Music-Streaming Service Deezer Plans IPO
September 22 2015 - 3:10AM
Dow Jones News
PARIS—Music-streaming service Deezer is seeking to raise capital
through an initial public offering, as the firm faces competition
from bigger and richer rivals, including Apple Inc.
The company said Tuesday that it plans to file for an offering
on the Paris stock exchange as soon as it receives the approval of
French financial authorities. Deezer said it would hold news
conferences offering more details later Tuesday morning.
A Deezer IPO will give a new window into the economics and
sustainability of the music-streaming business. Streaming has been
eating away at physical and digital album sales for several years,
and some artists have complained about the low royalties it
generates. At the same time, some major streaming players,
including Spotify, continue to lose money as they spend to expand,
while shelling out royalties to labels.
Deezer appears no different. Revenue for Deezer parent company
Blogmusik SA rocketed 52% in 2014 to €138 million ($154.44
million), but the firm remained in the red, losing €23 million,
according to a legal filing this summer in France. The parent
company posted a €11 million loss in the first half of 2015, but no
comparable year-earlier figure was disclosed.
Deezer claims some 6 million paying subscribers and says it is
available in over 180 countries. By contrast Spotify says that it
has 20 million paying subscribers. Both companies face a new
challenge from Apple, which launched its Apple Music subscription
service in June.
Deezer in 2012 raised €100 million in funding from investors
including Access Industries, the U.S. company owned by Len
Blavatnik. Other investors include French telecom firm Orange
SA.
Write to Sam Schechner at sam.schechner@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 22, 2015 02:55 ET (06:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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