D1
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
LGUs
Local Gov’t Units ETERNAL FLAME.
By Honor B. Cabie
H
ALLOWEEN in the Catholic areas of this Southeast Asian archipelago, its marked variations despite, is among the country’s ageold religious traditions that date back to the 16th century. In Metro Manila and nearby provinces, residents refer to the celebration as the “undas,” or “araw ng mga patay” called by those in Central Visayas as “kalag-kalag,” or “piesta dagiti natay” among Ilocanos, who also have “semana ti ar-aria” for the weeklong bash to All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. In the Christian areas of the Philippines, Halloween can be said to be actually more of an observance than a “celebration” or a day to remember the dead. During the Halloween season, Filipinos go to the cemeteries to visit their dead, clean their tombstones, sometimes repaint them, light candles, and offer flowers and prayers for the dead. In the runup to the two days, by law non-working regular holidays in this predominantly Christian country that received the Cross in 1521, people who hack out a living in the metropolis but have their roots in the provinces begin a tension-filled exodus back to the countryside—by buses for northerners and boats and aircraft for southerners. It is an annual trek that has become a solemn affair when the living visit the graves of their departed dead in public or manicured private memorial parks. Halloween in these parts is marked differently by the communities—one tradition in a Central Luzon town being the kin of the dead gathering in the graveyard on All Saints’ Day for some prayers, feasting, and merry-making. Most often, masses are offered in the graveyards where the priest, beyond the request of a grieving kin nearby, also prays for those who have been forgotten, their resting places abandoned for years. Some kibitzers have seen whole families camping in cemeteries and sometimes even spending the whole night or two near their dead relative’s tomb. During this time, card games are played, ghost stories are told, and there are eating, drinking, singing,
Victims of the 2013 Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ rest in a common grave in a memorial garden in Barangay San Joaquin in Palo, Leyte. Mel Caspe
Scan this icon to view the PDF
Undas: A feast of filial love and merriment in commemoration of the departed loved ones. The occasion is more like a family reunion or banquet or family picnic. Halloween also coincides with the day, often on October 31, when relatives clean up the tombstones and graves— repainting the stones or uprooting covering wayward grass, including the “cadena de amor” which is a familiar sight in Philippine cemeteries. Some in Cebu, like Mary Jane and her siblings and their father, will go to Tindog on the northern side of the island prov-
ince to visit the grave of their mother for prayers before they drive back to Minglanilla town south of the capital city for additional prayers at home. But in some areas of Negros Oriental, orphaned relatives visit the graves of their dead kin for an overnight stay— on shifts—at the cemetery for what they call the “kalag-kalag,” which is also practiced in Negros Occidental, as the family of Jeanie in Sagay City does. In some towns in Ilocos Norte, the “piesta dagiti natay”—literally feast of the dead—is marked by nine masses
Hallowing the most basic instincts THE Erehwon Center for the Arts is hosting an art exhibit on the theme “Unleash the Beast Within” featuring the works of 33 painters from October 1529, painter Rodrigo Aniag announced. Many of the participating artists are members of the Freedom Art Society that held its first plein air/onthe-spot painting session with Rafael Maniago, a California-based, multiawarded, internationally acclaimed Pinoy artist/educator, at the La Mesa Eco Park in Fairview, Quezon City on October 8. The society is a coalition of several local Philippine Art Groups that envision a community of self-reliant, empowered, and world-class Filipino artists to help bring about a more culturally and artistically appreciative and socially aware nation, painter Jesse Esplana said. It was launched at the 1st Freedom Art Society Artists’ Conference at the Marabella Palace Resort, Antipolo City on July 18 and joined by artists, other art groups, respected individuals in the arts, legal, business and publication scenes, Esplana added. Guest lecturers gave seminars on The Legal Side of Art, The Business of Art, Philippine Art Trends and Compe-
