Google Launches Free, Legal Music Downloads in China

Wired is reporting that Google has a launched a new music download service in China to better compete with the leading search company there, Baidu.com. Offering some 350,000 songs, a number set to rise to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.1 million in the coming months, the library includes both Chinese and foreign artists signed by Sony Music, EMI, and Universal Music. Proponents of the new service are also hoping it will combat illegal music downloads simply by offering higher quality songs for download. There are no immediate plans to expand this service beyond China.

Comments

Re:How do you compete with free?

[snowraver1]

Google is trying to compete with free be being free. Did you even read the title of the story? And someone modded you insightful too? Can anyone manage to read a single sentance?

Re:Link?

[sakdoctor]

You will need a Chinese proxy.

I can read just enough Chinese to know which is the download link, but what songs I get is the luck of the draw.

Re:How do you compete with free?

[billlava]

I read the story, but nothing offered through legitimate businesses will ever truly be free (as in beer.) There are associated costs in time, convenience, viewing ads, music selection, and other inconveniences. The fact is, Chinese piracy, like water, will always follow the past of least resistance, and that is certainly not through a Google website that shares profits with record companies.

Can anyone manage to read a single sentance?

Maybe I'll step up and read a whole paragraph when you learn to spell.

Re:Proxy anyone? Until...

[DittoBox]

Bruce Springsteen's 'Born In The USA' Lyrics:

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just covering up

[chorus:]
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

I got in a little hometown jam
And so they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to Vietnam
To go and kill the yellow man

[chorus]

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
I go down to see the V.A. man
He said "Son don't you understand"

[chorus]

I had a buddy at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a little girl in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go

I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

To help you all out:

[Landak]

List of free online public proxies located in china, listed by latency:

http://www.xroxy.com/proxylist.php?port=&type=&ssl=&country=CN&latency=1000&reliability=9000&sort=latency#table

"Easy listening songs" from google: here.

Note that the characters "äè½½" mean download, and if slashdot murders that for you, it's the link in the penultimate column in the table. Going down the left hand side of the page are words that correspond to different genres. In order, from the top, they are:

- New (release) music
- Chinese music
- European/American music
- Japanese music
- Pop music
- Rock music
- Hip-hop music
- Soundtrack music
- 'Ethnic' music (though presumably not the "Free tibet" rap...)
- Latin music
- R&B music
- Country music
- Folk music
- Soul music
- Easy-listening music
- "JnB" music

Enjoy!