Spotify look to be going even more global with signs pointing towards a release in Japan and Indonesia, opening up to an audience of over 350 million.

Spotify’s service has been made available in over 60 countries since it’s conception almost 10 years ago. However Spotify has largely been unavailable in Asia, having launched their music streaming service in only 5 countries.

Rumours that Spotify could be entering Japan arose last year when they were looking to hire someone for media relations. Since then Spotify have built up a team of four, based in Tokyo, that they are still looking to expand with a financial controller.

A financial staffer is essential for Spotify opening up to a new market so all signs to point towards an upcoming release in Japan. A source inside Spotify speaking to TechCrunch said that it had been a slow process because “music licensing is real tough in Japan.”

Spotify are also on the hunt for a music editor in Indonesia for content creation, playlist curation and more, which is what has raised assumptions that a launch in Indonesia could be on the horizon. Spotify have also expressed interest in expanding into India, however a spokesperson for Spotify said earlier this year: “We absolutely want to make Spotify available in India as we do across the rest of Asia but there’s nothing to report as of now.”

Music streaming rival, Apple Music, has established a presence in a lot of Asia already, despite it’s release only 3 months ago. Along with the release of a paid music streaming service by Line, an immensely popular messaging app in Japan, Spotify need to be looking to explore uncharted territory sooner rather than later if they don’t want to miss the party.