Warner and Tencent announce licensing deal

In the music industry’s latest effort to make money from China, the Warner Music Group has signed an extensive licensing deal with Tencent, one of China’s biggest Internet businesses, the companies announced on Thursday.

华纳音乐集团和中国最大的互联网企业之一腾讯在周四宣布，双方签署了一项广泛的授权协议。这是音乐产业为从中国赚钱而做出的最新动作。

With its new deal, Warner — whose roster includes stars like Bruno Mars, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Linkin Park — will grant licenses for Tencent to use its music through Tencent’s various outlets online. Those include the QQ Music streaming service but may also lead to innovative uses like Warner’s music in Tencent’s hugely popular gaming and mobile messaging platforms, the companies said.

根据新签订的协议，华纳将授权腾讯在各个在线平台使用自己的音乐。华纳旗下艺人包括布鲁诺·马尔斯、红辣椒和林肯公园等明星。两家公司称，许可的平台包括流媒体服务QQ音乐，但也可能会进行一些创新性的使用，如在腾讯广受欢迎的游戏和移动即时通讯平台上使用华纳的音乐。

China, which has a population of 1.36 billion, has some 632 million Internet users, according to one recent study. Tencent says that its mobile messaging platform has 820 million active users in China.

最近的一项调查显示，中国拥有13.6亿人口，互联网用户达6.32亿人。腾讯称，该公司的移动通讯平台在中国拥有8.2亿活跃用户。

“In the end, China isn’t defined by the fact it’s currently an $80 million market,” said Stu Bergen, the president of international recorded music at Warner. “It’s defined by the potential of having over 800 million people — more than twice the size of the U.S.— using Tencent’s Messenger platform and creating a legitimate, long-term, rational music ecosystem that encourages artistry and entrepreneurial investment.”

“最终，中国的定位不会局限于目前价值8000万美元的市场规模，”华纳唱片国际业务总裁斯图·伯根说。“而是在于它的潜力，这里有超过8亿人——美国人口的两倍多——使用腾讯的通讯平台，可以创造一个合法的、长期的、合理的音乐生态系统，鼓励艺术创作和企业投资。”

The deal includes an unusual provision giving Tencent the right to distribute Warner’s catalog to “all legitimate local Chinese audio services,” the companies said, with the exception of mobile carriers, which are licensed by Warner Music China.

两家公司透露，协议中一条罕有的条款授权腾讯向“中国所有合法的音频服务”发行华纳的音乐，但移动运营商除外，后者获得了华纳音乐中国的授权。

The licensing deal includes some revenue guarantees for Warner, which is controlled by the Russian-born billionaire Leonard Blavatnik. Other terms were not disclosed.

该授权协议对华纳提供了一些收入保障，华纳公司目前归俄罗斯亿万富翁列昂纳德·布拉瓦特尼克所有。其他条款没有对外公布。

Tencent, based in Shenzhen, China, is considered a major power in mobile gaming and messaging. Its parent company, Tencent Holdings, had $9.9 billion in revenue in 2013, and is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of $150 billion.

总部位于深圳的腾讯公司被认为是移动游戏及通讯方面的主导公司。其母公司腾讯控股2013年的收入达到了99亿美元，该公司在香港交易所上市，市值达到1500亿美元。

Warner’s deal with Tencent follows its purchase this year of Gold Typhoon, a Hong Kong-based label with popular acts throughout China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, including the singers Kay Tse, David Tao and Khalil Fong.

今年，华纳在与腾讯达成交易之前，收购了香港唱片公司金牌大风，该公司的音乐作品在中国内地、香港和台湾非常受欢迎，比如歌手谢安琪、陶喆和方大同。