再见，虾米音乐

上个月，虾米音乐官方发布声明，由于业务调整，虾米音乐服务将于2021年2月5日0点正式停止服务。也就是说今晚0点起，所有歌曲试听、下载、评论等功能将全部停止。

今天，是虾米音乐的“最后一天”，虾米还是照常发布了30首日推歌单，不一样的是，每个人的歌单是相同的，从《好久不见》、《Thank You》、《Best Friend》《我终于失去了你》...一直到最后一首《My Love》。

无注释原文：

Alibaba to Shutter Its Xiami Music App Next Month

VARIETY

Jan 5, 2021

Alibaba Group announced Tuesday that it will close down its streaming platform Xiami Music on Feb. 5, as it struggles to keep up with competitors Tencent Music and NetEase in China’s competitive digital music sector.

Xiami Music will cease operations due to “business development-related adjustments,” the company said in an official statement posted to social media, thanking its fans. The message concluded: “After 12 years of being together, it’s very hard to say goodbye.” The platform’s Chinese name roughly translates to “little shrimp.”

Xiami was once one of China’s most popular and taste-making music streamers, but it has fallen to the wayside since it was acquired by Alibaba in 2013. It now holding a market share of only about 1.8%, with around 11.9 million average monthly active users between May 2019 and April 2020, according to local reports.

Its closure highlights the extent to which Alibaba miscalculated its charge into the music space by failing to jump on the bandwagon of buying up music IP early, when it still had a fighting chance against its tech giant competitors.

“We can’t ignore that we missed some key opportunities in our development process,” Xiami staff wrote in a separate letter of farewell. “The failure to meet the diverse needs of our users when it came to obtaining music content copyrights is our biggest regret.”

It’s worth looking back at Xiami’s history over the years to get a picture of where the major players in China’s music streaming space stand today and how they got there.

Xiami Music began in 2006 in Hangzhou as a website called EMUMO, or EARN MUSIC & MONEY. Founder Wang Hao, a former Alibaba systems analyst, dreamed of creating an online platform that would charge fees and help Chinese musicians make a living from their art at a time when it was difficult for them to monetize their work. In 2007, the site spun off into Xiami, a P2P sharing platform.

The app had a reputation for being more music-focused than its rivals, and attracted more discerning music listeners keen to discover new sounds through its indie selections. “Inclusivity and its participatory nature were its magic formula to attract fans,” the Beijing News reminisced in a report, remembering how users loved to share song lyrics and commentary.

Xiami’s recommendation algorithm was particularly well-respected, and focused more on helping users develop their taste by recommending lesser known works instead of pushing what was already popular towards further virality. While more social networking-focused apps like NetEase Cloud Music were inclined to recommend tracks based on what users’ friends liked, Xiami promoted more niche groups and indie acts, giving artists rare exposure. While other apps ranked songs according to streaming popularity, Xiami insisted songs be displayed within albums in the order they were intended.

To avoid the fate of P2P pioneer Napster, Xiami tried to go legit and buy the necessary copyrights to the content it was hosting. Wang told the China Business Network that while negotiations initially went smoothly with smaller and mid-sized Chinese labels, it became hard to bear the high fees asked by foreign record companies. By 2012, he felt it increasingly unlikely for an independent music platform like Xiami to survive without massive capital behind it.

Alibaba acquired Xiami in 2013. Yet “this new ‘marriage’ wasn’t looked upon favorably by the industry at the time — users had not yet cultivated the habit of paying for content, and copyright-related regulations were imperfect, so it was difficult for online music business to make a profit,” explained the China Business Network outlet.

In 2015, Alibaba merged Xiami with another acquisition, the mobile music player TTPOD, to form AliMusic, bringing on execs Gao Xiaosong and Song Ke as its chairman and CEO, respectively, in a high-profile launch. The move made more sense by the next year, when Alibaba founded what is now its sprawling entertainment division, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group, making AliMusic seem a bit less alone.

