KKBox
{{Short description|Music streaming service}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox website
| name = KKBOX
| logo = KKBOX logo.svg
| caption =
| country_of_origin= Taiwan
| founder = Chris Lin, Lamber Chien
| CEO = Steve Wang
| industry = Music
| services = Music streaming
| url = {{URL|https://www.kkbox.com}}
| native_clients = Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, tvOS, etc
| company_type = Private
| foundation = {{Start date and age|2004|10}}
| location_city = Taipei, Taiwan
| num_users = 10 million+
| launch_date = 2005
| current_status = Active
| parent = KKCompany Technologies{{cite web|title=About {{!}} KKCompany|date=December 28, 2022 |url=https://www.kkcompany.com/en-us/about/|access-date=8 February 2025}}
(KDDI; majority owner)
}}
KKBox, stylized as KKBOX{{Cite web|url=https://www.biosmonthly.com/article/10570|title = 聆聽的大寫，KKBOX 品牌再造：不只改 logo，而是誕生無懼的默契 ｜ BIOS monthly}} is a music streaming service developed in 2005 by KKBox Inc., a software company in Taipei, Taiwan. It is a part of Japanese Telecom Group, KDDI. The service mainly targets the music markets of East and Southeast Asia, focusing on regions including: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and Singapore. Working on a freemium basis, both paid and free members can listen to over 20 million tunes on smartphones, TVs, media centers and computers.Huber, D. M., & Runstein, R. E. (2005). Modern recording techniques (8th ed.). Burlington, MA: Focal Press. p.579
As a Taiwan-based music streaming software, KKBOX caters mainly to Mandarin-speaking users by collaborating with record companies in the Taiwanese music industry. KKBOX also has close links with Taiwanese artists, and mainstream Mandopop artists like Jay Chou, Eric Chou and Bii.
Development
After launching KKBOX in Taiwan, the company expanded the music streaming service to Hong Kong and Macau in 2009, Japan in 2011, Malaysia, and Singapore in 2013.{{Cite web |title=About KKBOX |url=https://www.kkbox.com/about/tw/en |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=KKBOX |language=en}} Starting from 2011, KKBOX received investment from KDDI Corporation,{{Cite web |date=2013-04-09 |title=KDDI to migrate its music service to Kkbox, joining Asia's largest music network |url=https://thebridge.jp/en/2013/04/kddi-kkbox-music-service |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=BRIDGE（ブリッジ）{{!}}「起業家と投資家を繋ぐ」テクノロジー＆スタートアップ関連の話題をお届けするブログメディア |language=en-US}} a Japanese telecom who holds 76% of the stocks; HTC Corporation, a smartphone company, and; GIC, a Singaporean Government fund.{{Cn|date=August 2021}}
KKBOX has operated on Windows, Windows Media Center, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Symbian, Bada, partly Java,Wherever you go, listen to music with mobile phones or computers--KKBOX https://www.kkbox.com/hk/en/what-is-kkbox/supported-platforms.shtml {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119011305/https://www.kkbox.com/hk/en/what-is-kkbox/supported-platforms.shtml |date=2018-11-19 }} and since 2015 Apple Watch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20150505000132-260204|title=KKBOX打入Apple Watch - 產業．科技|website=中時新聞網|date=5 May 2015 }}
In 2006, the first KKBOX Music Awards ceremony was held in Taiwan. Various artists that have performed and been honored including Eason Chan, Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, Apink, Sekai No Owari.KKBOX Music Awards--KKBOX https://www.kkbox.com/about/en/musicaward In January 2017, KKBOX announced the winners of its 12th Annual KKBOX Music Awards.{{Cite news|url=http://www.asiaone.com/showbiz/hebe-mayday-jj-lin-among-winners-taiwans-kkbox-awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503191121/http://www.asiaone.com/showbiz/hebe-mayday-jj-lin-among-winners-taiwans-kkbox-awards|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 3, 2017|title=Hebe, Mayday, JJ Lin among winners of Taiwan's KKBOX awards|work=AsiaOne|access-date=2017-10-16}}
On September 15, 2023, KKBOX parent company, KKCompany, has acquired Taiwan Mobile myMusic streaming platform, in exchanged to have KKBOX available for Taiwan Mobile customers.{{cite press release|title=Taiwan Mobile collaborates with KKBOX in music streaming service, vying for share of global market|url=https://english.taiwanmobile.com/about/news/pressReleases_20231017_113933.html|website=Taiwan Mobile|date=September 15, 2023|access-date=December 22, 2023}}
KKBOX confirmed to close the service in Malaysia on December 31, 2024; leading to only Singapore as the only country outside Eastern Asia to operate the streaming platform.{{cite web|title=We would like to inform you about the cancellation of KKBOX service in Malaysia|url=https://www.kkbox.com/service/seeyoumalaysia/|access-date=December 15, 2024}}
Controversy over copyright
In 2007, KKBOX was suspected of reproducing musical works and allowed its members to download them without authorization. The works included 324 songs owned by HCM Music and songwriter Chan Kien Ming. KKBOX's owner and manager were prosecuted by Taipei District Prosecutors Office.KKBOX下載音樂侵權 王永慶外孫被訴-- National Chiao Tung University {{cite web |url=http://www.pac.nctu.edu.tw/Report/report_more.php?id=10515 |title=::: 國立交通大學 秘書室 對外事務組及校友聯絡中心 ::: |access-date=2016-03-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409074148/http://www.pac.nctu.edu.tw/Report/report_more.php?id=10515 |archive-date=2016-04-09 }} In 2009, the court held that the case was considered as a civil dispute and the defendants were acquitted.遭控侵權 KKBOX簡民一判無罪--Chinatimes http://news.chinatimes.com/CMoney/News/News-Page-content/0,4993,11050709+122009072200294,00.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726011825/http://news.chinatimes.com/CMoney/News/News-Page-content/0,4993,11050709+122009072200294,00.html |date=2009-07-26 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Music streaming services}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Software companies of Taiwan
Category:Taiwanese companies established in 2004
Category:Android (operating system) software
Category:Companies based in Taipei
Category:Music streaming services