Apple and Google will be in a musical rivalry by year end

Google seeks to invade Apple's iTunes' space by launching an online music service that will be connected to its Android mobile platform and search.

Apple and Google are marching in each other’s tunes but the symphony is hardly friendly. Google is seeking to establish itself in the online music selling space by launching a new Google music service. Google is looking to marry its search engine and the Android-based mobile platform to a cloud based music service. It is in talks with major recording labels and deals signed with them will help to shape the look of the service. Apple has a strong lead in this segment with its iTunes store and range of connected devices. Its seven years of head start has seen it plant its foot on 70 percent of the U.S market in terms of digital music sales. If any company can change those numbers, it’s Google. The Reuters report mentions an unidentified label executive stating that it’s a good thing for the music industry.

"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."

Google already has the foundation in place. Android-based phones are going off the shelves at nearly 200,000 per day. Google already has lot of data (music videos) that’s a barometer on music tastes. It is also looking around for high value purchases to bolster its music infrastructure. But let’s also remember that Apple isn’t sitting on its laurels. It launched Ping, the social face of iTunes recently. It’s also way ahead of the competition. Amazon also has a great reach and an online music store since 2007, but its market share is just around 12 percent. Google’s entry could be a breath of fresh air in a music scene where a single company has a large bite of the apple.