Yao Ming Sings: Backing China's Largest Digital Music Service
Yao Ming is a super brand and super businessman. Not only is he hired to be an ambassador for various products like TAGHeuer, he has hired himself by investing millions into Orca Digital to create China's largest digital pay-per-music site, Top100.CN. And might I add most legal site!
The company has the support of the Chinese government, Sina (one of the largest Chinese internet portals), EMI, Sony/BMG, international and local copyright groups and many other business partners. It was reported that in 2005 the digital music industry in China grossed 2.66 billion yuan (US$331 million). Good timing Yao! I would like to see an analysis of how the digital music industry growth compares and contrasts to US's digital music growth. How do companies like Apple versus Top100CN establish distribution protocol? China's digital music industry doesn't compare to the $1billion that was raked in the US last year, but keep in mind the year before that the US only brought in $380 million. It is quite possible that China could also experience a 260% growth in one year.
What's cool about Yao's Top100.Cn is that they are cataloguing Chinese music and world music into Top100 categories like regions, genres, themes, moods and other categories. Now that's something that iTunes has not been able to do. What's interesting is their future plans to create a mobile music download/playing service.
BTW here's a cute photo of Yao dressed up as Big Bird
Technorati Tags: basketball, download, music, top100, yaoming