BBC planning streaming service to complement Spotify

UK-based broadcaster the BBC is considering launching its own streaming service to give listeners access to the more than 50,000 tracks that it broadcasts every month.

The proposal was delivered overnight in BBC’s Charter Review report: ‘British, Bold, Creative‘alongside its plans to revamp its processes and content.

The service will be an expansion of itsBBC Playlisterfeature, and include exclusive tracks from its library of live performances, made available “for a limited period.”

The broadcaster said the service was developed with the music industry, which is working with the BBC to develop ways of licensing music that “benefits artists fairly.” It will also have a focus on emerging unsigned and signed UK acts.

“Through this digital music offer, we would reinvent ourrole as a trusted guide, in partnership with ouraudience and with the UK music industry,” read the report. “Together, the BBC and its audiences would curate music in newways, enabling the discovery of more of all the musicwe play across the schedules of our many radiostations and TV channels.”

The BBC has made clear that the service would not be a competitor to streaming giants like Spotify and Rdio. Spotify have over 30 million songs and is available in 58 markets, while Rdio delivers over 32 million to its 85 countries and territories. In fact, the plan is to have listeners discover new acts on BBC’s service and carry those curated playlists over to their preferred streaming service.

“Our music product would be the only one in the market which would be fully open and integrated with other digital providers,” the report said.” Users will be able to transfer playlists between digital music products, and access them after BBC availability has expired through third-party providers.”

The report makes no mention of a launch timeline but does state it may expand the service globally.

Image:Lorde coveredJeremih's Don't Tell 'Em in the Live Lounge forBBC Radio 1 last November