Google Says it Will Shut China Music Service

Google Inc. says it plans to close a music download service in China due to a disappointing response from users.

The move announced Friday will further reduce Google's presence in the world's most populous Internet market two years after it closed its mainland search engine in a dispute over censorship and computer hacking.

Google launched the music site in 2009 as a legal alternative to Chinese pirate websites. It shared advertising revenue with music companies.

Friday's announcement said the site failed to have the impact the company wanted.

Google's share of China's search market has dwindled but the company still makes money selling advertising on its sites abroad to Chinese customers.

Google's Android mobile phone operating system also is widely used in China.