Warner Music Partners With Chinese ISP Tencent
Warner Music Group and Tencent Holdings Limited announced a landmark agreement that includes the industry's first-ever master distribution partnership between a major music company and a leading Internet provider in Mainland China. Under the terms of the deal, Tencent will distribute WMG's repertoire and manage new releases to all legitimate local Chinese audio services, with the exception of Mainland China mobile carriers with which Warner Music China will continue to develop partnerships. WMG will oversee relationships with all global service providers, as well as drive all marketing and promotional activities across the region.
The partnership also covers the extension of commercial opportunities for WMG's music across Tencent platforms, including the country's flagship QQ Music streaming service. Further, Tencent will provide unique promotional opportunities to WMG's artists through Tencent's video and music streaming services, mobile and PC games, and social media capabilities, including its leading messaging platform QQ which currently has 820 million active users in China.
This partnership unites Tencent's technological infrastructure and massive user-base with WMG's marketing expertise and roster of global and local artists to accelerate the evolution of mainstream licensed music models in China. By providing wider access to high-quality, licensed music on authorized services, the deal will create greater choice for consumers, greater value for artists and a more sustainable business for music companies and service providers. – via CelebrityAccess
