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Digital
Is Google music service now really in development?
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 15 June 2010
How many times have we written about Google being rumoured to be on the verge of launching an “iTunes-killing” music service? Too many times. But C-Net reckons this time the web giant really is considering entering the digital music space with a combined streaming and download platform that could launch within the year, and which would be accessible via both the web and phones running Google’s Android operating system.
Despite frequent rumours that a Google download service was in development, for years it seemed unlikely the web firm would enter a head-to-head battle with its then friendly rival Apple. But as the two tech giants become less and less friendly rivals, as they fight for dominance in the smartphone market, some sort of gTunes service has seemed more likely in recent times.
Though when Google announced it was launching a big new music service last year it turned out to just be OneBox, the enhanced music search service available to US Googlers, where users can play tunes that come up in a search via the Google platform. The actual streams are powered by MySpace’s iLike and, until recently, the now Apple-owned and now defunct Lala.com.
But the new Google music service reportedly in development would be a full streaming and download platform, seemingly with the web giant licensing music directly from the labels and publishers rather than piggy backing on someone else’s streaming platform.
Google, of course, have a brand, user-base and user-intelligence that could enable them to really make a mark in the digital music space if they launched with the right product, though – given their pile-em-high-sell-em-cheap advertising model, which has proven unable to pay the music industry what they think their content deserves in the YouTube domain – it remains to be seen if the web giant is really equipped to launch a free-to-use ad-funded digital music platform. It could go the a la carte download or subscription route, but Google has less pedigree when it comes to offering content-based retail or subscription services.
Still, after all the speculation over the years, it would be nice to finally see a gTunes style service actually launch.
