Previously we had reported on a piece of news that suggested that Google was working on an music store of their own. This was later confirmed by Andy Rubin himself several days later, where he suggested that this won’t be just any ordinary music store, but there will be a unique “twist” to the entire affair. As to its availability, all he had to say was that it was coming soon, although sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal are saying that we could be seeing a launch in a week or two.
The WSJ also suggests that the “twist” to the music store would have something to do with integration with Google’s social networking website, Google+. This feature would allow users to purchase and download a track and share with others within their circle, with the track featuring a limited number of free plays. In a way we could liken this to you going out and purchasing a CD and sharing it with your friends, with them having a limited number of listens as ultimately they would have to return the CD back to you.
The bad news is that the WSJ has reported that Google has failed to obtain agreements from two of the four major labels, which means that the songs that will be available for purchase, download and sharing will be limited to the labels that Google has managed to obtain agreements for, that means there’s a chance your favorite song or some of the top hit songs will not be available for purchase.
The reason behind Google’s failure to obtain agreements with some of the major labels is said to be due to the labels’ concerns over piracy, which they’re claiming Google has not done enough to curb, especially on existing products and services, such as Android and YouTube.