SKYSCAPE. A groufie at La Mesa Eco Park titions and On Preparing and Preserving Art For the Future. An on-the-spot painting with 10 Artworks of the Day winners was also held, and a mini-exhibit, art exchanges and medical supplies distribution with the help of the Bakusi Foundation. FIlipino artists and artist groups united again at the 1st FAS group exhibit in September at the Conspiracy
Garden Bar in Visayas Avenue with its partners and fellow art groups like 4S, Artipolo, Artistree, Philippine Pastel Artists, International Watercolor Society, Let’s Paint, Munting Sining, Sining Obando, FilArts, Central Bank Artists’ Group, Buenas Artes Art Group. For more information, please visit the Freedom Art Society page on Facebook. Edgardo S. Tugade
at home or masses arranged to be celebrated in churches, either Aglipayan or Catholic, with the ninth culminating on All Saints’ Day. The practice is replicated in many towns in Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya, especially in the Ilocanospeaking towns of these provinces of the Cagayan Valley, which lie on the western side of the Sierra Madre. In the Visayas, as in some towns in Negros Oriental, some distinct Halloween customs and beliefs are observed, including the burning of candles on the
‘Bossing’ serves only Chooks-to-Go roasters VETERAN actor and TV show host, “Bossing” Vic Sotto has always chosen to endorse to his small-screen viewers and moviegoers products that are affordable but whose quality he has personally tested. Thus, Sotto agreed to lead Chooksto-Go’s “Hindi ka Nag-Uuwi ng Ulam Na Basta-basta Lang” campaign” to bring ready-to-go, oven-roasted chicken to more families. “When you bring home food to replace home-cooked meals, it has to be something really special for the family. That’s important because the family expects more than the usual take-out fare,” he said. “When the family wants chicken, Chooks-to-Go is the number one choice. It’s juicy, delicious from the skin to the meat, and most of all good even without sauce. That levels up your lunch or dinner.” Sotto admires hardworking moms
Small farmers eye Asean free trade A PROGRAM of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture aims to usher small Filipino food producers in rural areas into market integration and enable them to take advantage of ”borderless trade” in the Association of South East Asian Nations. While Singapore and Thailand take advantage of the more liberalized
Asean free trade, the Philippines’ poorer agricultural producers still have to learn to exploit trade tariff eliminations. The Asean Merchandise Trade Statistics Database indicated that as of June 2016, Philippine intra-Asean exports stood at $8.536 billion, or only 14.6 percent of intra-Asean exports. However, its intra- Asean imports to-
taled $17.063 billion, a higher 24.3 percent of intra-Asean imports. The Philippines had a share of 19.9 percent or $25.6 billion in intra-Asean trade in the same period. Those that enjoyed higher export from intraAsean trade were Lao, 71.2 percent; Malaysia, 28.1 percent; Myanmar, 37.5 percent; Singapore, 32.3 percent; and Thailand, 28.9 percent.
family altar from 6 p.m. shortly before Angelus until past 8 p.m. when the Church bells ring. Observers say this is done to welcome the souls of the dead who, given the folk belief, are free to roam about on Halloween night. Some say a quick look at the altar and the number of lit candles there can give the impression how many have passed on from the family. The nine days of prayer for the departed souls in the Ilocos and the Cagayan Valley are believed to help the souls in Purgatory gain “a seat in heaven and a sight of the Lord.” The nine days of prayer, which end with some food feast and merrymaking, are believed by some Catholics and Aglipayans to bring back to life reunions with those who have answered God’s summons. The dead at this time are believed to be visiting their surviving relatives in their ancestral homes—but many say that in fact the living are the ones who enjoy the food festival. While the practices may differ, they point to one axiom: belief in the afterlife.
