Will Google Music Miss Its Christmas Debut?

Likely To Debut In 2011?

The Internet's big dog, GOOGLE, "is having trouble getting its ambitious digital music service off the ground in time for the crucial holiday shopping season," reports THE NEW YORK POST. "The major music labels are reluctant to wade into untested waters surrounding a 'digital locker' service that would allow listeners to store their music collection and stream it to any device."

The GOOGLE service was expected to be ready for end-of-year CHRISTMAS shopping, but now appears to be looking at a 2011 launch.

"What's been holding things up is that the labels will do downloads, but they need to know more about the locker service, and GOOGLE really wants to keep the two together," one senior music source told THE POST. The advertising model and how artists would be compensated are the two issues causing the most problems in negotiations. "All those details have to be sussed out and they [GOOGLE] have to get back to us with details," the executive said.

The labels continue to be concerned that users will store pirated as well as legal downloads.

"The locker service is a format change," an insider told the report. "Records became cassettes and then CDs and then digital files. Now it's about having digital files you can transfer and access from anywhere in the cloud. It's just a great user experience."

Another executive told THE POST that "GOOGLE is also exploring a possible streaming radio service. Rights for radio play are much easier to come by than those for download sales."

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