Alibaba, the Chinese digital commerce giant with a market capitalization of $198.76 billion as of this writing (putting it just behind Visa and just ahead of Chevron, worldwide), has announced the launch of Alibaba Planet, a new music-focused platform the company says will facilitate fan-to-artist relations — and vice-versa.
The first “tier” of the new platform allows fans to buy merchandise, watch live streams of performances and stream music; things previously made possible on competing platforms like Spotify through its deal with Bandpage — at least, before its recent acquisition by YouTube. The company says it has licensing agreements with BMG and Universal Music Group. It makes no mention of either Warner Music Group or Sony Music.
Source: Billboard