Google is planning to introduce a new subscription-based streaming music service to compete with Spotify and other similar services. The feature will be integrated into Google Play and could be introduced as early as this morning at Google I/O, Google’s annual developer-centric conference.
The service has been in development for some time now, and when launched will put Google at an advantage over competitors like Apple and Amazon, who have yet to launch an integrated streaming music service to their platform. And with the lackluster sales the Play Music Store has accrued, this could be the jump-start to help them catch up with iTunes, the largest retailer of music in the United States.
Spotify has more than 24 million subscribers, 6 million of which pay for the service while Pandora has a whopping 200 million users, most of which use it free. Apple is also in talks to develop an Internet radio service along the lines of Pandora, although they are still negotiating with record labels and publishers. According to insiders, Google’s service will not include a free tier, but will be priced similar to Spotify and other competitors like Mog and Rdio, at or around $10 a month.
Launching the service has been a slow process, made slower by Google’s strained relationship with major record companies. While most record labels have utilized Google’s YouTube for promotional campaigns and the Recording Industry Association of America has even started counting streams of songs toward Gold and Platinum certification, it does not change the RIAA’s criticism of Google for not doing enough to combat online music piracy. Nonetheless, Google is said to have licensing deals with three of the four major record labels including the Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and the Warner Music Group. Representatives for each label have declined to comment.
Interestingly enough, the service Google is unveiling this week is one of two music service being launched by Google. The other service, reportedly being developed by Google’s YouTube branch, is still in its early stages but negotiation are apparently underway. These services will be a welcome addition to the many available options out there for Android, and as more announcements are made, we will post them here. In the meantime, let us know in the comments what streaming service you use, and what Google would need to introduce to the table for you to make the switch.
Source: New York Times
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