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Google Music lets you share tunes with friends

You'll be able to share purchased Google Music songs with friends, according to a leak. Could this challenge Spotify's Faceook deal?

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Spotify may have signed a pact with the devil social networking giant, but looks like Google Music will challenge it in the sharing music stakes. You'll be able to share songs bought from the service with friends, according to an industry insider, matching Spotify's ability to stream tunes through Facebook.

Could this be the "some kind of twist" Andy Rubin promised for the online music store? We think it could.

Business Insider quotes "a person in the recording industry who has been briefed on Google's plans" as saying the service will let you share songs "on a limited basis" once you've bought them. It's not exactly clear how it'll work, but it's thought the songs will be added to your music locker, then you'll email a link to friends, who'll be able to listen a limited number of times, over a limited time period, for free.

Exactly how many times and for how long isn't known, but it sounds mighty exciting.

The source also says that Google is paying the labels huge advances to enable these kinds of rights -- advances we're sure the labels are only too happy to take in the face of an industry crippled by piracy. It's also thought you'll be able to 'pin' songs to your phone or tablet, caching the song and enabling offline listening.

Google Music has been in beta in the US since May, but as ever, us unlucky Brits are yet to be invited to the party. Though it looks like soon Spotify won't be the only music sharing service in town. We're expecting a launch before the end of year -- all signs point to November. Let us know your thoughts/hopes/fears over on our Facebook page.