MOG Gets $12.5M, Expands Into Spotify Territory

MOG MUSIC (Hypebot) – Music discovery and subscription service MOG.com has announced another $9.5 million in funding and a pending expansion into Europe. The round was led by Menlo Ventures which was joined by new investor Balderton Capital. Dharmash Mistry, partner at Balderton Capital, has been appointed to MOG’s board. The company had raised $12.5 million in previous rounds.

MOG also announced that it will launch in the UK by the end of the second quarter. The UK is one of rival Spotify's most successful markets; and with Spotify thus far kept out of the U.S., it's the first time the two services will go head to head.

MOG will try to counter Spotify's premium model with paid access to a 7 million track catalog of music that includes all four majors. One label exec told Hypebot that he is supportive of MOG not just for its paid model, but also because it offers far more options for music discovery than its competitors.

In addition, the MOG All Access free trial will be extended from one hour to three days. “Since we launched MOG All Access in December, we’ve seen an incredible 17% user conversion from the free trial which proves how much people like the service,” said David Hyman, founder and CEO of MOG.

“MOG All Access is the best listening experience possible because we deliver the best on-demand experience, the best radio and the best tools to discover new music,” Hyman continued. “The response to MOG All Access among U.S. music fans has been fantastic and we’re excited to begin rolling out the service internationally starting with the U.K.”

MOG is home to more than 1,000 music blogs covering everything from pop to jazz to blues to country and comprising the largest music ad network on the web. MOG provides a single destination for people to discover and enjoy millions of songs and to immerse themselves in music content including news, reviews, playlists and lyrics.