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Google Will Not Sell Music As Expected

At the annual NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) conference the Internet search giant Google stated they will not sell music, even thought the rumors about Google digital music solution have existed more than a year. "We are not going to be selling music," Chris Sacca, head of business development for Google, said in a Thursday address to music merchants and distributors.

Google recently started selling music videos from Sony BMG via Google Video, and offering a new dedicated music search function. That only increased the expectation of its retail play in music and other areas of digital entertainment. But because Google video sales were not very successful and because of a challenging environment for digital rights management and device compatibility, the company will not answer these expectations.

Instead, it was emphasized by Sacca that there is a need for partnerships and innovations. Sacca said the big opportunity in digital music is in developing the ecosystem: one that allows consumers to move content from the home to the car and between devices with ease. He said Google is already leading the music industry by providing the best search for any music name or term.