SHANGHAI, July 6 -- BAIDU.COM, the most-used search engine in China, has formed a partnership with the world's leading independent Chinese-language record label to stream its music online and share in the advertising revenue generated by the service.

The agreement with Rock Music Group came after the Beijing-based Website was cleared in court of helping users download pirated music, in a case brought by some of the world's biggest music companies.

"This partnership reflects the growing industry recognition of the advertising-supported free music streaming model," said Robin Li, Baidu's chairman and chief executive officer.

"Advertising-supported music provides more listening options for Internet users and gives online advertisers a powerful marketing platform."

Under the agreement, a selection of Chinese language music from Rock Music's repertoire will be made available for streaming at no charge to all Baidu users. Online ads will be displayed while users listen in.