Alibaba made the strategic miscalculation of going all-in on TTPOD, rebranding it as “Alibaba Planet.” It was intended to be a Taobao-like music ecosystem where listeners could stream songs, buy merchandize and follow livestreams and stars, and industry practitioners could access resources and services. Instead, it tanked within a year.

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应

含注释全文：

Alibaba to Shutter Its Xiami Music App Next Month

VARIETY

Jan 5, 2021

Alibaba Group announced Tuesday that it will close down its streaming platform Xiami Music on Feb. 5, as it struggles to keep up with competitors Tencent Music and NetEase in China's competitive digital music sector.

阿里巴巴集团周二宣布，将于2月5日关闭旗下流媒体平台虾米音乐（Xiami Music），原因是它在中国竞争激烈的数字音乐领域难以追赶上竞争对手腾讯QQ音乐和网易云音乐。

表示“部门，领域，行业”，英文解释为“a part of an area of activity, especially of a country's economy”。

📍sector一词在政府工作报告中也是个高频词，如：the financial sector 表示金融业/财经界；heavy-polluting sectors 表示重污染行业；deepen reforms in key sectors 深化重点领域改革；the insurance sector 表示保险业。

Xiami Music will cease operations due to “business development-related adjustments,” the company said in an official statement posted to social media, thanking its fans. The message concluded: “After 12 years of being together, it's very hard to say goodbye.” The platform's Chinese name roughly translates to “little shrimp.”

虾米音乐将因“业务发展相关调整”而停止运营，该公司在发布到社交媒体上的官方声明中表示，同时感谢其粉丝。该消息最后说“12年的陪伴，说不出口的再见。”该平台的中文名大致翻译为“小虾米”。

表示“停止，中止”，英文解释为“to stop something”举个🌰：

The company has decided to cease all UK operations after this year.

公司决定从明年开始停止一切在英国的业务活动。

shrimp /ʃrɪmp/ 表示“虾；小虾”，英文解释为“a small shellfish that can be eaten, like a prawn but smaller. Shrimps turn pink when cooked.”

Xiami was once one of China's most popular and taste-making music streamers, but it has fallen to the wayside since it was acquired by Alibaba in 2013. It now holding a market share of only about 1.8%, with around 11.9 million average monthly active users between May 2019 and April 2020, according to local reports.

虾米音乐曾经是中国最受欢迎、最有品位的音乐流媒体之一，但自从2013年被阿里巴巴收购后，它就一蹶不振。根据当地媒体报道，它现在仅持有约1.8%的市场份额，2019年5月至2020年4月的平均月活跃用户约为1190万。

tastemaking，英文解释为“Influential in the determination of current taste”，字面意思就是对决定当前的品位有影响，可以理解为引领潮流，引领时尚；tastemaker，指的是“时髦风尚的首创者；开创时髦风尚的事物”（a person, company, etc. that has an influence on what will become fashionable, or considered to be of good quality），举个🌰：

What is a tastemaker? Someone who knows - years before the rest of us - which designers and designs will become hot property.

什么是引领潮流的人？就是那些——提前很多年、比所有其他人——知道哪些设计师和设计品将成为时尚热点的人。

正确的说法应该是fall by the wayside，表示“（某人）半途而废，没能完成；（某物）被搁置，停止使用”，英文解释为“If someone falls by the wayside, they fail to finish an activity, and if something falls by the wayside, people stop doing it, making it, or using it.”举个🌰：

So why does one company survive a recession while its competitors fall by the wayside?

为什么有些公司能在萧条中生存，而其竞争者却纷纷落马呢？

acquire作动词，表示“取得，获得；购得；学到；收购”，英文解释为“to get something”举个🌰：

Its closure highlights the extent to which Alibaba miscalculated its charge into the music space by failing to jump on the bandwagon of buying up music IP early, when it still had a fighting chance against its tech giant competitors.

它的倒闭凸显了阿里巴巴在一定程度上进军音乐领域的错误判断，在与科技巨头竞争对手仍有一拼之力的情况下，没有及早加入收购音乐IP的行列。

可以指“误算；（把…）算错”，也可以表示“错误地判断；失算”，英文解释为“to judge a situation badly”举个🌰：

He miscalculated badly when he underestimated the response of the international community to the invasion.

