Google's free Music in China (told you so?)

From: TelecomTV- News: "Google has launched a free music search service in China. The pilot program sifts through licensed tunes hosted by mainland site Top 100 to deliver streaming samples and full downloads. The service filters tens of thousands of local songs by title, singer and album. Google invested in Top 100 last year and plans to split associated advertising revenue with the platform and music labels. The company said the newly launched platform reflected an effort to monetise and legitimize the Chinese music sector, where an estimated 99 per cent of all music files are bootleg copies"

My Comment: "split associated advertising revenue" - sounds like we are finally getting somewhere here. The music is in the network and the money is in the network.

“The Internet industry should by no means stand in the opposite camp against the music industry. Google always believes profoundly that mutual interest, rather than monopoly, is the key to sustainable growth,” Google China president Kai-fu Lee said in a statement.

Kai-fu Lee is hitting the nail on the head here: at issue is the MONOPOLY not the revenues.