Trumpeting its legitimacy was a ?surefire way for Top100.cn to win over consumers and the industry.
For just one yuan per song, mainland consumers could buy anything from The Beatles to Britney Spears, Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai. It was an impressive list set to make the website the iTunes of China.
But after a little research, reality set in. The appearance of The Beatles collection on Top100.cn was a red flag that something was amiss. The Beatles' repertoire has never been licensed to any digital content provider, including Apple's iTunes. If the site was selling The Beatles, then it was not doing so legitimately.
Representatives from major labels such as Warner Music and independents such as Rock Records, whose artists include May Day, said they had held discussions with Top100.cn executives, with varying outcomes. Rock Records said it had met once with Top100.cn, and nothing had come of it.
EMI, which has distribution rights to The Beatles' physical CDs but not digital sales, said it had licensed some content.
For all its claims of legitimacy, Top100.cn's legitimate status was falling short of that mark.