Mountain View, Calif. – Google (NASD: GOOG) hopes to launch its planned music service as early as
December, and the company’s vice president of engineering Andy Rubin is leading
licensing talks with the major labels on the download store and cloud-based
locker service, Reuters reported, citing sources.
The company has not yet
reached a deal with any of the majors, sources told Reuters.
"Finally
here’s an entity with the reach, resources and wherewithal to take on iTunes as
a formidable competitor by tying it into search and Android mobile
platform," one label executive told Reuters. "What you’ll have is a
very powerful player in the market that’s good for the music business."
"We’re
cautiously optimistic because Google has great scale and reach but doesn’t have
a track record in selling stuff," another label executive told Reuters.
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