HANGZHOU, China, Nov 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the roll-out of the iOS10 operating system, China's popular music app, NetEase Cloud Music, recently announced that the latest edition of the app will fully support Apple's intelligent in-vehicle infotainment system, CarPlay, becoming one of China's first third-party apps to run on the system.
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NetEase Cloud Music's loyal fan base was buoyed by the announcement. Now, when sitting in a car equipped with Carplay, users can connect their iPhones to the in-vehicle infotainment system through the central console with a USB cable and their iPhones will automatically enter the CarPlay mode. When the app is connected, the NetEase Cloud Music icon will be displayed on the main screen of CarPlay. The touch screen of the console allows drivers to control the app easily, providing them with a safer and more convenient way to enjoy music while driving.
Although the majority of music apps worldwide that already support CarPlay focus on local music, NetEase Cloud Music delivers more features to users when it runs on the CarPlay system, maintaining its unique features and highlighting the personalized recommendation experience. This translates into drivers and passengers benefiting from a superior music-listening experience once the NetEase Cloud Music app is installed on their iPhones.
Currently, the third-party apps that support CarPlay in China are limited as Apple has been very cautious in its selection of CarPlay partners, all of whom must pass through Apple's strict approval process. As a result, few of the quality Chinese apps have managed to pass the demanding reviews and become Apple's first Chinese partners. NetEase Cloud Music is one of the only two Chinese CarPlay partners in the online music field that have made the grade. The success of Netease Cloud Music is, to a large extent, attributable to the music service's consistent focus on user experience, personalized recommendation experience and the high level of acclaim it has received from its strong user community since the service was launched three years ago.
In China's online music and app markets, NetEase Cloud Music has differentiated itself from its peers. It has already surpassed a number of older music apps that had been released in China, and, in just three short years since its debut, has succeeded in rising to the top of the heap. Moreover, it is one of the few music apps to have such a large and loyal fan base on China's social media platforms. On the leading online platforms, such as the Twitter-like Weibo and the Quora-like Zhihu, NetEase Cloud Music's users have not held back in their enthusiasm when commenting on the app. Some have referred to the market effect generated by NetEase Cloud Music as the "black-hole effect". Statistics have shown that once a music fan has tried out NetEase Cloud Music, that same fan will fall in love with and switch over to the app, no matter which music apps he or she once used.
This rapid adoption of NetEase Cloud Music has turned the service into a must-go-to venue for a large user base. Compared with Kugou, a music app that dates back to 2004, and QQ Music that followed in 2005, NetEase Cloud Music, launched in 2013, is, by comparison, the "newbie" on the block. Despite being a latecomer to the market, NetEase Cloud Music nevertheless continues to maintain strong growth, thanks to the flagship Netease.com and the music service's consistent focus on the user's experience.
The unique image of the spinning vinyl record on the play page proved to be the "hook" that caught the eye of many users. The app provides a good example of valuing the user experience in the Chinese app market by telling the story of how the music industry adjusted the speed at which the vinyl record turned as the record moved from classical 78s, to singles (45s), to long-playing albums.
Netease.com founder Ding Lei (who also goes by William Ding) said it is never too late to create products that deliver the best possible user experience. He compared the way listeners choose the music they wish to hear to a wine tasting. While other apps may have succeeded in transferring the wine-tasting experience into the design of the app, NetEase Cloud Music has taken the experience a higher level, comparing it to the wine aficionado who is sampling the finest of French wines. Netease plans to continue refining the experience so that, ultimately, listeners will feel like they are tasting wines from the world's top five wineries. NetEase Cloud Music CEO Zhu Yiwen said in a recent interview that he believes that user experience should always come first, which is why the success of the music service is being viewed by music industry insiders as a kind of miracle within the Chinese music market, as the market is one that is already crowded with apps with little differentiation in features and where the competition is fierce.
In China's complex app market, especially in the online music field where a large number of leading companies compete, NetEase Cloud Music has succeeded in defining its clear and unique development roadmap by evaluating and acting on the comments from its users. Each unique feature that is built into the app is put there to reach a specific audience group, and, it is surmised, it is these specific features that have allowed the app to become something truly special in the hearts and minds of its fans.
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