China entertainment portal Shanda announced yesterday that it had reached a strategic partnership agreement with EMI, China Securities Journal reports. The agreement will put EMI music onto Shanda's EZPod set-top boxes, and EMI will also release its newest digital music on Shanda's entertainment platform. According to Shanda Networks president Tang Jun, this is the first time for EMI to approach digital music delivery in China. Under the agreement, EZPod users will be able to listen to EMI's Chinese and foreign-language music online, as well as burn it to CD or play it on portable music players. Payments will be possible at any of 300,000 locations Shanda has set up.Link: http://www.cs.com.cn/jrbz/12/t20060119_846680.htm