Two years into its China campaign and Google hasn't been able to unseat Baidu, the country's search leader. But according to a Wall Street Journal report, Google could be turning to free music as a weapon in its fight to carve out a chunk of China's exploding search market.
According to those close to Google, the search giant is planning to offer free, legal music to users in China as a way to attract a greater portion of the market. Google declined to comment on the story. However, the plan is expected to include at least three worldwide music distributors. So far, only Universal has been confirmed as a possible Google partner.
China, which has more than 160 million web users out of a total population in excess of 1.2 billion, has become a coveted prize for American internet giants, with Yahoo and Microsoft also vying for space in one of the fastest-growing markets.
But so far, American firms have lagged behind Baidu, which boasts 60 percent of China's search market, according to a recent Reuters story. Google is a distant second with 25 percent of the Chinese market, and Yahoo ranks third with 9 percent.