Sotto
who whip up delicious food for their broods. “That’s why for the times when they can’t cook and kids want delicious food, just pass by Chooks-to Go, and you’re good to go!” Chooks-to-Go’s oven-roasted chicken goodness brings a fresh and savory white-meat fix to Filipino households. “Personally, I didn’t think twice about promoting this product because Chooks-to-Go is also my wife Pauline’s favorite,” Sotto admitted. “It’s the taster’s choice that gives value for money.” “We are very excited to have Vic as our endorser because he really believes in the products he promotes,” said BAVI president Ronald Ricaforte Mascariñas. “With Chooks-to-Go and Bossing together, we have a great opportunity to support hardworking moms with a go-to take-home ulam of choice that’s affordable, healthy, and delicious.”
D2
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016
WORLD FOOD DAY
Climate change forces a rethink in food security On World Food Day 2016, nations have to deal with the impact of the Earth’s harsher weather on food and agriculture
By Jimbo Gulle
F
OOD, glorious food; humans can’t have enough of it, but the cruel irony of this age of climate change is that humans are also partly responsible for the lack of it.
With human activities pinpointed as the reason for increasing global temperatures that in turn have sparked longer droughts, fiercer storms and evaporating water supplies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called on global leaders to address food security as one of the biggest issues related to climate change. As the United Nations (UN) agency tasked to combat international hunger, the FAO made the call on World Food Day 2016 with a global message that goes: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too.” Celebrated each year on October 16, which is also the FAO’s birthday, World Food
Day this year also shines a light on the plight of the people who produce the food and yet suffer the most from climate change. “The world’s poorest – many of whom are farmers, fishers and pastoralists (sheep or cattle farmers) -- are being hit hardest by higher temperatures and an increasing frequency in weather-related disasters,” the agency says. The FAO notes that the world’s population is growing steadily, and expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. To meet such a heavy demand, the UN body says agriculture and food systems “will need to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and become
transport, infrastructure, market mechanisms, as well as institutional and legal frameworks,” the FAO adds. World Food Day 2016 and its focus on worsening weather comes a month before the
UN holds its next Climate Change Conference, COP 22, from November 7 to 18 in Marrakech, Morocco. There, the FAO will call on countries to address food and
more resilient, productive and sustainable.” “This is the only way that we can ensure the wellbeing of ecosystems and rural populations and reduce emissions,” the FAO says. Growing food in a sustainable way, according to the UN org, means adopting practices that produce more with less in the same area of land and use natural resources wisely. “It also means reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives including better harvesting, storage, packing,
agriculture in their climate action plans and invest more in rural development. “By strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmers, we can guarantee food security for the planet’s increasingly hungry global population and also reduce emissions (that lead to climate change),” the UN org says. (end)
What is World Food Day? Why fight hunger? WORLD Food Day is a day of action against hunger. On October 16, people around the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicate hunger in our lifetime. Because when it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number in the world is zero. World Food Day celebrates the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on October 16, 1945 in Quebec, Canada. First established in 1979, World Food Day has since then been observed in almost every country by millions of people. Across the globe, grassroots events and public awareness campaigns engage diverse audiences in action against hunger. From hunger walks and World Food Day dinners to meal packaging events and food drives, there are many ways for people to be a part of solutions to hunger. Each year, advocates come together to raise awareness and engage people in the movement to end hunger, introducing them to organizations, universities and companies that are working to achieve a zero hunger world. Why care about hunger? Because the right to food is a
