Google Inc has finally launched free music search and download services in China in a belated attempt to catch up with market leader Baidu.com.

The world's most popular Internet search engine said yesterday it will work with a Chinese Website that counts basketball star Yao Ming among its investors to provide the music service in the world's most popular Internet nation.

The deal is Google's first free music download service globally.

In cooperation with the Top100.cn Website, the new service allows users to listen to or download licensed songs. The authorized songs are being marketed as offering higher quality than those available on other music services. Google and Top100.cn's play list features tens of thousands of songs obtained from several hundred music publishers, which Google declined to identify.

Under the deal, Google provides search technology and content, and Top100.cn, in which Google has a minority stake, will share online advertising income.

"It is a nice test of the waters (for Google)," said Lu Bowang, an analyst at China IntelliConsulting, a Beijing-based Internet research firm.

China's online search market generated 1.26 billion yuan (US$185.2 million) in revenue in the second quarter, nearly double the figure from the same period a year ago. Baidu led the industry, with a 62.8-percent market share by revenue, followed by Google's 26.2 percent, according to iResearch Inc, a Shanghai-based Internet consulting firm.

Baidu, whose traffic comes mostly from its controversial music search and download services, will probably continue to lead the market until China strengthens copyright protection, Lu said.

Baidu, which provides downloads of MP3 files without copyrights, has drawn complaints and lawsuits from music publishers.

"The music and Internet industries are not enemies, and we hope to find a way for both to win," Lee Kaifu, Google China's president, said in the Chinese-language statement.

Google is working to expand in China's rapidly growing market by launching a series of services, including public transportation searches, translations, an online community and the new music service.

China passed the US to become the world's biggest Internet market with 253 million users at the end of June, according to the state-backed China Internet Network Information Center.

Founded in 2005, Beijing-based Top100.cn used to provide users with a paid music download service.

Besides Google, Yao Ming and his broker are the Website's investors.

(Shanghai Daily August 7, 2008)