Shots of what appear to be a Google-powered music shop on Android have surfaced.
This is understandably leading to even more speculation that Google’s long expected entry into the competitive digital music business may be happening sooner rather than later.
Google is holding a special media event on Wednesday. Before the screenshots, which first appeared on Tecnodroidve.com, came to light, there was already an assumption that this event would be dedicated to a Google music platform.
Now it seems almost like a certainty. But the question is whether or not Google will able to compete.
The two titans in the industry right now are iTunes and the Amazon MP3 Store. Google has actually done a lot to boost Amazon’s presence in this space. Back in the day, the Amazon MP3 app was pre-installed on Android phones. Today, it remains one of the most popular apps for the mobile Google operating system.
Features that Google will reportedly offer include a free song of the day, direct integration with the Android Market, and a recommendations platform that will suggest other artists based on user preference.
It looks like pricing will be about the same as it is everywhere else, with tracks ranging from 99 cents to $1.29 a pop.
It always seemed like a matter of when, not if, Google would jump in to take on iTunes. Based on this most recent information, we’d say it looks like it’ll happen soon.
