(ECNS) -- An official from the National Copyright Administration (NCA) on Wednesday denied industrywide speculation about a possible new rule that would subject online music to payment, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Thursday.
Yu Cike, director of the NCA's copyright management department told those at a seminar on online music copyright protection in Beijing on Wednesday that the government and market each play their respective roles. "If the situation is grave enough, like the stock market in recent days, the government will interfere. However, the online music sector has experienced nothing like that."
"We hope composers and songwriters, music associations, record companies and service providers would jointly research whether online music should charge fees and what models the industry should adopt. However, in the long run, only a fee-based music industry can be sustainable."
Ding Bo at NetEase Music says many Chinese are used to a "free lunch" in terms of listening to music and suggests that if one rival still offered a free service, others would find their "user base will dwindle away" if they "insist on charging fees".
On July 8, the NCA issued a notice ordering online music service providers to stop the unauthorized spread of musical works.
The authority will step up its crackdown on copyright infringement, including more severe punishment, criminal charges and the shutdown of unregistered websites, Yu says.
