Music streaming tipped to hit new markets

New York

STREAMING has rapidly transformed pop music's landscape but even more dramatic changes could be in store as companies eye the vast, barely touched markets of the developing world.

Spotify and its rivals were among the biggest music headlines in 2014 as streaming services quickly pick up new customers and also face intense criticism - most famously from pop star Taylor Swift, who was the year's top artist on the US charts.

Swift and other detractors accuse the services - which allow customers to listen to as much music as they want at the touch of a phone or computer - of poorly compensating artists and hastening the death of the album.

But the debate may soon change markedly as streaming grows in emerging economies such as China, India and Indonesia - where album sales have never been a …