Cloud Music Inc. Adds Expansive J-Pop Portfolio with Pony Canyon Agreement

Rhea-AI Summary

Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899), a leading interactive music streaming service in China, has signed a licensing agreement with Pony Canyon Inc., enhancing its music catalog with popular J-pop and anime content. This partnership will allow Cloud Music to distribute Pony Canyon's extensive music portfolio, which includes renowned artists and anime series. The collaboration aims to enrich content offerings for Chinese audiences and further establish Cloud Music as a destination for diverse music interests, especially among the youth.

Positive

• Licensing agreement with Pony Canyon enhances J-pop and anime music offerings.
• Partnership expected to attract more users and cater to diverse music tastes.
• Cloud Music has established itself with strong ties to Japanese copyright holders.

Negative

• None.

HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899, "NetEase Cloud Music" or the "Company"), a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China, today announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement for digital music distribution ("the Agreement") with Pony Canyon Inc. ("Pony Canyon"), a leading anime and music production company in Japan, granting NetEase Cloud Music the right to distribute Pony Canyon's music catalog.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the two companies will join hands to bring more creative music content, especially J-pop and anime music, to audiences in China. Pony Canyon's robust portfolio boasts a strong global presence in overseas markets with a number of influential J-pop artists, including Official HIGE DANdism, GARNiDELiA, Kana Hanazawa, Maaya Uchida, aiko, and luz, among others.

Established in 1966, Pony Canyon is a leading entertainment company in Japan, continually challenging to expand beyond the sphere of music and video to provide a wide variety of content. In addition to its renowned music, film and gaming content, Pony Canyon has also produced iconic anime series such as "Attack on Titan" and "The Quintessential Quintuplets."

As one of China's leading online music platforms, NetEase Cloud Music has long been a preferred online destination for music enthusiasts, especially among the younger generation. NetEase Cloud Music has established itself as a trusted partner for well-known Japanese copyright holders. It has already extended partnerships with copyright holders, including well-known music labels in Japan, such as Studio Ghibli and the newly added Avex. In addition to these partnerships, NetEase Cloud Music has expanded its library to various music genres and added more animation and games, as well as more J-pop and classical music from Japan. The platform's strong social community and product innovation further reinforce the diversified interest-based communities for users and encourage the creation of various user-generated content (UGC). NetEase Cloud Music's unique music community appeal, highly interactive user base and impressive user stickiness underscore the platform's capabilities in efficiently promoting music content distribution while extending audience outreach with meaningful interactions.

NetEase Cloud Music has been actively broadening its portfolio and expanding its partnerships with top entertainment companies to enrich the high-quality content offering on the platform to better address users' diverse music tastes. Recently, NetEase Cloud Music has extended music copyright cooperations with a number of top record labels, including Modern Sky, Emperor Entertainment Group, China Record Group, Feng Hua Qiu Shi, Yuehua Entertainment, Linfair Records, SM Entertainment, TF Entertainment, YG Entertainment, KAO!INC and Avex. Moving forward, NetEase Cloud Music will pursue further collaborations with upstream copyright owners and continue to provide more high-quality music content for music lovers in China.

About Cloud Music Inc.

Launched in 2013 by NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999), Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899) is a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China. Dedicated to providing an elevated user experience, Cloud Music Inc. provides precise, personalised recommendations, promotes user interaction and creates a strong social community. Its focus on discovering and promoting emerging musicians has made Cloud Music Inc. a destination of choice for exploring new and independent music among music enthusiasts in China. The platform has been recognised as the most popular entertainment app among China's vibrant Generation Z community.

Please see http://ir.music.163.com/ for more information.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the business outlook, estimates of financial performance, forecast business plans and growth strategies of the Company. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are stated herein on the basis of the outlook at the time of this press release. They are based on certain expectations, assumptions and premises, some of which are subjective or beyond our control. These forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and may not be realised in the future. Underlying these forward-looking statements are a lot of risks and uncertainties. In light of the risks and uncertainties, the inclusion of forward-looking statements in this press release should not be regarded as representations by the Board or the Company that the plans and objectives will be achieved, and investors should not place undue reliance on such
statements.

Investor Enquiries:

Angela Xu
Cloud Music Inc.
music.ir@service.netease.com

Media Enquiries:

Li Ruohan
NetEase, Inc.
globalpr@service.netease.com

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SOURCE NetEase Cloud Music

FAQ

What is the recent licensing agreement involving NTES?

Cloud Music Inc. signed a licensing agreement with Pony Canyon to distribute J-pop and anime music in China.

How does the Pony Canyon agreement affect NTES's music catalog?

The agreement expands Cloud Music's catalog by adding popular J-pop and anime music, enhancing its offerings.

What are the implications of the Cloud Music and Pony Canyon collaboration?

The collaboration is expected to attract more users and address diverse music preferences in China.

When was the agreement between Cloud Music and Pony Canyon announced?

The agreement was announced on December 8, 2022.