Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Google Steps Gingerly Into Music With “One Box”
Google insists, over and over, that it has no intention of getting into the content business. So how is it finessing its way into the music business? Very carefully.
The search giant is working on a new service that will provide searchers with streaming music, which sounds a whole lot like a content play at first blush. But Google will only be offering limited bits of music, and it will be relying on other companies–Lala.com, MySpace’s iLike and Imeem, sources say–to actually provide the tunes.
Last year, Warner Music Group boasted about its investments in two digital music start-ups. Today the label says those dollars were wasted. Bummer for imeem, which is trying to raise more money.
