Who will launch the next innovation in Internet music?

with Google China has been a localized product model gloomy curtain call-Google Music Search service has recently been shut down, its four years of operation history in China is over. at the outset, Google Music Search has been considered to be the former Google Greater China CEO Lee Kai-Fu, one of the important achievements, but more than two years, Google Chinese products, operating autonomy has been shrinking, localized color increasingly diluted, this has been high-profile publicity of innovative products completely shut down, Google China in the hearts of netizens left only a lonely figure.

On the face of it, Google Music shutdown is Google's global product integration work, focus on the core business of the strategic adjustment, but in fact, Google Music search business model design at the beginning, Google is positioned only in product development and flow entrance. The once-favored product is the fate of the end, but Google's exit from China after the tragic fate of the epitome.

At the same time, Google's music search failed to reflect the Internet music search industry changes. Google's rival in China Baidu today also adjusts the music search strategy. Not only replaced the Music Division general manager, desalination MP3 download, Google Music Search service closed the same day, Baidu Ting! also officially renamed Baidu Music.

The two search companies also adjust the music search strategy, which shows that the Chinese Internet music industry is changing profoundly. Baidu MP3, Google Music Search service value is declining, but including QQ music, cool music, dog music and so on are rising. Domestic music copyright is coming closer to the original, even at the end of the music site brewing music download fees.

Book business gas--to compete with genuine piracy

Music Search is now looking a bit dim, but its early days have been an extremely important source of search engine traffic. As we all know, Baidu MP3 search has made a contribution to the development of Baidu, although the early frequency of music copyright lawsuit, but once to bring more than 30% of the flow of Baidu, more in the process of Baidu to contend with Google for its great brand value.

Google China is also aware of the value of music search. To check and balance Baidu MP3 this opponent's killer, Kai-Fu Lee-led Google China to genuine music as the starting point, from Microsoft to dig Microsoft Engineering director Lin to do Google China Academy of Engineering vice president and Google Global technology director, Google Music Search project by Lin personally founded and led, The first team member was when the Google Product manager flood peak.

But the company has always insisted on the principle of not doing evil, Google intends to make a different attempt: piracy rampant in the Chinese music market take the road of authentic music. The difficulty is, first, to persuade headquarters, in the context of global strategy focused search, advertising and application, why to develop music products that seem unworthy of effort; second, if you make a genuine music product that users do not need to pay, the operator will need to pay the record company. On this basis, how to establish a healthy and effective business model.

Google China soon found the answer to the first question. With the original music of the giant whale hit, Google with technology and funds to invest in the whale, Google is responsible for building a music search platform, the whale is responsible for copyright licensing negotiations with the record company. Users in Google Web search input song or singer name, can jump directly to the whale Music network music links. In this way, Google China is equivalent to only provide product access, not contrary to the headquarters focused search strategy.

The second question seems not too difficult to solve. Kai-Fu Lee, Lin and other people have judged, Google music to want to succeed one to see whether the product is good enough to attract a large number of users, the second is whether based on the huge amount of users through brand advertising and resources to form a healthy ecological chain.

Google China once saw the legitimate music products of the good business prospects. Lin to Tencent Science and technology memories, 2008 Google Music released only half a year, user browsing (PV) on the growth to 2000多万次, Mercedes-Benz cars, Volkswagen and other major brands have been thrown into the olive branch ads, several mobile phone brand Enterprises began to find Google to discuss cooperation. This makes the whole team excited.

Google in China in early 2009 has made optimistic predictions: If Google Music Search to maintain the initial growth rate of users, is expected by the end of 2010, on the line 1.5, the whale to pay the record company's money can basically play flat.

A former Google person believes that the next more popular song, only need to spend 3 cents, that is, two cents in the yuan, and download a song abroad a few dollars. "Record companies are willing to support Google to try because it is a good business for them to have 2 cents to go to the next song, compared to domestic piracy." ”

March 2009 Google Music Search officially launched, Google through the giant whale and the world's four major record companies and more than 140 small record companies signed, with 3.5 million genuine songs to use the right. As the number of users of Google's music search service has soared, the cost of single copyrights will also fall rapidly.

Everything seems so bright. Google launched music search, kai-fu Lee once as a local example of Google products, he has publicly said that the Headquarters attaches great importance to the Chinese market, but also give full decentralization, Google Music Search is a good introduction of the show. "In the future, Google will be able to gain headquarters support and decentralization in more localized areas." He was full of confidence.

Wake up--Google's withdrawal from China brings Waterloo

Reality pulls people from dreams back to reality. Just as Google's music ambitions, a sudden major event interrupted its vision of the future-Google withdrew from China. Relations between Google and the Chinese government have been strained in March 2010 when Google announced the relocation of its mainland search service to Hong Kong.

Google Music Search in the business model chain, income depends on the support of advertisers. But with Google out of China, brand advertisers are starting to stay away from Google Music, and lack of revenue makes it harder to run normally. "This leads to a negative ecological chain, with no advertising or other income, and it is hard for the whale to stand alone if the whale pays." "said one former Google person.

The support of Google Music and the participants were also evacuated. When Lee led Google to invest in the giant whale, persuaded the headquarters to invest in cash and related technology, and then Google added some input, before and after a total investment of 8.91 million U.S. dollars. But when Lee left Google in August 2009, the whale lost vital support. Since then, directly responsible for Google Music Search Lin, Senior product manager Hong Feng, and other core characters have left, the team most of the engineers transferred to the United States, responsible for the development and operation of Android music, Google musical search is not only rarely updated, but only leave a staff maintenance, only occupy its 20% of working hours.

