Google Music Application !

Google Inc plans to start a music -- discovery service that would provide song previews, videos, news articles and other features when a user searches for an artist, according to people familiar with the project.

The music-search feature, expected to be announced next week, will include artists from the world’s four largest record labels -- Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp. and EMI Group Ltd. -- said the people, who declined to be identified because the talks are private.

The feature, called One Box for music, would allow users to purchase songs from the search page through online services ILike and Lala. It will work in a similar way to Google Finance, one person said. When people search for an artist such as Lady Gaga or Green Day, they might get music clips, pictures, videos and biographical information.

Facebook Inc., the world’s largest social network, is also planning to start a service that will allow users to buy music for their friends, said Larry Yu,a spokesman for Palo Alto, California-based Facebook. The service will also allow people to buy digital gifts from other companies through a virtual gift shop, Yu said.

Andrew Pederson, a spokesman for Google, didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. EMI, Sony Music and Universal Music declined to comment. Warner Music’s Will Tanous didn’t immediately return a call.

New sales

The Facebook and Google deals provide music labels with a new method for people to sample and purchase music. U.S. album sales have slumped 45 percent since 2000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Google, which is trying to boost its user base, is offering more services tied to the music industry. Google’s YouTube division said last month it had struck a deal with Warner Music, giving it agreements with all four major labels.

Source: http://infotech.indiatimes.com

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