The era of free online music is coming to an end, and that day is not far off. On March 19, at the launch press conference of the 13th Music Billboard Annual Ceremony, Gao Xiaosong, serving as the chairman of the event's judging panel, revealed that after July 1, China's music industry will enter a fully legalized era, and online music will start charging fees. Once the news broke, it sparked heated discussions online. The majority of netizens stated that 'we're used to free lunches and cannot accept a paid model.' [Revelation] Gao Xiaosong: Online music will start charging from July At the press conference, Gao Xiaosong pointed out that the current state of the Chinese music market is indeed unfair, with platforms attracting users and making money through free downloads on one hand, while musicians work hard to create but have their fruits taken away. He indignantly said, 'It's like I cook the meal, buy the meat, and grow the vegetables, but you just sell it and wipe your mouth before leaving. That's unethical profiteering and completely ignores basic business principles.' In order to change this unfair situation, many people in the music industry have been striving for improvement. Last year, Article 46 of the draft Copyright Law, regarding 'using the copyright owner's sound recordings without permission,' caused huge controversy in the music industry. At that time, Gao Xiaosong, together with Wang Feng, Song Ke, Lin Xi, Xiao Ke, Zhang Chu, Han Geng, Chen Shanni, and other singers and musicians attending the Music Billboard Ceremony, collectively signed a joint letter calling on the relevant authorities to 'listen to the voice of the music industry and amend the related provisions.' This year, musicians' efforts have paid off. Gao Xiaosong stated that with the promotion of major record companies, industry professionals, and the government, the three most controversial articles in the draft have already been deleted or revised. This July, China's music industry will enter the era of legalization. 'All major record company alliances, both online and offline, have reached agreements. Record companies have made significant concessions. All negotiations are complete, and now there is basically no resistance.' Gao Xiaosong pointed out that although online music will start charging, 'what can be confirmed is that the fees will definitely be very, very low.' [Netizens] Mostly hesitant, pricing is the key However, despite the low cost, once a charging model is implemented, many netizens who have long been accustomed to 'free music' remain resistant. In a related survey on a major portal website, 57.31% of netizens chose the option 'oppose, downloads should be free,' and many even said: 'I already pay for internet access, so I shouldn't have to pay to listen to music. The spirit of the internet should inherently be free.'It can be seen that paid downloads do not have a very strong mass base. However, some people have offered suggestions. Netizen 'Flock of Crows Flying Over the Rice Field' said: 'If it is done as well as the iTunes Store and the price is reasonable, I would be willing to pay for newly released music.' Others said, 'Creators also need to make a living. If the price is reasonable, I think it is still necessary.' As for the charging price, in a survey on the portal website titled 'How much do you think the next song should cost,' 92% of netizens chose 'within 1 yuan.' Many users and music fans believe that 10 yuan is the upper limit, and they would not consider paying more.
The well-known musician Xiao Ke mentioned in a previous interview that the target of charges should be music internet websites: 'The charged party should not be netizens. The spirit of the internet is sharing. Websites attract netizens with the music shared by others on one hand and advertising clients on the other. The charged party should be the music internet websites.'
An estimate shows that there are currently at least about 700 million potential music consumers in China who could potentially convert into paying users in the future. If calculated based on a 30% monthly active rate and each person paying 10 yuan per month, the future network digital music market could reach at least several tens of billions of yuan. This market is tempting enough, but many opinions hold that at the current stage, the model of charging users directly is not mature, and the road to charging for online music is long and difficult.
Firstly, this is related to the consumption habits of domestic users. In European and American markets, users paying to listen to and download digital music is natural. However, domestic users, who are used to enjoying free internet content, clearly cannot accept this. This not only requires cultivating the habit of paying, but also the improvement of laws and regulations to eliminate piracy.
Secondly, even if users are charged, the future prospects are not bright, which can be seen from foreign digital music industries. Currently, apart from Apple's iTunes Music Store which has achieved great success, other well-known internet music service providers cannot escape the fate of loss. Take Spotify as an example. With the support of record companies such as Warner Music, Sony, and Universal, and integration with Facebook, Spotify became popular from Europe to the United States. In August 2012, Spotify's paying users exceeded 4 million, and active users exceeded 15 million. However, high copyright fees still caused Spotify to lose as much as 59 million USD in a year.
According to 'Jiefang Daily'
