Baidu to Integrates MP3 Search with Baidu Music
Sina Tech, 10/16/12
On October 12, Chinese internet company Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) quietly began redirecting MP3 search traffic to Baidu Music (http://music.baidu.com). Redirected searches now display a notice saying "MP3 is just a format. What we want is music."
A source inside the company said that Baidu plans to offer music services for its users based primarily upon its own database of licensed music, and will link to other online music resources solely to supplement its offerings. Users who search for a song from the Baidu homepage will now generally only see a single result leading them to Baidu's "music box" player interface.
Unlike the earlier MP3 search service, Baidu's new music strategy is weighted in favor of online listening. As internet speeds increase and China's internet market moves into the mobile internet epoch, Baidu Music will beef up its online listening functionality and de-emphasize music downloading functionality.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "Baidu Ting Rebrands as Baidu Music" MD 9/21/12 issue and "Baidu Pays RMB 80 Mln in Copyright Royalties over Two Years" MD 4/19/12 issues.
Keywords: Internet Baidu online music MP3 BIDU online search
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