Google is to unveil today an online music download store featuring songs from three major music companies.

Photo: The venue where Google will hold it’s launch party
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET)

Google is expected to partner with Sony Corp’s Sony Music Entertainment, Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group and EMI Music in time for an announcement today in Los Angeles, reports the Wall Street Journal.

With this roll-out, Google challenges Apple’s iTunes and other similar platforms. The Google Music store is to sell songs for around $1 a piece. There will be an option of sharing one or two free listens with contacts on the Google+ for users who buy songs to social networking service.

To mark the launch, Google tonight holds an event featuring pop group Maroon 5 and R&B singer Drake that will perform in Los Angeles.

Though Google didn’t comment on the expected roll-out, it’s known that it will not significantly influence its another platform, Music Beta that Google has operated for several months without licenses from the major labels. The service allows US residents to access their personal music collections from any web-connected devices powered by Google’s Android software.

Google has also partnered with  T-Mobile to launch the new platform, says Mobile Idea. A partnership with T-Mobile may facilitate Google’s task to attract more users and lure people from from Apple’s iTunes and Amazon’s Cloud Drive. Google will target T-Mobile subscribers, especially Android phone owners.

By the way, Apple has just launched iTunes Match, a service that allows users to ‘scan and match’ music. In contrast to Google, the iTunes user’s music collection doesn’t require people to upload their music, saving them time. However, Google’s store will probably boost users’ stream on Google+ social network and the number of people using Android devices will increase.