Baidu customers will be able to hear the music of the music label EMI Typhoon Music, which stands out for having mostly Chinese-language artists for free. The service will be subsidized by advertisements and the profits will be shared between Baidu and EMI.
EMI called the deal an excellent starting point to help control the spread of illegal music in China, where a large number of films, music and software are spread fraudulently, according to various industry groups. Baidu said that this partnership would be the beginning of future business between the music and Internet industries. Both companies also agreed to investigate future ad-supported online music streaming services.
Baidu maintains a privileged position within the Chinese market, where almost two thirds of users revolve around its services, according to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) or the Information Center of the Chinese Internet Network. At the same time, Google has 25 percent of the market, according to CNNIC.
