Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., the world’s largest Internet-search company, introduced a music service that lets people buy songs through the Android Market, stepping up competition with Apple Inc.’s iTunes store.
Users will be able to store and stream as many as 20,000 songs on Google Music, the company said yesterday at an event in Los Angeles. Google has forged partnerships with 1,000 record labels, including Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, Sony Corp.’s music unit and EMI Group Ltd., letting it offer a total of 13 million songs.
Google has expanded into music, television and movies to help promote its Android smartphone operating system and marketplace. The company, based in Mountain View, California, also will let users share music on its Google+ social network. The challenge will be weaning away users from Apple’s music products and services, which generated $6.3 billion in the last fiscal year.
Users will be able to store and stream as many as 20,000 songs on Google Music, the company said yesterday at an event in Los Angeles. Google has forged partnerships with 1,000 record labels, including Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, Sony Corp.’s music unit and EMI Group Ltd., letting it offer a total of 13 million songs.
Google has expanded into music, television and movies to help promote its Android smartphone operating system and marketplace. The company, based in Mountain View, California, also will let users share music on its Google+ social network. The challenge will be weaning away users from Apple’s music products and services, which generated $6.3 billion in the last fiscal year.
