EMI Music and Chinese search engine Baidu.com are partnering to bring free music to Chinese web users via an ad-supported model.

EMI's Typhoon Music will make music available at the EMI Music Zone area of Baidu's music-search channel, writes the Hollywood Reporter. The deal will feature free music from popular Chinese artists such as Jolin Tsai, David Tao, Richie Ren, Stephanie Sun and Sandy Lam.

Users will be served ads while listening to the songs. EMI and Baidu will share the ad revenue. The partners have left open the option of offering free downloads of the songs.

The move is the latest experiment by major labels to add an ad-supported model to online music distribution. EMI and Baidu said the partnership is "a pioneering approach to monetizing and promoting digital music in China."