Visual Jazz and JB Hi-Fi launch online music service for Australia

For a fee of US$6.60 (AUD$6.67) a month, subscribers will gain access to an online database of music which they can stream via multiple internet devices. Starting next year, users will be able to synchronise songs to their smartphones via the JB Hi-Fi-Now app, developed by Visual Jazz (VJ). This allows them to playback tunes even when their device is offline.

JB Hi-Fi CEO Terry Smart said the site will change the way Australians listen to and purchase music. "JB Hi-Fi Now holds the license to more than ten million songs already and this will continue to grow as the site evolves. It’s designed to change continuously, with further social and community areas as our next immediate focus," said Smart.

The launch hits the industry at a turning point between online and offline, commented Visual Jazz managing director Konrad Spilva. "“There are other music sites around but none with the features and easy usability that JB Hi-Fi NOW delivers, and certainly not on a local level. It was an extensive process to develop the site and we’re certainly not done – possibly the most exciting part about the site is the huge potential to keep growing it in the future.”

The local launch is in advance of the anticipated Asian-launch of the European-based music service Spotify.