Mark Foster, managing director, Deezer UK and Ireland
Mark Foster, managing director of Deezer UK and Ireland, arrived at the Digital Agenda Assembly in Dublin Castle to discuss the idea of European champions in terms of digital content platforms. With more than 10m monthly active users in 182 territories, Deezer’s music-streaming service can certainly lay claim to this title.
Deezer launched in Ireland in December 2011, reaching our shores well in advance of its chief rival, Spotify. Foster has spearheaded Deezer’s growth in Ireland and the UK, and the streaming platform differentiates itself from competitors through its focus on curated selections to promote music discovery, pushing out up to 60 editorial recommendations a week, and a localisation strategy that puts key artists at the forefront.
In the digital age, the music industry has both embraced technology and attempted to quash more harmful innovations. With music streaming becoming an increasingly popular form of accessing new music, the question of how artists are rewarded by these commercial services has come into focus.
The music industry has also been plagued by piracy enabled by new technology, but services such as Deezer offer both low-cost and free methods of listening to new music, tackling piracy by meeting users’ demands for easy-to-access digital music.
