Photo Credit: Rasheed Kemy
Tuned Global has inked a deal with social media app LYKA to power its music streaming service.
LYKA was founded in 2019 and has headquarters in Silicon Valley and Hong Kong. The app is a full-featured platform with secure chat, e-commerce, and gift-giving features. LYKA has focused on growing in Southeast Asia, where it has six million users.
Tuned Global is a B2B music streaming technology company that has worked on custom apps in the past. It powered the custom Ed Sheeran app for Warner Music Group, and a partnership between Universal Music Group and Pizza Hut. Tuned Global will also help work on the front-end code for iOS and Android to fast-track music integration.
Tuned Global will provide the technical platform to allow LYKA to implement on-demand streaming features for music, video, and podcasts.
LYKA follows an innovative ‘social commerce’ model, which sees users rewarded for content creation and engagement in a digital currency called GEMs. GEMs can be redeemed in over 16,000 local partner establishments, including Ford, Bose, and Toni & Guy. Users can also pay for their music subscriptions using GEMs.
LYKA is partnering with Filipino record producer Marcus Davis Jr. to celebrate the launch of its music platform. “By integrating a music feature into the LYKA app, our goal is to drive community engagement and stickiness,” says Ryan Baird, CEO of LYKA.
“Partnering with Tuned Global will give us access to world-leading technology with a proven track record working with enterprises in Southeast Asia, allowing us to bring these exciting new features to our community members easily, in a matter of months.”
Con Raso, CEO of Tuned Global, says social media enhances the music sharing experience. “We have already seen social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok using music to enhance the user experience and allow users to share engaging content,” Raso says.
“We offer social media companies like LYKA seamless access to a global music catalog via a flexible and powerful music platform, subject to licensing, of course. Our mission is to remove the hassle of the user experience, content delivery, metadata, and technology and allow our clients to focus on their core business.”
Facebook has teamed up with Spotify to offer podcasts directly on its homepage. Putting music licensing first ahead of launch is rare, though – even TikTok is just now striking music licensing deals with major players in the industry. Twitch is still battling to avoid licensing music from VODs – leaving creators to navigate the minefield of rights-cleared music themselves.
