Google will partner with iLike and Lala for their new music service, we’ve learned. And the announcement date is Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
Press, including us, received an invitation this morning (see ticket image above) inviting them to a Hollywood event next week hosted by music services Lala and iLike. The invitation, titled “Discover Music!” says announcements will be followed by performances, and that Lala, iLike “& Others” are hosting. The “& Others” includes Google, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the new service will be unveiled. All four major music services are backing the service.
iLike was recently acquired by MySpace, so the new service may involve them as well.
From information we’ve gathered from sources, the new service will be integrated into Google search. Users will be able to stream songs directly from Google via partners iLike and Lala. Additional information around the music query will be provided to users as well (presumably any relevant results from YouTube as well as information already available in Google’s existing music search – example). One source said that Google will organize music searches in a way very similar to the way they do public company stock searches today.
Users will also be offered the opportunity to purchase songs for download, we’ve confirmed.
Both iLike and Lala provided limited streaming services today. Lala lets users stream a song once, then a user either has to pay or only get a 30 second clip. iLike has some full streaming, some 30 second clips. MySpace Music has full streaming rights from all four major labels.
Update: Screenshots and more information.
Excellent. The Big G is on a roll!
Hey, where is our invite?
Michael, you live a gritty, cutting-edge life.
another FAILED attempt to over hype the google ‘do no evil’ corporation!
you can not stand that today microsoft is rock’n'rolling, right?
I find Lala’s streaming quality very poor. Shocked they would launch this with a much lower streaming experience than Spotify.
I guess this gives Spotify a great way to position against Google. (If this indeed what is happening.)
Lala’s streaming quality is great. I’ve been using it extensively for a year now.
very interesting developments. does this mean facebook’s launch into the music space is put on hold? i thought LaLa was the favorite for their partnership
overall, i think it’s a great step for the music industry as google tends to bring the price down to zero in most industries they explore.
i don’t think the $1.29 iTunes price point will hold up for too much longer.
additionally, i think this is a GREAT development for music startups as google will likely snatch up some companies that are doing related things.
What, are you on a 2400 baud modem or something? Lala’s quality is great if you ask me.
Yahoo has been doing this for forever: http://search.y...mp;fr=yfp-t-701
They should buy spotify…
Last.fm is cool.
Music – such a common thread for so many of us, as Apple are so well aware.
With the recent controversy over Google Voice iPhone app, if Google – with others – pitch an Android-centric offering to compete against the likes of iTunes, they’d be hugely upping the ante. And all nicely in time for the Christmas season…
indeed, I was just thinking this…
Droid here I come!
Any mention or indication of using targeted advertising in exchange for free or reduced priced music?
I wondered when google would get more involved in the music industry. Hopefully this will index music content a little better.
Isn’t the goal of Google to point a user to the most relevant place to find what they are looking for?
This seems like the only place music searches will point are back to themselves or their partners.
Google is using their monopoly power to crown the winners in the music game. Sounds evil to me, and against their very fabric.
If I can get products through a very efficient search engine that covers most my needs, why in the world would I use a branded, stand-alone website like iTunes?
I can see Google becoming the Craigslist of commercial products / services. They can partner directly with producers and wholesalers, making the traditional web retail business even less relevant than it is.
Of course that’s not really in their full interest, as they rely on ad dollars from retailers. I wonder how much revenue Google generates from iTunes ads across its properties?
Firstly, iTunes is not a website, it is software, and is no more “branded” than Google.
Second, iTunes does partner directly with the record labels, though the nature of that relationship differs from that of Google’s. Google is using LaLa and iLike as proxies for their music service, so their relationship is no closer with the record labels than that of Apple. That said, the major labels have been famously unhappy with their arrangement with iTunes, and this new venture may prove more to their liking.
Good points, let me clarify my train of thought.
By branded, I suppose I’m implying attached to proprietary branded products — Apple stuff.
I would assume Google’s product would be open to multiple brands.
I realize record companies partner directly with Apple without a Tower Records or Walmart interfering. What I am getting at is a bigger picture idea — that all products could be sold through a search engine without other middle-men businesses interfering.
I don’t view Google’s brand on quite the same level as Apple’s — I see it more as a info distribution mechanism that has the potential to take over the role of more traditional (closed off) means of distribution.
The internet trends towards greater efficiency, and I think Google understands that better than anyone.
You are getting close to what I think will be the ultimate product, music as application with exportable data. Apple requires adherence to their standards and methodologies, and a more open system would be ideal.
Google now seems to be having their stakes in everywhere.
looking interesting… could be big
Sooner or later more and more companies will start switching away from Google’s Products & Services because they are competing in way too many markets.
I’m not talking about just Apple. Look at Yelp. Right now they integrate with Google Maps, but Google has launched Places.
They have Books and they compete with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc…
They have Checkout and they compete with Paypal.
They have Chrome and the compete with Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla
They have Google Finance and they compete with Bloomberg, CNBC, CNNMoney.com…
Let’s not forget YouTube, gmail, News, Docs, etc…
If their strategy is to have businesses utilize their services they should stop competing with so many companies. I predict a big back lash against google from large businesses very soon.
Google’s motivation for entering these markets is not to coexist with the alternatives, but to eliminate or marginalize them. Consumers will be the ultimate judge of whether their efforts are successful or not. Besides, as long as Google remains the dominant force in search (not assured by any means) these companies will need to have some relationship with Google in order to drive traffic to their respective products.
as willoughby basically mentioned, Google is trying to take over each market…and they’re doing it by utilizing the nature of FREE.
for example, services like surveymonkey have made a living of off charging companies for surveys…well, google is trying to come in and take away their entire business by offering it all up for free.
once they get the market share they’re looking for, no reason to think they won’t start charging. dare i say FREEMIUM MODEL?
It doesn’t seem like iTunes is ever going to approve the Lala iPhone app you guys reviewed back in March. Do you think this is a harbinger of a Lala Android app?
Boy! Oh! boy!:::pause:::Google, is there anything you guys won’t do?
Google certainly is testing out a lot of options by putting their hands in a lot of things. Hope they ‘do no evil’ by making at least parts of this free to lots of us.
at this point, google is the sound of young america, not motown and the other old labels. thanks to google for helping bring them and their catalogs into the future.
this is a great development for music and the music industry. can you think of a better partner who isn’t already in the online music biz?
good luck google audio!
Congrats to Lala. I use their service quite a bit and it’s great, but I’ve always felt it doesn’t get enough recognition. Well, that’s over, I guess! Good job guys.
I have never used LaLa before, but I hope this is a good deal for the artists.