China is finally starting to crack down on illegal music-swapping sites. Why are you laughing? It's really happening this time.
Yahoo! China -- the online portal run by Yahoo!
It lost. Again. Even if Yahoo! China isn't providing the free tunes itself, by allowing users to search for, stream, and download music without leaving the portal, Yahoo! China is clearly benefiting -- and profiting -- from the piracy.
Teacher's pet Baidu.com
The 11 record companies that filed suit against Yahoo! China -- major labels in China as well as global juggernauts like Sony
The music industry is trying to take a stand in cyberspace. It's not just about transforming the Napster
In short, the future of the music industry isn't so bleak if labels hack away at their cost structures while growing the number of incremental revenue streams that are now available. With a fifth of the world's population in China, the ruling against Yahoo! China is welcome, but it's really just the beginning phrase of the music score.
There are miles to go before they sleep, and musical bars to go before they reap.
Stream this Foolishness: