Avid WeChat users might have come across a new music streaming app called JOOX. Has anyone heard of it?
JOOX was created by Tencent from China, which also happens to be the company who created WeChat. A new entrant to the music streaming industry, JOOX was launched in Malaysia back in June. If you think the name JOOX sounds weird, it’s actually a play on the word ‘jukebox.’
The app is currently available on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store and you can sign up for an account on JOOX via Facebook or WeChat.
All the content, especially the playlists, are specially customised by the JOOX staff in Malaysia, making them more appealing to the music tastes of local audiences. But if they guess your preferences wrong, of course you can opt to create playlists of your own.
In fact they are so localised, that there is even a playlist called ‘GST’, and the playlist consists of songs that are mainly sad and emotional, just to fit into the mood of the rising cost of living.
To enjoy music via JOOX, users can give the app a spin of the premium service for free for the first 30 days. For those who wish to upgrade to JOOX’s premium subscription, you need to pay RM14.90 (USD 3.90), which is the same as Spotify’s premium subscription.
Like most music streaming services, by being a paying subscriber of JOOX you can get access to more array of songs, download songs for offline usage, stream music without advertisements, and listen to high definition quality soundtracks. Below shows the price of the JOOX’s VIP packages.
The language function of the app makes it user-friendly as the songs suggested to you is based on the language you use to access JOOX. Let’s say if you prefer to listen to songs in Bahasa Malaysia, then it is highly recommended to use the app in Bahasa Malaysia because the app will automatically display songs that are in that language.
Verdict: 4/5
Nowadays smartphone users make use of music streaming applications to save their phone’s storage capacity. Apart from that the process of listening to music is much quicker and faster, long gone are the days when you have to look for music or even check the title of the music on the top Billboards and then download the music. With similar music streaming apps like Deezer and Spotify, users only need to pay a monthly fee to be able to enjoy music.
According to an official statement, the app has been met with great public response since its debut in June. Shortly after its launch, it climbed to the top of the iOS Free Apps Chart in Malaysia.
One reason is because the app has opened another window for user to discover local music by local artists. Spotify may be a widely used music streaming app, however, the app is not quite up to date when it comes to local music. Apart from that, with Merdeka just around the corner, JOOX has introduced an album called Patriotik (BM). Simply put, the app is pretty much localised to suit what is currently trending throughout Malaysia.
In an interview with New Straits Times, Business Development Director of WeChat Malaysia said, “What we also hope to do is to highlight local artists and encourage users here to discover local talents,” hoping to be a platform to provide local choices as they are catering to the local tastes.
Well they’ve got me convinced.