Google Music Service
:in China
Google Music Service
The Wall Street Journal picked up a rumor that Google is going to fight against the Search Giant of China, Baidu by offering music downloads:
Google is in the late planning stages of a joint venture with a Chinese online music company that would permit it to provide free – licensed – music downloads in China.
The service is likely to offer access to music from three giant global music companies as well as dozens of smaller companies. We predict that this service could start in the next several weeks barring any last-minute hiccups.
While Google’s music is supposed to be properly licensed, the WSJ says Baidu’s downloads on the other hand are “controversial and legally risky†(sounds like Google’s YouTube, which also stores lots of music videos which aren’t properly licensed). The WSJ goes on to write:
The proposed venture goes directly after Baidu’s music search audience, by offering high-quality music files embedded with a digital “watermark†that lets record labels track how often their songs are downloaded. The idea: Better-quality files will draw users away from unlicensed downloads, and give labels and search companies valuable data needed to make money from advertising, say people familiar with the plans.