basic human right. In a world of plenty, 805 million people, one in nine worldwide, live with chronic hunger, according to the FAO’s “The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014” report. The costs of hunger and malnutrition fall heavily on the most vulnerable. 60% of the hungry in the world are women, according to a UN Economic and Social Council study in 2007; Almost 5 million children under the age of 5 die of malnutritionrelated causes every year, says the FAO in a 2012 report 4 in 10 children in poor countries are malnourished damaging their bodies and brains, per a July 2014 report on thousanddays.org. Every human being has a fundamental right to be free from hunger and the right to adequate food. The right to adequate food, says the FAO, is realized “when every man, woman and child has the physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement.” Because we can end hunger in our lifetime. It’s possible. The world produces enough food to feed every person on the planet. In September 2000, world leaders signed a commitment
to achieve eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015. MDG #1 is eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and includes three targets. Since then: Forty countries have already achieved the first target, to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015, says the FAO in another 2014 report.In addition, over the past 20 years, the likelihood of a child dying
before age five has been nearly cut in half, which means about 17,000 children are saved every day, the UN MDG report says. Extreme poverty rates have also been cut in half since 1990, the UN adds. The challenge is significant, but these results show us that when we focus our attention, we can make big strides. Because the cost of neglect
is too high. No one in the world should have to experience hunger. In addition to the cost of human suffering, the world as a whole loses when people do not have enough to eat. Hungry people have learning difficulties, are less productive at work, are sick more often and live shorter lives. The cost to the global economy because of malnutrition is the equivalent of
US$3.5 trillion a year, according to the FAO’s “The State of Food and Agriculture 2013” report. Hunger leads to increased levels of global insecurity and environmental degradation. Ending hunger is not just a moral imperative, but also a good investment for society. Because it can happen to anyone. Even in the United States, one of the richest countries in the world, one in seven Americans -- 14.3 percent -- does not have enough to eat, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Household Food Security report in 2014. Nutritious food can be expensive, making a balanced diet a luxury for many. Loss of a job, a family tragedy, poor health, or an accident can make anyone anywhere go hungry in a moment. Globally, extreme climate events, war, or even financial crisis can dramatically affect a person’s ability to feed themselves and their families. Without social safety nets, resiliency measures and good policy in place, these small and large events can set off a cycle of hunger and poverty. (Editor’s Note: This article, with minor adjustments and corrections, is taken from the website http://www. worldfooddayusa.org/what-is-wfd)
WORLD FOOD DAY
Current food issues in the Philippines and what the WFP is doing By Anthony Chase Lim, World Food Programme
A
LOWER-middle-income country, the Philippines has a food deficit that is exacerbated by the combined effects of man-made and natural disasters that include earthquakes, typhoons and armed conflict.
As one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, it ranks third out of 171 countries on the 2015 World Risk Index and fourth out of 188 countries on the 2016 Global Climate Risk Index. The Mindanao region has suffered from over four decades of armed conflict, resulting in internal displacements and overall deterioration of living standards. The people of the Central Mindanao region are the country’s poorest. The World Food Programme (WFP) works closely with the Government of the Philippines, other United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and communities to support poor and vulnerable people in the Philippines, particularly those affected by the conflict in the Mindanao region. WFP focuses on increasing long-term food and nutrition security while assisting people and communities to build resilience to be better prepared for the consequences of disasters. What are the current issues in the Philippines? Armed conflict: Armed conflict in the Mindanao region between the Philippine Government and the separatist groups known as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) continued for more than 40 years before a 2010 peace deal. The longrunning violence has harmed living
standards and contributed to the country’s high rates of poverty. Between 2000 and 2010, over 40 percent of families were displaced at least once because of the conflict. Natural disasters: A study in 2012 by Danilo Israel and Roehlano Briones for the Philippine Institute of Developmental Studies (PIDS) entitled “Impacts of Natural Disasters on Agriculture, Food Security, and Natural Resources and Environment in the Philippines” analyzed the impacts of typhoons, floods and droughts on these areas using available secondary data. In general, the study found that: a) typhoons, floods and droughts have an insignificant impact on overall agricultural production at the national level -- yet typhoons have a significant negative 35 impact on paddy rice production at the provincial level; b) typhoons, as exemplified by Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009, have a significant negative impact on the food security of the households in the affected areas; c) households have varying consumption and nonconsumption strategies to cope with the impacts of typhoons; and d) the different impacts of typhoons, floods and droughts on the natural resources and environment have not been quantitatively assessed in detail, but available evidence suggests that these are also substantial. Poverty: Although national levels of poverty have been decreasing since 2006, decades of armed conflict
