Google Working on Subscription-Based Streaming Music Service

Home  My Music  Google PlayGoogle is in negotiations with music publishers to develop a Spotify-esque subscription streaming music service for its Android operating system, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Currently, Google has a scan-and-match music service like iTunes Match, as well as an Android-focused music download store.

Google Inc.'s Android unit has been negotiating with music companies to start a paid subscription music-streaming service akin to Spotify AB, according to people familiar with the matter.

Separately, Google's YouTube video website is trying to obtain licenses from music labels to start a paid subscription service for music videos and potentially also for audio-only songs, these people said.

There have been rumors for nearly five years about Apple developing a subscription music service, though more recently reports have surfaced that Apple is aiming to release its service sometime in 2013.

Bloomberg reported in October that Apple was aiming for a first quarter launch, but record labels have suggested that negotiations were hung up over licensing fees.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...

Top Rated Comments

komodrone Avatar
155 months ago
I still buy CDs. Go me!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moshe1010 Avatar
155 months ago
I think MacRumors became GoogleRumors.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
155 months ago
Looks like Google's throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks.

Future posters: please repeat this phrase 50 times throughout the rest of this thread to make sure everyone knows this. It can't be stated enough.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Bulge Avatar
155 months ago
Nothing beats just simply having your music on a device.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
155 months ago
What you say is true. But begging for post quotes just makes you sound like an ass. You're better then this.

Actually, I'm making fun of all the people who kept saying this in the last Google thread. Think there were about 300 different people who posted it verbatim.

You'd go through the thread. Someone would say something, another guy would reply, then you'd see it.

"Looks like Google's throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks."

Three or four posts would pass, and...

"Looks like Google's throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks."

It was kinda scary.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaw04005 Avatar
155 months ago
Google seems to be firing on all cylinders as of lately.

1. Google Now competes favorably with Siri.

2. Google Music competes favorably with iTunes Match (is free and has a web interface that you can use anywhere).

3. Google now makes some of the prettiest iOS software (G+, Gmail and YouTube app are really nice on either platform).

4. Google Glass seems to be moving from a pie-in-the-sky type prototype to an actual product.

5. Nexus 4 is a really nice smartphone for a crazy unsubsidized price (Is an iPhone 5 really worth $300 more than a Nexus 4?).

6. They're rumored to start building retail outlets.

If they manage to do something with Google TV this year, I might actually be impressed with the company.

The problem with Apple is you never know what they're up to.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)