are using it in these regions. Our job is one of constantly working to improve how we deliver music to people, and I have definitely enjoyed learning about how tastes differ from country to country.

What do you think will be the most popular?

Widhi: Although chart mixes both local and Western will be most popular in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, the anticipation for Nokia Music with Mix Radio has been really high. Now Lumia owners can enjoy music for free and without hassle, and since road traffic is a very typical problem for a lot of Asian countries I believe now we finally have a fun and exciting music companion to accompany our traffic jams.

Diccon: Vietnam in particular I think will do well – we have a very close relationship with ‘POPS’ who are a local supplier of content, and as I understand it pop music is expanding very quickly in Vietnam, so hopefully we can grow at the same rate.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out the new stores and Mix Radio experience on Nokia Music and find some new musical gems or rediscover some old favourites.