14 DAY TRIAL // Google is still on track to launch a music service by the end of the year, according to a new report. The company plans to have Google Music live by December, despite not having signed any music licensing deals, as of yet.
According to Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, Google is currently talking to music labels trying to secure licensing deals. As of now, no major labels have signed with Google.
Despite this, Google is still aiming for a launch this year, in time for the holiday season. It seems that, even though the labels haven't signed yet, they're excited about the prospect of a major player entering the market to challenge Apple's dominance in digital music sales.
iTunes currently accounts for about 70 percent of the digital music sales in the US with the rest going to Amazon, with just over 10 percent, and other smaller players.
With a company the size and reach of Google entering the arena, the labels feel, perhaps rightfully so, that they'll have more leverage in the increasingly important online market.
According to the report, Google's music service will enable users to buy digital copies of their favorite songs, very much like Apple's iTunes, but also to upload their music library to the cloud so it can be streamed from any device.
Earlier this year, at Google's I/O conference, Google showcased an use-case where the users could stream their songs from their computers to their Android-powered devices.
The new report would imply that users will also be able to store their music online so they won't have to keep their computers running to access their library.
Google and Apple have been becoming increasingly competitive in the last year. Their mobile offerings are the top two smartphone platforms. The two companies are also set to battle in the living room with Google TV going against Apple TV, despite some big differences between the two products.