New York Times is reporting that Google is actually working on and is in the process of deploying a music store to compete against Apple’s iTunes and the Amazon’s MP3 store. Google’s current offering does not sell any music but lets users store their songs in their cloud so they can be accessed anywhere. Google reportedly is prepared to launch the music store without actually having the record labels in yet.
Google’s goal is to link the music store with its current locker service. Google is also concerned about this allowing for piracy of music. In the mean time Apple is set to launch its cloud based music service called iTunes match that links a user’s iTunes music purchases and lets them access all of their songs on multiple devices. iTunes Match is expected to launch by the end of this month.
Google is walking into a stiff competition should its plans for a music store be real. Apple’s iTunes Music Store has been the leading retailer of music for a number of years. Apple’s tight integration with iTunes and the millions of iPhones and iPods around the world is something Google will have a tough job working against!