Music by Google expected to launch in November

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Google's new music download service is rumoured for a November launch, going head-to-head with Apple's dominant iTunes.

Earlier in the year, the search engine giant released the beta version of 'Music by Google', a cloud-based music player allowing users to upload and store songs online for access on multiple devices.

Andy Rubin, the head of development for Google subsidiary Android, confirmed at the AsiaD conference in Hong Kong yesterday that the service is almost ready to go live.

It is understood that Music by Google will combine an MP3 download store with Google's cloud-based digital music locker, enabling users to purchase songs and store them in the cloud.

The Guardian reports that Google has signed a deal with major label EMI and is in "serious negotiations' with market leader Universal about licensing songs for Music by Google. Sony and Warner Music, the other two major labels, are also in talks with the company.

Rubin told the AsiaD conference that Music by Google would have "a little twist - it will have a little Google in it. We won't just be selling 99-cent tracks".

He did not confirm the exact timing for the launch, but industry sources have indicated that it will go live in November, offering music from EMI artists like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, along with Universal acts such as Lady GaGa. It is expected that the service will launch in the US first, before expanding internationally.

Reports suggest that the cloud storage service will be similar to Apple's iTunes Match, which scans a computer's hard drive for stored music, legal or pirated, and then matches those songs with versions from iTunes.

Music executives are thought to be positive about the new service as it can act as an amnesty for all illegal downloads. Apple intends to charge consumers $25 a year to access iTunes Match, which will largely be paid to the labels as royalties to make up for years of lost revenues due to piracy