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Warner announces deal with Chinese internet giant

By | Published on Friday 14 November 2014

Warner Music Group

Warner Music has announced an alliance with Chinese internet giant Tencent which, says the major label, is the “first-ever master distribution partnership between a major music company and a leading internet provider in Mainland China”.

Under the deal, Tencent will distribute Warner’s catalogue and new releases (including music from Chinese label Gold Typhoon, which Warner acquired earlier this year) to all domestic non-tel-co-based online audio services in China, while the major will also forge promotional partnerships with various platforms operated by the net firm, including the QQ Music streaming service and various video and gaming based channels.

Confirming the deal, Warner Recorded Music’s President of International, Stu Bergen, told reporters: “Since expanding our presence in China with the acquisition of Gold Typhoon, we have focused on establishing market-moving partnerships with innovative players such as Tencent that are successfully harnessing the incredible demand for music in one of the world’s most rapidly changing territories”.

He went on: “Our exceptional teams have forged this partnership to help advance licensed music services and create new artist development possibilities. Providing music fans with access to high quality music, and the right mix of regional and global artists, will be integral to the growth of the digital music sector in China”.

For Tencent, Senior Executive Vice President Dowson Tong added: “Leveraging WMG’s rich portfolio of artists, this strategic partnership will offer fans in China an extensive stream of entertaining and high-quality music content that is well-managed and protected under the license agreement. We are looking forward to integrating the music from WMG’s talented artists into our products and services, bringing the user experience and enjoyment to a new level”.



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