have left the Mindanao region with some of the country’s poorest people. This is seen in significantly lower rates of primary-school completion and stunted growth (caused by chronic malnutrition) among children under five years old in this region, compared with the rest of the Philippines. According to the 2015 Global Hunger Index, the food and nutrition situation in the Philippines is rated as “serious” - despite steady improvements since the 1990s, positioning the country at 53 out of 104 countries. Prevalence of undernutrition remains an issue of public concern. What is the World Food Programme doing in the Philippines? Although WFP’s work in the Philippines dates from1968, WFP re-established its presence in 2006 at the request of the Government to support the ongoing peace process in the Mindanao region. • Rebuilding lives: WFP helps communities affected by conflict and natural disasters to rebuild their lives by encouraging selfsufficiency through food and cash assistance programmes. People are given food or cash and vouchers in exchange for their participation in asset-creation activities and vocational skills training aimed at strengthening their livelihoods and building resilience to shocks. • School meals and nutritional support: WFP provides school-age
children in conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao with hot, nutritious meals, giving them one-third of their daily micronutrient needs. Every school year, over 65,000 children in Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte, and Lanao del Sur are supported with school meals. Teachers and parents prepare the meals that let children concentrate on their studies rather than their stomachs. • Preparing for disasters and emergency response: WFP
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016
works with the Government and other organizations to help the Philippines strengthen its resilience to natural disasters and climate change. WFP’s work helps vulnerable and disasterprone communities prepare for and respond to shocks through local community projects, innovative scientific technology, and capacity enhancement of logistics and supply chain management through the establishment of
D3
disaster response centers in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. To support its nutrition intervention in the Philippines, WFP has pioneered innovations to improve children’s health, such as a special micronutrient powder for children aged 6 months to 23 months. WFP also developed a locally-produced fortified food for children aged 6 month to 36 months, in partnership with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
D4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016 Riera U. Mallari, Editor
rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
Gadgets &Games
SPOTIFY GETS COMPETITION.
Kelvin Mercer and Maseo of De La Soul performs at Advertising Week New York 2016 Spotify Opening Gig in New York City. AFP
Music streaming
Go Bear: Products within reach IN A span of 6 short months, GoBear has built a strong foundation in the Philippines with 200,000 active monthly users and a 70% increase of new users month over month, who compare personal loans, credit cards, and travel insurance online. This financial technology startup from Singapore has not only touched base with the need of Filipinos to find relevant information online, but it has diligently advocated to work with all major banks in the Philippines to bring their businesses from offline to online. Led by Country Director Rommel Torres, GoBear Philippines aims to be a different tune when it comes to startups. “We run our business to change the financial landscape in personal banking and insurance. GoBear is different because it does not run on commission, making it impossible to influence the results on the website. In using www.gobear.com. ph, company A and company B may offer insurance at the same price, but if you look further into the details, one offers much less benefits than the other. You get the best value for money this way when you compare before you commit,” he said. For users, GoBear Philippines has removed all the pains of comparing online: no sign-up required before getting quotes or information and no broker or agent who will push for products with higher commissions. The brand is all about promoting financial literacy and transparency in a country where most consumers are discouraged to get a loan or credit card because of the long unnerving approval process. For more information about GoBear, please visit gobear.com.ph and follow the #GoBearPH journey on the official GoBear Facebook page facebook.com/ gobearphilippines .
