Baidu to steer users to legit music source

U.S.-based music service Qtrax has partnered with Chinese search engine Baidu to provide content for music-related search results.

Under the terms of the deal announced on Monday, Baidu will direct music-related queries from its entertainment portal and Qian Qian Music Online sites to the Qtrax service for artists and songs in the service's catalog.

The service is scheduled to begin on the Chinese mainland on December 17, the Associated Press reported.

When users of Baidu.com search for a song or artist that is in Qtrax's catalog, they will see a button allowing a download from Qtrax. If users follow through, an advertisement will appear on the music-playing software that transfers the song, the AP reported.

Qtrax also has plans to launch such services in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan this year.

Qtrax must pay royalties each time a song is played. It gets revenue only on advertisements shown when a user is downloading a song or transferring it to a portable media player.

As the dominant search engine in China, Baidu will provide Qtrax with substantial traffic from its music and entertainment portals, according to Allan Klepfisz, President and CEO of Qtrax. The music service promises it will provide visitors redirected by Baidu.com a superior music discovery and download experience.

Qtrax, which is based in New York, is a subsidiary of Brilliant Technologies Corp.