iTunes, meet Google Music

At a time when it was becoming unimaginable that iTunes could ever have a decent challenger, one seems to have emerged. Not surprisingly, the challenge is being issued by the only other company that could have done it, Google.

Before we go on, it should be made clear that Google has not made any official noise about the upcoming release. The news comes from several industry sources that are reliable enough for it to be true. What adds fuel to the fire is that fact that Google demonstrated a service, at the recently concluded I/O conference, that was similar to iTunes but was web based.

“Google Music” as it is known so far, will offer song downloads as well as streaming services. Primarily it is aimed at providing more value addition to Android users. But as it is with anything Google, the service will have a lot more to with the rest of the web upon its release. It is suspected that music downloads and streaming might be tied in with searches on Google.

The service is rumored to launch as early as October and if so, Apple could be in for some stiff competition. This is not based on the usual Google euphoria that is always attached to a new release from the company. In fact, the music industry has been actively promoting the appearance of iTunes rivals for a while.

It is this fact that will drive Google Music towards success. The music industry will give a lot of backing to the service, which will in turn result in a better and perhaps cheaper service offered by Google.