Google music service to land before Christmas?

The Gadget Show  Monday 06 September 2010

Google Music - coming soon?

Google may be aiming to launch its very own iTunes-rivaling music service in time for Christmas 2010. Latest reports suggest that the search giant is putting the Google Music wheels in motion for the delivery of a finished product this year.

News agency Reuters reported that Google’s VP of Engineering Andy Rubin has been busy liaising with record labels and discussing the possible music service in order to pave the way for deals to support a launch of a new service “before Christmas”.

An anonymous record label exec has also spoken out in support of the Google Music model: “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. What you’ll have is a very powerful player in the market that’s good for the music business”.

With Google’s archiving and search skills already established as market leaders, Google Music could be a formidable foe for the likes of iTunes and Spotify. iTunes has just been updated to include a new social networking service, Ping, although there’s no word on whether Google would try to include this in the mix.

What do you think? What would you like to see from Google Music that you think is missing from music services at the moment? Have your say below.