Google close to launching Chinese music downloads

Posted Feb 6th 2008 9:20AM by Zack Miller
Filed under: Internet, Google (GOOG), Technology

With investor interest high in China, this hasn't been lost on corporate investment. Companies must face the decision about how to address the Chinese juggernaut: essentially, to build, buy, or partner.

PaidContent.org has a story this morning that the Internet giant, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), is close to launching a joint venture to offer free music downloads in the Chinese market.

According to PaidContent, "Google is in the late planning stages of a JV with Chinese online music company Top100.cn, a Beijing-based site that currently sells licensed music downloads. The new service would permit Google's search engine in China to provide free and licensed music downloads, reports WSJ, citing sources."

This is significant in Google's push to counter leading Chinese search engine, Baidu.com (NASDAQ: BIDU), which already provides links to download sites.

This move may help Google position itself vis-a-vis locally-favored Baidu.

Zack Miller is the Managing Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund. Author owns a long-term position in Google stock.

Tags: baidu, bidu, goog, google, internet, inthenews, music downloads, MusicDownloads, search, web 2.0, Web2.0