Baidu’s Digital Music Deal Ends Legal Bout In China

Chinese search engine Baidu Inc. signed a digital music distribution deal in China with a company backed by Universal Music, Warner Music, and Sony Music.

Baidu inked the deal with One-Stop China, a joint venture created by Universal Music, Warner Music, and Sony Music. The new partnership was accompanied by a conciliation agreement, endorsed by the Beijing High People’s Court, that ended outstanding litigation between the three record companies and Baidu.

OSC shareholders will reportedly license to Baidu their catalogues and upcoming new releases, including Chinese songs and international tracks, which can be streamed or downloaded from Baidu’s servers.

Under the terms of the deal, Baidu will reportedly remunerate music content owners on a per-play and per-download basis for all tracks delivered through the Baidu MP3 Search service, as well as Baidu’s newly launched social music platform, ting. The new product offers users the ability to discover and share music and music-related content. Specific financial details were not yet released.

Users will be able to sign up for membership free of charge through the advertising-supported ting website.