The Verge is reporting that anonymous music industry sources have told them that Google is preparing a music subscription service to compete with the likes of Spotify, Rhapsody, and Rdio. Google has apparently signed licensing deals with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group for content on both YouTube and Google Play.
Earlier this year, Google reportedly signed on Warner Music Group for its music subscription service. Now all three major US record labels are on board with Google. The deal will include content for both YouTube and Google’s music subscription service, which will offer different types of music content for users to subscribe to.
While Google’s music subscription will be up against an already strong competitor, Spotify, the company is still beating Apple to the punch. Apple has been long rumored to be coming out with a music subscription service but that has yet to happen. Google’s music service is expected to work similarly to Spotify, allowing streaming and downloading tracks to play offline.
We expect to hear more details about this music subscription service at Google’s I/O conference in San Francisco tomorrow.
[Source: The Verge]