There is no denying that Google Music is a design and experience has been a surprise product. Even Eric Schmidt, the CEO of the company, couldn't ask any sharp questions. But by the objective reality influence, plus the core member turnover, the follow-up investment insufficiency, this product finally becomes the chicken ribs.

Two years later, Google China Engineering research general manager Wenluo announced the closure of Google's Chinese music search, saying the product's influence is not as high as expected. Google is committed to building excellent products that can really change people's lives. In this process, planning priorities and priorities are key to success. This is why, over the past year, it has been decided to close some of the products and consolidate other products to make them a feature of existing products.

In fact, since Page became CEO in January last year, Google has significantly adjusted its business, while the acquisition of the core business, Google has also cut off a lot of non-core business, and even some of the business has been spending huge sums of money to buy. Among the many products such as wave and buzz, which have been expected by the outside world, have been abandoned.

The reason Google gives is that these products have not been as successful as expected, and Google's Chinese shutdown of the music Search service is exactly the same, that must be reluctantly, to make room for other projects, such as Google +, the social service is trying to integrate with other Google products. Therefore, Google China cut off the music search service is not surprising.

Google Music was finally shut down to make the product once a participant Shixi. Now has become the Millet technology President Lin Talk about the former project was cut, there are melancholy also unwilling. "Google Music Search service does not do, is not really genuine music in the country can not go on, I think today is still a question mark, this with some objective factors have a great relationship." Not the product itself can control. I am also surprised that the music search can go today. "Lin said.

Google music fate as the Google in China, the fate of condensed version, we guessed the story began, but guess the end of the story.

When Google's American counterpart, Microsoft, and Apple made big profits in China, Google in China dejected, not only the top has left, itself become the Chinese Internet Whampoa Military Academy, the business in China has also been repeatedly frustrated: 360 do search direct throttling most of the flow, leading its ranking in the domestic search plummeted, and even just acquired Motorola Mobile also go bad luck , employees suffered massive layoffs.

Taking stock of Google's performance in China for more than two years, it is like an old poor sick cat, but still want to keep the Tiger's majesty, but today's China Internet, it has lost too many opportunities.

The hard quest--The digital music seeks the road of charging

Google music continued to sink until the shutdown also let its partner whale deeply hurt. Whale CEO Chen has revealed to the media that since April or May 2010, the flow of the whale network has started to decline. In the past, the flow of giant whales through Google search has 60%~70% the total flow of whale networks.

Chen does not agree with Google Music Search service due to the impact of the closure of the argument, he publicly countered that from March 2009 Google Music Search on the line to June 2012, the whale services Google hundreds of millions of users to download audio-visual 6 billion times, produce about 15 billion PV, advertising stock of 400 million yuan.

What is the direct cause of the death of Google Music Search service? Chen that Google has been out of China since 2010 after the chaos, Google music advertising sales almost stopped, and repeatedly rejected the giant whale to sell advertising applications, resulting in huge traffic, Google is responsible for advertising sales very little. To this end, Chen even suggested that Wenluo to the giant whale music, the music industry and hundreds of millions of Google Music users to express "apology and thanks."

In contrast, Zhang, chairman of the Whale, said that stopping the music search was a decision made by Google, rather than a request by the giant whale to stop cooperating. Google traffic has fallen very badly, music search has been greatly affected, and Google China has not spent too much effort in music search.

Known as "completely changed" by Chen, Google is still a big shareholder of the giant whale, but Google does not seem to care about the giant whale, which makes it not only "can't make waves in the ocean, maybe even stranded on the beach."

Whales have also tried to take the itunes route: Buy copyrights to record companies, users pay to download them, but users don't want to. A person familiar with the matter said: "Even if the song price is low and very few users take the initiative to pay, most users come from a variety of promotional points card gift, the average income of only 1000 yuan a day." "This money is a drop in the bucket for the giant whale.

Music Search products are not just Google, Baidu does not look very good. Even when the strong product Baidu MP3, its glorious era has already passed, is no longer Baidu's core department. After years of music copyright lawsuit, Baidu began to play down music downloads, the entire music sector within the position of Baidu has also been greatly reduced.

Former Baidu brand director, now love to help network COO Mahaiping Analysis said, with the web search, Baidu MP3 has completed its historical mission, the product has not been innovative for many years, poor search experience, for Baidu, belong to the products can be turned off. For Google, adhere to the original music users are not many, turn off can also avoid infringement lawsuits, Google is also a rational choice.

In fact, whether it is Google Music Search, Baidu MP3 or giant whales, the fate of the digital music is the plight of the situation 裹胁.

Rolling Stone Mobile senior vice president Xinhua pointed out that the entire Internet music does not have a good profit model, despite the huge flow, but advertising conversion rate such as not video, and copyright fees and operating costs make many music sites and players survive difficult.

In this context, the domestic music copyright is coming closer to the legitimate, there are rumors that the end of the music site may be the music download fees. Cool Music Box digital music general Manager Zeng pointed out that the giant whale created a new model to speed up the Chinese Internet music fee process, this situation will soon appear, the current music fee is ripe, the industry is exploring the implementation of music pricing model.

Internet music downloads will the future go to charges? Wang, secretary general of the National Audiovisual Association, has not confirmed that, however, he told Tencent technology that paid downloads are a big trend, and the Chinese Audiovisual Association's record-Working committee has made it a long-term goal.

Wang thinks, can realize music downloading fee to have several big prerequisites: first, the audience recognition, from this year to watch the music audience mood changes significantly, some listeners suffer from music no boutique, began to pay to listen to songs, which will lead to new business model; second, all music players and music sites need to reach a consensus, And in the same period of time to push users to pay the download fee; third, the music industry also has to agree, that the sound only to provide paid to download the site and players.