China is home to a staggering consumer base and Baidu, as we’ve previously reported, is no slouch when it comes to attempting different ways to take advantage of it. Now the wildly successful search engine company and social media entrepreneurs are looking to expand even further, offering Chinese audiences legal music downloads through the recently released Baidu Ting.
The Shanghai-based corporation previously offered listening experiences through Baidu MP3, a service that came under heavy fire for its reliance on directing users to copyright-infringing websites. Baidu’s new music offering looks to rectify this mistake by starting off with a sturdy foundation: the support of several major labels.
Warner Music, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group have all signed an agreement that will allow Baidu’s social music platform to provide users with a wide selection of content without breaking the law. These companies will receive payment in exchange for Ting’s ability to host an extensive streaming and downloadable catalog.
Luckily the service itself is, apparently quite good, offering a number of handy features. Baidu Ting comes equipped with music browsing and streaming, free downloads, popularity charts and social networking aspects like personalized playlists and more.
While Baidu Ting looks to have the recipe for success set in place, the company will still have to compete with existing Chinese music services in order to eke out its share in the highly competitve market.
Want to take a look at Baidu Ting for yourself? Either know/learn how to read Chinese or take a stroll through a horrendous, automatic translation!
