In Russia's Bizarro World, Google Is an Underdog in Search and King in Music
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Google is having a tough time getting people to use its search engine in Russia, but the company has found a way to draw a crowd there: by putting on a free concert.
Dozens of young people lined up outside Arma17, a nightclub in downtown Moscow, to attend the YouTube Music Awards last week. Russian pop, punk and rap musicians performed on stage at the event under a banner promoting Google’s online video website. While Google organized similar concerts in London, New York, Rio and Seoul, the Moscow gathering is of particular importance as the company tries to attract listeners in a country known for its copyright violations.