The pirates are dying: Long live music

On Zhihu, the Chinese mainland's question-and-answer community version of the US-based Quora site, some fans say they would like to pay for music because it is natural that music creators should be rewarded for their work. However, there are also people saying that it's important to keep the transparency of the pay model and the price for each song is still debatable.

"I would like to pay for good music because the money will enable the singers and songwriters to keep on releasing good works. But now I have no idea about where the money goes to," says one internet user named Phillipe.

Another one, named Dong Nora, says that "I will pay if the price is fair".

Guo says that despite his optimism in China's music market, there are concerns. For example, he notes that China is still lacking the performance and broadcast rights which, if given, will significantly contribute toward greater investment in the development of the Chinese music market.

"Now thanks to our joint efforts, people know about the harm that pirated online music can do to the industry. We want to push and strengthen the legal safeguards, which need more government support," Guo says.

Another issue is discovering local new talent and investing in it. China's record companies were harmed in the early 2000s due to the internet and piracy. The number of Chinese record companies has dropped sharply, and over the past few years, with the recovery of the music market, new local record labels have begun to emerge.

"Once the business environment gets better, the market will boom very quickly," Guo says.

"We look forward to seeing China enter the top-five list over the coming three to five years."