他严重失算，低估了国际社会对这次侵略的反应。

jump/climb/get on the bandwagon 表示“顺应潮流；跟风；随大溜”，英文解释为“to become involved in an activity that is successful so that you can get the advantages of it yourself”举个🌰：

The success of the product led many firms to try to jump on the bandwagon.

这种产品的成功导致许多企业跟风。

表示“成功的一线可能；一线生机”，英文解释为“a small but real possibility that something can be done”举个🌰：

If we can raise enough money, there's a fighting chance (that) we can save the project.

如果我们能筹集到足够的资金，那么挽救这个项目还有一线可能。

“We can't ignore that we missed some key opportunities in our development process,” Xiami staff wrote in a separate letter of farewell. “The failure to meet the diverse needs of our users when it came to obtaining music content copyrights is our biggest regret.”

"我们不能忽视的是，我们在发展过程中错过了一些关键的机会。"虾米员工在另一封告别信中写道。“在音乐版权内容的获取上，没能很好地满足用户多元化的音乐需求，这也是我们最大的遗憾。"

表示“版权，著作权”，英文解释为“the legal right to control the production and selling of a book, play, film, photograph, or piece of music”举个🌰：

His work is no longer protected by copyright.

他的作品不再受版权保护。

It's worth looking back at Xiami's history over the years to get a picture of where the major players in China's music streaming space stand today and how they got there.

值得回顾一下虾米这些年的历史，就能了解到中国音乐流媒体领域的主要竞争者如今的处境，以及他们是如何走到现在的。

Xiami Music began in 2006 in Hangzhou as a website called EMUMO, or EARN MUSIC & MONEY. Founder Wang Hao, a former Alibaba systems analyst, dreamed of creating an online platform that would charge fees and help Chinese musicians make a living from their art at a time when it was difficult for them to monetize their work. In 2007, the site spun off into Xiami, a P2P sharing platform.

虾米音乐于2006年在杭州起步，当时的网站名为EMUMO，即EARN MUSIC & MONEY。创始人王皓曾是阿里巴巴的系统分析师，他梦想创建一个在线平台，在中国音乐人难以盈利的时候，帮助他们收取费用，靠艺术谋生。2007年，该网站分拆成了一个P2P分享平台--虾米。

表示“谋生”，英文解释为“to earn enough money to buy the things you need”举个🌰：

Everyone has to make a living.

每个人都要谋生。

表示“派生出，衍生出”，英文解释为“to produce a useful and unexpected result in addition to the intended result”举个🌰：

The American space program has spun off new commercial technologies.

美国的太空计划衍生出了新的商业技术。

The app had a reputation for being more music-focused than its rivals, and attracted more discerning music listeners keen to discover new sounds through its indie selections. “Inclusivity and its participatory nature were its magic formula to attract fans,” the Beijing News reminisced in a report, remembering how users loved to share song lyrics and commentary.

这款应用因比竞争对手更专注于音乐而名声大噪，并吸引了更多敏锐的音乐听众，他们热衷于通过独立音乐选曲发现新的声音。“包容、可参与，是它‘吸粉’的法宝。”《新京报》在一篇报道中提起，用户喜欢分享歌词和评论。

表示“（尤指对式样或质量）有眼光的，好眼力的”，英文解释为“showing good judgment, especially about style and quality”如：a discerning customer 有眼光的顾客。

indie /ˈɪndɪ/ 表示“（音乐或电影作品）独立小公司制作的，独立制作的”，英文解释为“Indie music or films are made by small companies that are not owned by larger companies.”如：an indie movie/film/record label 独立制作的电影/独立唱片公司。

reminisce /ˌremɪˈnɪs/ 表示“（对愉快的往事）追忆，回忆，缅怀”，英文解释为“to talk or write about past experiences that you remember with pleasure”举个🌰：

My grandfather used to reminisce about his years in the navy.

