Warner Music top man Edgar Bronfman Jnr says he reckons the mobile music industry will play an important role in the development of the wider music business in both China and India in the coming years. Both China and India are big growth markets for the music industry, of course, but both continue to be dogged by high levels of physical product and online piracy, despite some significant victories in the fight against the pirates. But with mobile networks expanding rapidly in both countries, and with those networks having their own reasons to make sure it is easier for their customers to access legitimate music services via their phones, Bronfman reckons partnerships between labels and mobile firms are especially important in those markets.
Red Herring report that Bronfman told a recent investor Q&A session that he doesn't believe piracy in the region will be resolved "anytime soon", observing: "I don't think we are going to sell a whole lot more CDs in China, but [with] 600 or 700 million handset subscribers that exist there today, once they start upgrading those phones, I think that will be a place where we can actually do commerce".