CBJ – May 10 – Google Inc. is today expected to announce the release of its new beta music platform, Music By Google, a service many analysts have compared to a music offering from Amazon.com Inc.

Music By Google will allow users to store up to 1,000 songs on its web servers, rather than the users own hard drives, allowing music to be played through a web browser and an Internet connection, similar to a “remote hard drive.”

Sources say users will be able to listen to songs uploaded to the beta site, listening through a streaming mode but, in turn, users will not be able to download the files from the servers.

“We've been in negotiations with the industry for a different set of features, with mixed results,” Zahavah Levine, Director of Content, Google Inc., said in a report. “But a couple of major labels were less focused on innovation and more on demanding unreasonable and unsustainable business terms.”

Reports indicate that the service may also be able through the smartphone Google Android.

However, a major hurdle in the beta project has been rights and licensing issues.

“A large segment of the music industry worked cooperatively and was extremely helpful sorting out the issues of online licensing,” Levine concluded. “We certainly remain open to partnerships with the music industry for new features and functionality. This is the beginning of what we hope will be a long relationship with music and users and helping users engage with music and artists and fans.”