Google to Launch One Box Music Service

Google is stepping into the ring of online music services to rival the likes of iTunes with their so far unmatched right hook—a superior search engine.

Rather than striking deals with record companies to host the music for itself, the service, called One Box, is a collaboration between streaming music sites such as Lala, Imeem and Myspace’s iLike, as reported by The New York Times. Google will bring these sources together in One Box where users can stream 30-second clips and, in some cases, whole songs via a pop-up window from these various sites.

The goal for One Box, in addition to letting listeners find their music with as much ease as a Google search, is to provide a more interactive experience with artists and musicians. Details about the service are hazy at the moment, but it looks like users will have convenient access to band information, song lyrics and other related material.

One thing is for certain. One Box will be very different from the free music search engine that Google launched exclusively in China last year.

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