Online streaming service sets up venture to promote Western classical music

NetEase Cloud Music, an online music streaming service under Chinese internet company NetEase Inc, has launched a channel for Western classical music, one of the first of its kind in the country, in the hope that younger audiences will take to the genre.

Besides programs on classical music divided by categories, such as composers and musical instrument players, the platform also features classical music based on different forms, such as opera and chamber, and based on seven periods, including the Renaissance (1400-1600) and Baroque (1600-1750).

NetEase Cloud Music, which is one of the largest mainstream music online services in China, has more than 600 million registered users. Wu An, its product manager, says preparations for the launch of the music channel took four months, and aims at filling in a gap for those who have no classical music training background but want to learn about classical music.