Japan's smartphone based social networking service Line has launched a digital music streaming service in the country. The music streaming service, which comes weeks before Apple is expected to enter the Japanese market with its own streaming service , offers unlimited access to a collection of more than 1.5 million songs for 1,000 yen (US$8) a month.

A 500-yen fee also buys 20 hours of listening time.

Line said it would expand its music library to five million tunes by the end of the year, and to 30 million in 2016.

Japan is the world's second largest music market, and remains one of the new countries where CDs account for about 78 percent of Japanese music sales.

Line's messaging app lets users make free calls, send instant messages and post photos or short videos. It combines attributes from Facebook, Skype and WhatsApp. It also alows users to send each other cartoon "stickers".