[Cc-hk] Google offers free music to China

Rebecca MacKinnon rebecca.mackinnon at gmail.com
Thu Aug 7 01:53:48 EDT 2008


Seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?

R

On Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 1:50 PM, Joichi Ito <jito at neoteny.com> wrote:

> Can we get CC music in this somehow?
> - Joi
>
> On 7 Aug 2008, at 14:04, Rebecca MacKinnon wrote:
>
> http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/08/google-offers-m.html
> Google offers free music to China<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/08/google-offers-m.html> 5:50
> PM, August 6, 2008
>  [image: top100.cn]<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/google.jpg>
>
> In China, Baidu is the powerhouse, the "it" girl, the search engine to
> beat. It's a treasure trove of music, most of it illegal. But Google may
> have found a way to increase its market share there -- offering free music
> legally.
>
> The U.S. search giant launched a beta version of a Chinese music service
> called Music Onebox, which is available only in China at www.google.cn.
>
> "We are launching Music Onebox to give users an easy and legal way to find
> the music they're looking for, and to give music labels and publishers a new
> channel to distribute, promote and make money off of their valuable music
> content," said a Google spokesperson.
>
> The way it works: When visitors to Google's home page search for artists or
> bands, they are directed to www.top100.cn <http://top100.cn/>, a music
> site, to download or stream music. The site has financial backing from
> basketball wonder Yao Ming. Yes, the very tall one.
>
> Google said it would not share in the money made off of ads on the music
> service. Instead, the ad money would be split between www.top100.cn and
> the music labels and publishers.
>
> The new service is a direct challenge to Baidu, at a time when Baidu is
> under increasing pressure to pay up for facilitating music piracy, says
> ArsTechnica<http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080806-google-china-takes-on-baidu-with-legal-music-search.html>.
> At the moment, the selection on top100 is limited, says Music 2.0<http://www.music2dot0.com/archives/121>.
>
>
> Google's Music Onebox is the YouTube model all over again, said Brian Zisk,
> executive producer of the SanFran MusicTech Summit and technologies director
> of the Future of Music Coalition: Make itself the center of media and then
> try to figure out how to monetize it. Except in this case, Google is using
> the lure of free music to draw people to Google.
>
> "They are establishing their presence there," Zisk said. "One way or
> another, they can turn it into money."
>
> If Music Onebox works in China, why not here?
>
> In the U.S., such a service is unthinkable right now because the U.S.
> market still pays some of the music industry's bills. But in China, not so.
> The music industry is willing to gamble there because it says to itself, "
> 'Well, we're not making money in China anyway,' " Zisk said.
>
> *-- Michelle Quinn*
>
> *Image of the Chinese music site top100.cn *
>    Permalink<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/08/google-offers-m.html>| Comments
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>
>
> --
> HELP DISASTER VICTIMS IN SICHUAN AND MYANMAR:
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>
> Rebecca MacKinnon
> Assistant Professor, Journalism & Media Studies Ctr.
> University of Hong Kong (http://jmsc.hku.hk)
> E-mail: rmack at hku.hk | Tel: +852-2219-4005
> Blog: http://RConversation.blogs.com
> Co-founder: http://GlobalVoicesOnline.org
> "The world is talking. Are you listening?"
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-- 
HELP DISASTER VICTIMS IN SICHUAN AND MYANMAR:
http://relief.asia

Rebecca MacKinnon
Assistant Professor, Journalism & Media Studies Ctr.
University of Hong Kong (http://jmsc.hku.hk)
E-mail: rmack at hku.hk | Tel: +852-2219-4005
Blog: http://RConversation.blogs.com
Co-founder: http://GlobalVoicesOnline.org
"The world is talking. Are you listening?"
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