我祖父过去常回忆起他当海军时的岁月。

Xiami's recommendation algorithm was particularly well-respected, and focused more on helping users develop their taste by recommending lesser known works instead of pushing what was already popular towards further virality. While more social networking-focused apps like NetEase Cloud Music were inclined to recommend tracks based on what users' friends liked, Xiami promoted more niche groups and indie acts, giving artists rare exposure. While other apps ranked songs according to streaming popularity, Xiami insisted songs be displayed within albums in the order they were intended.

虾米音乐的推荐算法尤其受到推崇，它更注重帮助用户培养自己的品味，推荐不那么知名的作品，而不是将已经流行的作品推向进一步的病毒式传播。像网易云音乐（NetEase Cloud Music）这样更注重社交网络的应用，则倾向于根据用户朋友喜欢的歌曲进行推荐，而虾米则更多地推广小众群体和独立音乐人，让艺术家获得难得的曝光机会。其他应用根据流媒体的受欢迎程度对歌曲进行排名，而虾米则坚持将歌曲按顺序显示在专辑中。

表示“倾向于…的”，英文解释为“likely or wanting to do something”举个🌰：

Tom is inclined to be lazy.

汤姆喜欢偷懒。

To avoid the fate of P2P pioneer Napster, Xiami tried to go legit and buy the necessary copyrights to the content it was hosting. Wang told the China Business Network that while negotiations initially went smoothly with smaller and mid-sized Chinese labels, it became hard to bear the high fees asked by foreign record companies. By 2012, he felt it increasingly unlikely for an independent music platform like Xiami to survive without massive capital behind it.

为了避免P2P先驱Napster的命运，虾米试图走合法化道路，为其托管的内容购买必要的版权。王皓告诉《第一财经》，虽然最初与中国中小型唱片公司的谈判很顺利，但却难以承受国外唱片公司的高额费用。到了2012年，他觉得像虾米这样的独立音乐平台，如果没有大量资本在背后支持，越来越不可能生存下去。

表示“合法的；守法的；按法律（或法规）行事的”，英文解释为“legal, or acting according to the law or the rules”举个🌰：

The business seems legit.

这笔生意看起来是合法的。

熟词僻义，表示“公司；品牌商品；公司名称；公司标志”，英文解释为“a company that produces goods for sale, the goods themselves, or the company's name or symbol”举个🌰：

Her favourite designer label (= maker of expensive clothes) is Armani.

她最喜欢的服装品牌是阿玛尼。

📍此前，戳爷Troye Sivan被传已分手数月？文中就提到，Representatives for Sivan's label EMI declined to comment on rumours of a split. 戳爷的唱片公司EMI代表拒绝对分手传闻发表评论。此处的label指的则是“唱片公司”，英文解释为“a company that produces and sells records, CDs, etc.”。

Alibaba acquired Xiami in 2013. Yet “this new ‘marriage’ wasn't looked upon favorably by the industry at the time — users had not yet cultivated the habit of paying for content, and copyright-related regulations were imperfect, so it was difficult for online music business to make a profit,” explained the China Business Network outlet.

2013年，阿里巴巴收购了虾米音乐。然而，“但这场‘联姻’当时并不被业内看好，彼时用户尚未培养起付费习惯，版权相关的法规也不完善，互联网音乐行业想要盈利还很难。”《第一财经》解释道。

表示“培养，培育；养成；陶冶；改进”，英文解释为“to try to develop and improve something”举个🌰：

She has cultivated an image as a tough negotiator.

她将自己的形象塑造成一个强硬的谈判者。

outlet/outlets一词经常出现，media outlet / news outlets 都可以表示媒体/新闻机构；

outlet本身表示“商店，商行；销售公司；专卖店；直销店”，英文解释为“An outlet is a shop or organization which sells the goods made by a particular manufacturer or at a discount price, often direct from the manufacturer.”如：a fast-food outlet 快餐店 a retail outlet 零售店，举个🌰：

At the factory outlet you'll find discounted items at up to 75% off regular prices. 

