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Google yanks Grooveshark music app from Android Market

April 6, 2011 — 10:50am ET | By Jason Ankeny

The Grooveshark service enables users to stream music and share content from its website to mobile devices, as well as upload their own libraries; consumers can opt for a free, ad-subsidized model or pay $3 per month/$30 per year for an ad-free subscription. In January 2010, Universal Music Group filed a still-pending lawsuit against Grooveshark, alleging its servers maintain illegal copies of the label's pre-1972 catalog and claiming the startup's business plan is "based on copyright infringement." In late 2009, Grooveshark inked a licensing deal with major label EMI following a similar lawsuit.

Contacted by CNet, a Google spokesperson confirmed Grooveshark's Android Market ouster, stating "We remove apps from Android Market that violate our terms of service." Google did not specify what violations Grooveshark committed, nor did it say whether pressure from the music industry contributed to the decision to boot the app.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) removed Grooveshark's iPhone application from the App Store less than two weeks after its August 2010 release, citing complaints received from Universal Music Group UK.

Later today, Google general counsel Kent Walker is scheduled to testify before a House Judiciary committee looking into online piracy. Google has consistently denied accusations that it profits from alleged pirate sites that run advertising across its platform and is expected to outline its anti-piracy initiatives at the hearing.

For more:
- read this CNet article