wars heat up Reenvisioning tech gadgets FILIPINOS have willingly embraced the culture of technology, enthusiastically welcomed countless innovations on telecommunications, gaming and computing and undoubtedly made mobility and social engagement an integral part of their lifestyle. In the pursuit of all the things we are passionate about, technology has helped us thrive in the most fast-paced, cuttingedge world we live in. Promate Technologies, a multi-awarded Dubaibased digital accessory brand, is bringing reinvisioned technology products to the Philippines ranging from computer peripherals to mobile and car accessories. The company has received numerous design and product awards from IF Product Design Award (Germany), Good Design Award (Japan), Taiwan Excellence (Taiwan), Computex D&I Awards, just among a thousand of its awards. “We are reenvisioning ’lifestyle technology’ to break down the barrier between the impact of the high-tech world and the normalcy of everyday life, delivering the most pioneering accessories whether that be for the home, the office, in the car or just absolutely anywhere people are virtually connected in their waking hours,” says Dimple Condes, Promate Philippines Country Manager. “Our job at Promate Tech-
nologies is to know what our clients want before they even know it. We find a niche in the market, identify what the end user needs and fill that gap. We feel we’ve done a pretty good job at it because Promate Technologies has been accorded quite a number of global awards for over a thousand of our products. Most recently, we’ve been awarded
country to share their diverse line-up of products that adapt to the needs of the avid digital adapter this side of the world. Seeking out an adventure trip (again!) soon? Never get drained with Promate powerbanks, adapters and car accessories. With Promate Provolta-21, 20800mAH powerbank, make sure your devices are
Silicon Valley Execs Mike Orbeta, Joel Pe, Christine Tan and Promate Technologies Country Manager Dimple Condes display Promate products.
this year for three—the linkMate.MUI and auraBox both awarded by the Distree EMEA Diamond Awards and bikerMate awarded by iF Design Awards. This is what we want to bring to the world —where Promate innovation is creativity at its finest—and the Philippines has become our next stop because really, the Filipinos’ hyper-connected lifestyle is complemented by many of our products.” Promate Technologies has opened shops and are hooking up with the best tech retailers in the
always powered-up and ready even at flight. Bring along loads of music to play on Promate Groove, 20-watt wireless speaker with a built-in 8800mAH battery because your trips are always fun with a roadtrip playlist and get every angle right in your cruise with the Promate Monopro-12 selfie monopod for heavy weight cameras. Finding time to workout? Promate changes the way you live a healthy lifestyle with its cool wearable tech products. With the countless OO-
TDs, SOTDs, FOTDs and BOTDs that have become a staple among the techsavvy Filipinos, surely, their world has been conquered by many of the world’s biggest brands. Meanwhile, fitting into those stylish OOTDs drove many to get fit and fab in fitness centers where some are even open 24/7. Ah, the Filipino way of life has truly evolved—and now even your gadgets will keep up with you with Promate liveBelt-2 sporty belt band case at the gym or that Promate SnugRide waterproof case with bike mount and waterproof headsets like Promate Solix-1 when you bike out! Tired of organizing workspace? Promate lets you experience next generation technology with its professionally designed gadget accessories. There’s a neverending goal to decluttering our workspaces to boost productivity and get more things done. Great thing to be able to have access to sleek, compact gadget hubs like the plug and play Promate MacHub-12 hispeed USB hub for your Mac to enjoy multiple seamless connectivity, or the Promate bluClass-2 wireless multipoint headset for hands-free calling and music streaming. Promate is available at Promate concept shops in SM North Edsa Annex, SM Clark, Ayala Cebu as well as at Lazada (http://www. lazada.com.ph/promatestore/), Silicon Valley & Tomiko stores nationwide.
Torque’s Ego brings smartphone use to the next level ENGINEER Chris Uyco has envisioned a smart phone that should be at the summit of three key features—simplicity, reliability and value for money. And this is what he has for Torque Mobile, which has been living up to expectations and come a long way to become the leading maker of Androidbased tablets in the Philippines. Now, there’s no stopping the fastest-rising Filipino digital and mobile brand as it came up with another major breakthrough with the launch of Torque Ego series. Called Boost Edition, the vastly improved series prides itself of features that allow users to easily take a smartphone use to the next level and truly embrace the age of smartphone.
