Google Working on Subscription-Based Streaming Music Service

Home  My Music  Google PlayGoogle is in negotiations with music publishers to develop a Spotify-esque subscription streaming music service for its Android operating system, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Currently, Google has a scan-and-match music service like iTunes Match, as well as an Android-focused music download store.

Google Inc.'s Android unit has been negotiating with music companies to start a paid subscription music-streaming service akin to Spotify AB, according to people familiar with the matter.

Separately, Google's YouTube video website is trying to obtain licenses from music labels to start a paid subscription service for music videos and potentially also for audio-only songs, these people said.

There have been rumors for nearly five years about Apple developing a subscription music service, though more recently reports have surfaced that Apple is aiming to release its service sometime in 2013.

Bloomberg reported in October that Apple was aiming for a first quarter launch, but record labels have suggested that negotiations were hung up over licensing fees.

Top Rated Comments

komodrone Avatar
132 months ago
I still buy CDs. Go me!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moshe1010 Avatar
132 months ago
I think MacRumors became GoogleRumors.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
132 months ago
Looks like Google's throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks.

Future posters: please repeat this phrase 50 times throughout the rest of this thread to make sure everyone knows this. It can't be stated enough.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Bulge Avatar
132 months ago
Nothing beats just simply having your music on a device.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
132 months ago
What you say is true. But begging for post quotes just makes you sound like an ass. You're better then this.

Actually, I'm making fun of all the people who kept saying this in the last Google thread. Think there were about 300 different people who posted it verbatim.

You'd go through the thread. Someone would say something, another guy would reply, then you'd see it.

"Looks like Google's throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks."

Three or four posts would pass, and...

"Looks like Google's throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks."

It was kinda scary.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaw04005 Avatar
132 months ago
Google seems to be firing on all cylinders as of lately.

1. Google Now competes favorably with Siri.

2. Google Music competes favorably with iTunes Match (is free and has a web interface that you can use anywhere).

3. Google now makes some of the prettiest iOS software (G+, Gmail and YouTube app are really nice on either platform).

4. Google Glass seems to be moving from a pie-in-the-sky type prototype to an actual product.

5. Nexus 4 is a really nice smartphone for a crazy unsubsidized price (Is an iPhone 5 really worth $300 more than a Nexus 4?).

6. They're rumored to start building retail outlets.

If they manage to do something with Google TV this year, I might actually be impressed with the company.

The problem with Apple is you never know what they're up to.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Now Available for Your iPhone With These 8 New Features

Friday March 31, 2023 8:55 am PDT by
Following six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 was released to the public this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and changes added with iOS 16.4,...
CarPlay Phone Call

General Motors to Phase Out Apple CarPlay Starting This Year in EV Transition

Friday March 31, 2023 8:43 am PDT by
General Motors (GM) will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles starting this year, shifting to a built-in infotainment system co-developed with Google (via Reuters). GM owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC in the United States. It will stop offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, which goes on sale this summer. The company plans ...
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Three New iOS Features Coming to Your iPhone Following Apple Music Classical

Thursday March 30, 2023 7:13 am PDT by
With the Apple Music Classical app and an Apple Pay Later early access program now available, the list of previously-announced iOS features that have yet to launch is beginning to shrink. However, there are still a few features we are waiting for. Below, we have recapped three more iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, including an Apple Card savings account for Daily Cash,...
wwdc 2023

Three Products We Might See at WWDC 2023

Friday March 31, 2023 3:37 pm PDT by
Apple this week announced the official dates for the 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference, with the annual WWDC keynote event set to take place on Monday, June 5. The keynote is where Apple unveils new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, and sometimes, we get hardware announcements. Rumors this year suggest there are at least three new devices that are set to be unveiled in the ...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Solid-State Button Sensitivity Can Be Customized to Cater for Cases and Gloves

Thursday March 30, 2023 11:36 pm PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users will be able to customize the sensitivity of the solid-state buttons on their device, thanks to a new sensitivity toggle in Settings. That's according to details provided by a hitherto reliable source that shared additional details on the MacRumors forums. Earlier this week, the same anonymous tipster revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro models will use...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

Thursday March 30, 2023 4:50 am PDT by
Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "isn't very optimistic" about whether the headset will be able to create an "iPhone moment." As a result,...
iPhone 15 Pro Periscope Mock Feature

Periscope Camera Lens Exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro Max Will Be Supplied by Largan

Thursday March 30, 2023 1:18 am PDT by
The periscope camera lens that will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be solely supplied by Largan, according to the 相機鏡頭中獲利-apple-camera-lens-suppliers-face-two-risks-high-53db8da990b2">latest no by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Rumors about the iPhone getting a periscope lens have been circulating since early 2020, when Kuo first mentioned the possibility. The analyst...