Google launches free MP3 downloads service in China
It might be engaged in a public licensing spat with the music industry in the UK, but in China Google is the good guy, following its launch of a free and fully licensed music downloads service.
It’s launched with 350,000 songs from artists on all four major labels, with plans to expand the catalogue to over 1.1 million this year. Google is sharing advertising revenues from the service with the labels, and working with Chinese music site Top100.cn to run it.
Google hopes to gain ground on local search rival Baidu, while the labels hope it’ll attract Chinese consumers away from illegal download sites.
IFPI boss John Kennedy has already hailed the move, describing it as “fantastic news” and “the perfect marriage between first-class technology and creative talent to produce a great product”.
There are no plans at present to expand the service beyond China.
March 31st, 2009 at 12:19 pm
IFPI boss John Kennedy has already hailed the move, describing it as “fantastic news” Huh? What am I missing?
The majors continue to ask 1 – 0,4 cents a stream to MySpace, Imeem and Last.fm, which would be a too high price to pay with advertising income. But in China they have no trouble with sharing advertising revenue from free downloads?
1. China makes more on advertising?
or 2. it’s the only way to fight illegal copying, so in the end that’s what will hapen ‘here’ as well?
March 31st, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Frederik — I had to laugh out loud when reading your comment – exactly what I was thinking. This is hilarious. If this works in China, do we get punished by not getting this service here, just because we still BUY UNITS???