在工厂的直销店里，你会找到比常规价低75%的打折商品。

📍而我们日常生活中常见的“奥特莱斯”商场就是outlets的音译，指的就是品牌直销购物中心。

In 2015, Alibaba merged Xiami with another acquisition, the mobile music player TTPOD, to form AliMusic, bringing on execs Gao Xiaosong and Song Ke as its chairman and CEO, respectively, in a high-profile launch. The move made more sense by the next year, when Alibaba founded what is now its sprawling entertainment division, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group, making AliMusic seem a bit less alone.

2015年，阿里巴巴将虾米与另一收购的移动音乐播放器天天动听（TTPOD）合并，成立阿里音乐（AliMusic），高调任用高晓松和宋柯分别担任董事长和CEO。次年，此举更说得通了，阿里巴巴成立了现在的大文娱业务板块--阿里巴巴文化娱乐集团，阿里音乐被划入其中。

表示“（使）合并；（使）融合”，英文解释为“to combine or join together, or to cause things to do this”举个🌰：

They decided to merge the two companies into one.

他们决定将两家公司合并为一家。

profile一词经常出现，1）表示“（有关某人的）简介，概况”，英文解释为“A profile of someone is a short article or programme in which their life and character are described.”举个🌰：

A newspaper published comparative profiles of the candidates' wives.

一份报纸刊登了候选人妻子们的对比简介。

2）表示“关注度”，英文解释为“If someone has a high profile, people notice them and what they do. If you keep a low profile, you avoid doing things that will make people notice you.”常用：a high profile 惹人注目/关注；高姿态，a low profile 不惹人注目，低姿态；如：a move that would give Egypt a much higher profile in the upcoming peace talks 会给埃及在即将到来的和平谈判中高关注度的一个行动。

📍顺便插一句，如果你把微信语言设置成英文，你就会发现微信官方把头像处理成：Profile Photo，上面的“My Profile”对应的中文则是“个人信息”。

字面意思表示“蔓延的；杂乱无序伸展的”，英文解释为“spreading out over a large area in an untidy or irregular way；existing or reaching over a large area”。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述腾讯游戏业务的文章中提到：Yet the way it operates its sprawling empire may provide it with cover. 不过，腾讯管理自己庞杂帝国的方式可能为它提供了掩护。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述Google的文章中提到：The archetype for this approach is GE in its heyday under Jack Welch, who persuaded shareholders that sprawling businesses could work well, provided they were run by expert managers.这种方法的原型是杰克·韦尔奇（Jack Welch）领导下的全盛时期的GE。韦尔奇让股东们相信，假如那些庞杂的业务由职业经理人来管理，就能很好地运作。

Alibaba made the strategic miscalculation of going all-in on TTPOD, rebranding it as “Alibaba Planet.” It was intended to be a Taobao-like music ecosystem where listeners could stream songs, buy merchandize and follow livestreams and stars, and industry practitioners could access resources and services. Instead, it tanked within a year.

阿里巴巴在战略上出现了失误，全身心投入到天天动听（TTPOD）上，将其改名为“阿里星球”。它本意是一个类似淘宝的音乐生态系统，听众可以在这里播放歌曲、购买商品、关注直播和明星，行业从业者可以获得资源和服务。但是，不到一年它就停止服务了。

1）表示“（扑克游戏等中）全下地，下注所有筹码地”，英文解释为“in a way that risks all your money in a game such as poker”；

1）表示“破釜沉舟地”，英文解释为“in a way that shows a lot of determination and a willingness to take a big risk in order to achieve something”

They have gone all-in to prop up the economy.

他们采取了破釜沉舟的方法来刺激经济。

熟词僻义，作名词是坦克的意思，作动词有“表现得很糟糕，快速减少，衰落，下跌”的含义，英文解释为“If something such as a stock price or a movie tanks, it performs very badly, for example because it loses a lot of money.”举个🌰：

Tech stocks have tanked.

科技股票暴跌了。

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