“Much like the human ego, we view the now-ubiquitous smartphone as something that is here to stay,” said Uyco, CEO and chief innovator at Torque Mobile. “The long-term vision for the Torque Ego series is for it be treated much like a person’s pride, identity or self-esteem. Something that will always be around, being shaped by personal decisions and circumstance, needing the occasional boost every once in a while.” The Ego series was officially launched recently at 111 Makati and introduced Ellise Joson as its celebrity endorser. The compelling upgrades to the Boost Edition phones for its Ego series, will boost one’s view as normal, typical or acceptable. It’s about getting to the
next level. Complementing the technology behind the phone is an exclusive platform built for the Torque community to enjoy interaction among its users—the Torque Ego Speaks. It’s a centralized user-forum on the internet that allows posting under wide-range of topics to relate users’ everyday experiences related to smartphones. The Ego Speaks forum offersTorque a quick way to voice the users’ concerns, give feedback and simply connect with each other. The entire Ego Series smartphones, including the Torque Ego tablets, are now available with price ranging from P999 to P3,499 at your nearest Torque kiosk or concept store.
Randy Caluag
Torque Ambassador Ellise Joson displays a number of new Torque units. Ey Acasio
N
EW YORK —Online giant Amazon entered the streaming music wars Wednesday, taking on rivals like Spotify and Apple with a subscription service that offers discounts to those using its voice-controlled speakers.
Amazon Music Unlimited will offer “tens of millions of songs” to subscribers, the company said, a step up from the two million available on its existing Amazon Prime streaming service. The new service costs $9.99 a month for US customers—the same as rivals Spotify Premium, Apple Music and Google Play—but Amazon is offering a discounted rate of $3.99 for subscribers who limit use to its Echo, Dot or Tap speakers. Current Prime customers can get the new service for $7.99 a month or $79 a year, Amazon said. The new service is available to US customers, and will launch later this year in Britain, Germany and Austria, the company said in a statement. “Amazon Music Unlimited brings real value to the millions of people who are already Prime members,” said Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos. “And if you want a sense of the future of voice-controlled music, go ahead and ask Alexa [Amazon’s digital personal assistant] for a free Music Unlimited trial, and play around on your Echo,” Bezos said. “If you don’t know the name of a song but know a few lyrics, if you want to hear songs from a specific decade, or even if you’re looking for music to match your mood, just ask.”
Tie-in to Echo
Dan Rayburn, a Frost & Sullivan analyst who follows streaming media, said the new service offers “a nice tie-in to Amazon’s Echo, something that the other services don’t have.” Rayburn noted that streaming music is “a challenging market, with nobody making money” but that Amazon can afford to offer lower prices with incentives for its hardware and Prime—a service which offers discounted shipping, access to online video and other content. “It’s very hard to make money when you’re a standalone service like Spotify,” Rayburn said. “Amazon doesn’t need to make money on this because they can push their other devices. They’re using it as a catalyst to sell more stuff.” Echo is Amazon’s home hub, powered by artificial intelligence to answer questions, control smart appliances, order merchandise from the online giant and play music. Music streaming has boomed this year, with the number of streams more than doubling in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to trade specialists BuzzAngle Music. In the United States, streaming services had 18.3 million subscribers in June, up from 9.1 million at the same time last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, Amazon’s new US offering comes a month after Sweden’s Spotify said it had passed 40 million paying subscribers, consolidating its position as world leader in the streaming sector. Spotify stands well clear of its nearest rival Apple Music, which had some 17 million paying subscribers as of September, but it has yet to post an annual profit, spending most of its revenue on compensating artists and rights-holders. Streaming music services are also offered by Google, Pandora and a number of other groups. Pandora this week debuted its latest offering, a $5 per month service which lacks some of the features of Spotify and others but is ad-free and allows users to skip or repeat songs. Last month Norwegian media said the Tidal streaming service, owned by rap megastar Jay-Z, had posted heavy losses and was having problems making payments on time. Tidal had a major boost earlier in the year when Beyonce—who is married to Jay-Z—eleased her album “Lemonade” exclusively on the service. AFP