Since launching in France in 2006, digital music business Deezer has grown rapidly and consistently and is now available in more countries than any other streaming service in the world.

Tonight, as they host their first official launch party in Sydney, four of Australia’s most popular artists will feel the power of their global reach.

The Oxford Art Factory will be hosting the event which will feature sets by Sydney electronic master and one man band Flume, Bento – the new project fronted by Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies; Aussie hip hop artist Urthboy, whoose homegrown label Elefant Traks took out the inaugural Best Independent Label gong at this year’s AIR Awards; and maverick songwriter Bertie Blackman, who’s currently on tour with Gotye in support of her J Award nominated album Pope Innocent X.

All four artists will deliver a showcase set to the OAF patrons, and Deezer will stream the performances live throughout Australia as well as simultaneously broadcasting to 150 countries around the globe.

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom will all be getting a taste of the local artists, giving them the opportunity to extend their reach on an international scale.“We are excited to take Australian Music to the world from Mexico to Turkey, Africa to Indonesia, Paris to London and Berlin.” – Thomas Heymann, Deezer

Thomas Heymann, Deezer’s head of Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are excited to take Australian Music to the world from Mexico to Turkey, Africa to Indonesia, Paris to London and Berlin. We are the only streaming service that can take your music and connect you with your fans worldwide…”

Deezer now carries a catalogue of 20 million songs and has grown steadily since its quiet launch in France in 2006. Since then it has overtaken iTunes as the most popular digital music service in France and is the second most popular in the United Kingdom.

Having now extended their reach to 160 countries Deezer is now available in more countries than any other digital music provider. Now the business is preparing to accelerate its growth with CEO Axel Dauchez recently announcing the injection of $130 million of funding from Access Industries.

The live streaming of tonight’s launch is a good sign for Australia’s music industry, and shows that the company has an interest in leveraging its reach to benefit local artists, and with the launch of a new tool called Deezer 4 Artists expected to be announced, which will allow the music creators to engage with fans beyond the simple streaming of music, it seems that Deezer is trying to change the habits of music consumption.

Tonight’s launch will begin at 7.30pm AEDT with the stream being available through Deezer’s Facebook app page (http://tinyurl.com/c9y4toeand) as well as their website: http://partners.deezer.com/live/australialaunch/

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