Google might soon release its own iTunes competitor.
According to a CNet report, the company is using Google Music internally, which means it's readying the service for public launch.
Rumors of a Google music service have been circulating for a long time. They were last mentioned at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month when Motorola Mobility chief Sanjay Jha suggested that the benefit of having its upcoming Xoom tablet run on Android Honeycomb is that "it adds video services and music services."
"If you look at Google Mobile services [via Android] today, there's a video service, there's a music service – that is, there will be a music service," Jha said.
Before that, the service was discussed during the 2010 Google I/O conference. At that point, Google said a user could stream music on an Internet-connected PC to an Android phone, and also purchase music in the Android App Store and send it to the phone or another devices. When asked if that meant Google was prepping a music sevice, Vic Gundotra, the vice president of engineering for Google, said "we just focus on delivering better apps for the user. Over time, you'll see that strategy more broadly unfold."
In September, Billboard reported that Google was chatting with major record labels about the service. According to the report, Google's vice president of engineering had pitched the service to the labels directly. CNet says these negotiations are ongoing, and that the company is seeking cloud music rights.
Those types of rights are new territory for the music industry, and Apple is said to be engaged in similar conversations with labels. In Google's case, it's looking for the rights to users' existing libraries.
At this point, the Honeycomb platform includes a Google music app, but the company failed to mention a music-specific service at its Honeycomb event. Reps from Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.