Will Google Music Overtake iTunes?

Google is getting into the music business. Online music storage, that is. According to a New York Times article, industry insiders say a Google online music storage site will launch in the next couple of weeks, putting the search engine giant in position to compete with Apple.

Earlier this year, Google launched Google Music Beta, allowing users to store music in one secure place via the Cloud. Google Music advertised itself as an online storage locker, according to the Washington Post, but music executives hint that Google’s new online storage service will rival Apple’s popular iTunes service, with users able to buy, download, and store mp3s, all from servers with no cables or CDs required. Speculators say the service would be directly linked to Google Music Beta, providing a one-stop shop for users to manage and store music, similar to iTunes.

The race appears to be connected to the growing popularity of storing things in the Cloud, where a user’s files and resources are all virtual. Thanks to the current preponderance of smart phones, users are becoming increasingly more interested in syncing phones, mp3 players, and computers without using cables. In addition, it will increase the popularity of music production schools. With Apple’s move to the Cloud, competitors are seeking a way to provide users the ability to store all data on remote servers, accessing it as needed, from multiple locations, without having to constantly update each device.

The biggest concern for these new services is piracy. One music industry executive told the New York Times, “We want to make sure the locker doesn’t become a bastion of piracy.” With Google Music allowing users to store up to 20,000 mp3 files in each locker, executives are watching closely to see if users will find a way to share mp3 files with others, causing the same piracy problems services like Napster created in the 90s.

Apple plans a similar music-storage program, called iTunes Match, which is coming out at the end of October. iTunes Match will charge $24.99 a year to users who will be allowed to store music in Apple’s Cloud. iTunes accomplishes this by storing music known to have been purchased by users in the Cloud, for access via any device or computer at any time.

Google and Apple aren’t the only ones. Amazon’s mp3 downloads have been popular with users for a while, thanks to gimmicks like $.79 popular mp3s and artists offering limited-time free album downloads. And Facebook partnered with the digital music service Spotify recently, with plans to allow users to listen to music with friends.

Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook are all fighting to become one-stop shopping for users on a variety of services. With the Cloud opening up the possibilities, Google is only one of many sites that will try to become “hangout spots” for users. But will users stick with one site for all their needs? Or will they continue to use one site for music, another for social networking, and yet another to share pictures and send e-mails?