Google Buys Songza: Internet Juggernaut Sparks Deal With Playlist-Focused Streaming Service, Aims To Compete With Apple’s Beats & Spotify

It appears Google now has another reason to celebrate being one of the most innovative companies in the world –– the search engine giant just purchased the music-streaming playlist service Songza in a deal that we can only assume is for an enormous sum of money.

For those not in the know, Songza is a streaming playlist service founded in 2010, which offers "playlists made by music experts" and recommends an array of other playlists based on specific topics: time of day, mood, commuting, at the gym, sleeping, etc.

While no terms of the deal have been revealed, it was reported earlier last month that the bid from the once-upon-a-time just-a-search-engine was at least $15 million.

Google has previously praised Songza, calling the company "a great service which uses contextual expert-curated playlists to give you the right music at the right time." And in speaking of their recent deal, Songza added, "we can't think of a better company to join in our quest to provide the perfect soundtrack for everything you do."

The deal comes at an interesting time, seeing how Apple has recently completed its purchase of Beats Electronics and streaming service for a reported $3 billion. Coming at the heels of the contract, the Google / Songza deal has led many to believe this is Google's way of keeping their eyes on perhaps their biggest competitor (Apple) as well as Spotify, which is now the leading music-streaming service.

Currently based in Long Island City, Songza will soon find its home in Google's Manhattan office as part of their Google Play Music service. Previously, the company had no free streaming service ... until now.

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