Google to unveil music search

22 Oct 2009, 8:04 am   -   Source: AP/AFP/SBS
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Google is believed to have joined forces with major record labels to lauch the music search (Reuters)

Google is believed to have joined forces with major record labels to lauch the music search (Reuters)

Google will launch a series of music search pages next week, offering consumers the chance to buy songs for download.

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Google will launch a series of music search pages next week, offering consumers the chance to buy songs for download.

The music pages will package images of musicians and bands, album artwork, links to news, lyrics and song previews, along with a way to buy songs, a source close to the project revealed.

The package - due to be announced next Wednesday - is said to be similar to how companies get individual pages for Google's financial news service.

Song previews and sales will be provided by online music retailer Lala and iLike, a music recommendation application bought by News Corp's MySpace for a reported $US20 million this month.

Song previews will appear in Lala or iLike online music players, and users won't have to
navigate away from the search results page.

The effort marks a new way for Google and the recording companies to promote alternatives to Apple's iTunes, the leader in song downloads.

CD sales plummeting

However, the Wall Street Journal said users would also be given the option to purchase songs from Apple's iTunes or Amazon.com.

Major recording companies - including Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Group - pitched the idea to Google a year ago and are cooperating with the project, according to one person.

They will benefit by sharing revenue from song sales with Lala and iLike, while making the discovery, experimentation and buying process simple for people who use Google to search for music.

Although Google won't get a share of song sales, it will collect revenue from advertising that will be shown with the search results, according to sources familiar with the plans.

The development comes as compact disc sales continue to plummet even as sales of individual song downloads are on the rise.

Overall music sales have slid nationwide in seven of the past eight years and recording companies are searching for new ways to tap audiences online and collect revenue from advertising, licensing and downloads.
 

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