Warner Music has signed an agreement with mobile phone operator China Unicom to sell its music over the Chinese wireless network.
The deal marks the first partnership between a major music company and Chinese mobile operator, and represents an attempt to distribute music legitimately and profitably in a market saturated by digital and physical piracy.
Warner Music will focus on Asia Pacific artists including Tanya Chua, Wang Jing, Stephanie Sun and Paul Wong, providing ring tones and voice greetings to China Unicom’s 130 million customers.
The Financial Times reports that similar deals are expected as China prepares to upgrade its mobile networks to allow more data and content to be distributed.