Google to serenade Chinese market

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Google Inc. plans to broaden its appeal in China by teaming with an online Chinese company and offering free MP3 music downloads, it was reported Wednesday.

At the moment, the premier online search engine in China is Baidu, owned by Baidu.com Inc. Analyst said 7 percent of Baidu's customers are drawn to the site by its links to free music.

China is predicted to surpass the United States in 2008 as the world's biggest Internet market. Google, which wants to dominate in China, is planning to offer free, licensed music downloads that bear a "watermark," so the Google can compile data for advertisers, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Worldwide, illegal music downloads far outnumber legitimate downloads -- a 20-1 ratio, the report said. But, Google would link with Beijing's Top100.cn, which provides music from more than 100 record labels and charges about 14 cents per licensed download.

Google will offer MP3 downloads for free, however.

Google will also enhance the experience with links to information about musicians.

Google has been quiet about the new strategy, but Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt told the Journal in 2007, "we will eventually be the leader," in the Chinese online market.