China’s Baidu sets up online music partnership

Chinese Web search leader Baidu.com has set up a partnership with popular Chinese-language record label Rock Music Groupto provide an online music streaming service.

Rock Music will license part of its music repertoire to Baidu users for free, and both companies will share revenue from Internet advertising, they said in a statement dated July 4.

Baidu’s licensing agreement with Rock Music comes after the Web search firm was cleared late last year of helping users to download music illegally, in a case brought by some of the world’s largest music companies.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the world’s music companies, said the case against Baidu had been filed on behalf of EMI Group Plc., Vivendi’s Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony BMG.

IFPI, which estimates that about 85 percent of all music consumed in China is pirated, has also blasted Yahoo China’s search engine for providing links to Web sites that offer unlicensed music downloads.

China is the world’s second-largest Internet market after the United States, with more than 140 million Web users.