The era of fees will be

Absrtact: The first Google Music Search service, which advocates for a genuine music payment system, has just been shut down in the country, and the music player has finished downloading free lunches and moves. Recent news in the industry said that several major international record companies, including Warner, will be at the end of this year or early next year

The first Google Music Search service, which advocates the payment system for genuine music, has just been shut down in China, and the music player has ended up downloading free lunches and moves. Recent news in the industry, including Warner's several major international record companies, will be at the end of this year or early next year, the United Nations cool dog, coolness, Baidu, QQ music and other music services website to try to take the music download subscription system. Industry insiders said that, although the introduction of this system is expected to promote the implementation of genuine music-paid consumption system, but not excluding the record giant's other attempt to end the music-free lunch-a monopoly on the terminal, so if a fee system is introduced, the rules must be issued under supervision by the regulatory authorities to avoid the two-degree encroachment on the Chinese record industry.

The era of fees will be

Recently, some media reports said that the exact news, the end of this year or early next year, several major international record companies will unite the domestic cool dog, coolness, Baidu, QQ music and other sites to try to adopt a subscription system, including PC and mobile end. The user obtains the original Foundation free audition service at the same time, may obtain the close CD level ape, the FLAC format music or the MV by the payment method, and obtains other payment rights. Later, the reporter confirmed the news from a senior international record company, who declined to be named. "At present, mainly Warner, Global, Sony, the three major international record companies in China and the major music websites to discuss the introduction of download fee system." Detailed operational details are still under discussion and are not readily disclosed. ”

Although the details are undecided, Terminal Services has begun to prepare for this. QQ Music Market Development Group Senior Marketing Director Wu Weilin in the media interview revealed that the music platform and 15 big record companies to discuss the model tentatively for a monthly fee, but there will be graded, in accordance with the needs of users to customize different fees, different levels of authority. "For example, if one months users pay 7 dollars can be authorized to download 7 songs, music quality reached 128kbps, one months to 20 yuan, users can download music, music quality can reach CD level." ”

Baidu to meet the arrival of this era of pay, but also opened the integration of its music products door, Baidu MP3, Baidu Ting, Baidu listen to the heart, thousands of listening and other music products have been integrated into Baidu music. Baidu Music Division general manager Zhang Dani publicly said that the purpose of integration is to create a comprehensive digital authentic music platform. And it admits that it will later discuss with content partners to try out some specific download fee patterns.

Eliminate free Download consumption habits is the key

"Several major international record companies and the domestic music website to push the fee download system, its desire is good, the future is affirmative, but the road is tortuous." "Huanhua, CEO of the Cook Digital Music library, future pay affirmation is the general trend, digital music market prospects are also broad, if you can struggle to free download, free online listening and piracy of the mire, no doubt has been hidden before the profits will be revealed, the genuine digital music market profitability will be much better. But over the years the reality is that the long-term formation of free listening, free download habits, and the risk of piracy, it is difficult to reverse this situation in a short time. "Can only be seen as an attempt, it is difficult to draw a conclusion whether it will really happen at the end of this year or early next year." ”

Statistics show that at present, there are at least 700 million potential paid music consumers in China, such as the 30%-month activity, each monthly contribution of 10 yuan, combined with the flow of advertising revenue, the future digital music market will reach at least tens of billions of yuan. But while the prospect of a pay market is so impressive, the rampant piracy of free markets is equally ferocious. Chen, chairman of the giant Whale Music network, which relies on genuine conquer, introduced a very helpless set of data last year: More than 400 medium-sized music websites in China and more than 1000 small personal homepage have serious tort problem, for downloading more than 50% of MP3 songs is pirated, more than 45% Internet users use the internet to download music every day. The record industry has a revenue of $200 million, but piracy can be as high as $1.8 billion. Before cool music once tried to charge, but the user pay rate or even less than thousands of points, not only the effect is not small, but in the genuine charge market hit badly beaten.

But the music person Bell also pointed out, this is a few big international record company and domestic several has the market right music website unite to carry out, compared to before the Google Music Search service United giant whale A company to do, the strength certainly will be bigger, promotes the resistance to be relatively smaller. "This is the content side and the website media channel side implemented the merger, is the copyright bundle, can create a favorable copyright environment; The original problem is the media is the media, copyright party is the copyright party, the two sides is the transaction of a party B relationship. Now both sides on the same platform, have common goals, common organization, which can make future operations smoother. ”

But the bells also say that Huanhua's worries are still justified. Real fees to download authentic music is also a long future. "First of all, to face the challenges of user acceptance, but also need to pay special attention to the provision of pirated music, the provision of free authentic music downloads website." In the introduction of genuine charges at the same time, the relevant government departments are best to overhaul these sites until completely shut down, otherwise, the industry launched this initiative to promote the genuine download fee behavior, may become those who provide pirated music, free music download site another profit growth point. Two-pronged, this genuine pay model to better and faster advance. ”

Schemes beyond charges

In addition to charges that could spark resistance from the audience, the industry's concern is that international record giants are so keen to end the music-free lunch as another plot-a monopoly on the terminals.

"Now the big record companies are combining these sites to represent the interests of some of the big guys in the record industry," he said. If the agreement stipulates that the content of these music sites can only be copyrighted by a handful of international record companies, and many of the weaker independent labels and local record companies have been hit by major international record companies for not being able to access the famous music sites, The crackdown is as devastating for the weaker record labels as it is for pirated ones. "The bells pointed out from the industry's point of view, if the implementation of the genuine fees and charges game rules, only to maintain the industry several big-class international record company's rights and interests, and ignore the industry accounted for the vast majority of other music copyright providers, such a model will not go long, there will be many variables in the future.

To this end, he appealed to the three major international record companies in cooperation with the media when the conditions must be open, and in the specific implementation of the charging system should be published under the participation of the Chinese singing work, to achieve the entire industry to the recognition of the system. "If there is no singing the job is just a few major international record companies, then we can only think that this is a few major international record companies in the Chinese record industry, the Chinese Music copyright people's environment does not have any benefit." ”

However, in Huanhua's view, several major international record companies and several local music websites to push the genuine fees, the motives may not be so complicated, but a mutual search for business results. "With the traditional record market depression, several major international record companies to seek cooperation with the domestic music service Web site, but also to adapt to market trends, in order to find a platform to achieve their own profit." And today's legitimate music services Web site, with the relevant laws and regulations on the control of piracy more stringent and seek their own music quality improvement, the choice of cooperation with internationally renowned record companies, it is also understandable. ”

Whether the international record companies will monopolize the domestic music service Web site to crowd out a number of weak and local record providers, Huanhua says, depends largely on the exclusivity of their agreement. If the labels require a music service website to accept the music license of the record company, they will not be allowed to accept the copyright licenses of other labels. "But with the current operation of our company, we are working with some big record labels, but we have not ruled out cooperation with small labels," he said. Moreover, our cooperation with large record labels has been a profitable model for a long time, and the small record companies have learned about this mode of profitability and are happy to take the initiative to find our cooperation. ”