Streaming music outfit Deezer launched in the US just a couple of weeks ago as an exclusive for Sonos speaker system owners. The company is making headlines once again with yet another exclusive US launch partner, Bose.
Last month's Deezer launch on Sonos catered to audiophiles with an appetite for high-quality audio (16-bit, 44.1kHz, FLAC lossless) but this time around, they're targeting Bose users that aren't necessarily interested in high-resolution FLAC files.
Deezer North America CEO Tyler Goldman told Gigaom that they're targeting audio enthusiasts that are not yet using a music subscription service, perhaps because they haven't wanted to bother with signing up and linking devices to their account.
As such, Deezer comes pre-installed on new Bose SoundTouch connected speaker systems. Buyers are gifted a free month's trial to see if they like what they hear. If so, they can then commit to the service for a full year at $5 per month, a 50 percent discount over the standard rate.
Limiting access to your service by launching with exclusive partnerships may seem prohibitive but Goldman argued that the one-size-fits-all approach used by its competitors doesn't serve the diverse interest of music fans.
Deezer eventually plans to offer different tiers for all users but not before they launch similar partnerships with other companies. By that time, however, many music listeners will have already found a service they like and are loyal to.