Not content with being in the search engine, browser, advertising and operating systems business, it looks like the bean bag-loving people at Google have their hungry eyes set on the music industry. A new report claims the internet giant plans to launch its own music download service in the coming months.
According to the rumor-mongers at the Wall Street Journal:
Google’s proposals are still vague, say these people, and it’s unclear whether it has struck any deals with record labels so far. But Google has been stepping up conversations about offering new music services tied to phones running its Android operating system along with the broader Web, said people who have been briefed on the talks. The launch of Google’s download music store is still months away, these people said.
Of course, a Google music store would put the company in direct competition with Apple’s iTunes store, currently the market leader.
The two companies recently went head-to-head when Google launched its Android operating systems for mobile phones. And as recently as the first quarter of 2010, Android phones had moved ahead of Apple iOS.
The Journal says the first phase of Google’s entry into the music biz will be a web-based store tied directly to its search engine. So when you go searching for Blue Oyster Cult (and you know you will), you’ll see you can download Agents of Fortune right then and there.
The ultimate goal, according to the WSJ’s sources, is “a cloud-based service [that] would enable subscribers to stream music directly from the Internet to their mobile phones, so that users wouldn’t need to store music files on their devices.”
Google Plans Music Service Tied to Search Engine [WSJ]
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And would this cloud based streaming service work as well as Sync has been working today?
“Agents of Fortune”? Bah humbug! “Cultosaurus Erectus” for the win. Nothing will ever top “Black Blade” and “Godzilla”.
“The ultimate goal, according to the WSJ’s sources, is “a cloud-based service [that] would enable subscribers to stream music directly from the Internet to their mobile phones, so that users wouldn’t need to store music files on their devices.”"
So stupidly inefficient…
Considering most carriers are moving to metered service I would agree with you.
Google vs Apple, round 1…ding ding ding…
Only round 1? Where have you been?
If Google wants to be able to sell music online then Google needs to stop making it so easy to find free music….
But they also make money on the ads displayed when you search for music, and whenever you search for a recognized artist/song Google could easily plaster BUY THIS ON GOOGLE MUSIC all over the place. It’s win/win actually.
That’s true, but I wonder if that would also mean tighter piracy programs…
Cloud schmoud. The wireless infrastructure can barely support phone calls not sure how all these other services are supposed to work seamlessly.
I don’t see how this would be any more data intensive then streaming pandora to your android/iphone, which you can, y’know, do RIGHT NOW.
Someone needs to tell Comcast and AT&T of Google’s streaming plans…
*crosses fingers* Please be like LaLa, please be like LaLa!
I wonder if they’ll offer long previews on the songs by default and make musicians “opt out” of it.
Competition is good, but I don’t see a use for it unless they offer something special. Amazon is pretty awesome right now, and I don’t necessarily see myself being swayed unless Google offers something like lossless downloads at a good price (one problem with the current model is that lossless would seem too expensive if priced higher than lossy, and if new CDs die, this could be a very bad thing as lossless music could die out) or a legal version of AllOfMP3′s feature that allowed the custumer to choose the format and bitrate, possibly w/ scaled prices. Something like offering to digitize the currently unavailable portions of the labels’ back catalogs would be a way to set themselves apart, too. Nowadays, there’s no reason for anything that a label owns to not be available. If the label has the rights to something, why not make the money that’s currently going to sellers of turntables and used vinyl ?
Two words: Buy eMusic
Call me lazy, but I’ve already been disappointed download links for songs didn’t already appear in google search results.
Although it begs the question: will I be the only person on earth in 2012 playing music the old fashioned way, on a stereo with amplifier and two speakers?
Enough already, already… sigh, need more coffee..