Deezer looking for money
Deezer is seeking to raise between 50 and 100 million euros, showed Les Echos. The site for listening to music online is doing the rounds of investment funds to continue financing its ambitious international expansion strategy.
Orange, who had taken 11% stake in Deezer in August 2010, should not call the pot. For the telecom operator, the integration of a range of music in its subscriptions is essentially a "marketing advantage", says a close case.
Deezer, however, sees its financing needs explode as it launches in new countries or new terminals. Each time, the service must make further advances to the music majors, who often index their demands on the size of their partner.
This is also why the Swedish Spotify, Deezer competitor in France, seemed to leave in search of money, in the last Midem, just a year after raising $ 100 million on a valuation of $ 1 billion.
Valuing Deezer should not reach such heights. According to Les Echos, the site expects a value of 500 million euros, "ten times its 2011 revenues." The latter is however mostly generated by subscriptions of Orange, who had entered the capital on a valuation of Deezer … 80 million euros.
