Mobile: Large investment in China

Los Angeles, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)--Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group of the United States said Tuesday they have each made a strategic investment in the Chinese mobile content service joint venture of Japan's Access Co. .

The two major record labels aim to fully make forays into China's music downloading market for mobile phones through their capital participation in Beijing-based Access China Media Solutions, which offers music distribution technologies to wireless carriers and handset makers.

Sony, BMG, a unit of Japan's Sony Corp. , and Warner did not disclose the amounts of their investments.

The two companies plan to first come up with a secure structure for delivering copyrighted music through collaboration with Access China, before launching business in the country's rapidly expanding mobile phone market, they said.