Recently, Amazon launched its new cloud based music service. Close behind them is Google and Apple. Amazonâs service provides cloud storage that is linked to its music store. Userâs get 5GB of online storage for free and 20GB if you buy an MP3 album from Amazon, and subsequent MP3 purchases donât count against the cap. Thereâs also a Cloud Player app for Android that can play music files stored on your account, it doesnât matter if theyâre files you purchased from Amazon or elsewhere, and Amazon has tools that will upload your iTunes purchases to make a switch easy.

Naturally, this new type of music service has got the music labels more than a little upset. They states that Amazon isnât licensed for streaming, and talk of lawsuits have already started circulating, as has a perception that Amazon legally over extended itself with the service. That perception has only become more pronounced after news was released that Amazon and Sony are now negotiating, and there is of course already some bad precedent for Amazon, MP3.com lost a lawsuit over a very similar service back in 2000.

But there is a chance that Amazon will emerge victorious from this, because their Cloud Player is built on top of massive amounts of bandwidth that...

Late last week Amazon unveiled itâs new cloud based music service. What does this mean? First came the iPod in the digital music revolution. It allowed users to take physical CDs and places the music in a digital library that would reside on their computer which the user could then transfer to the iPod and take it anywhere. But the limitation is that you can only play your music on that particular device.

Now there is the cloud. Users will upload their music to an Amazon hosted locker, or Cloud Drive (unlimited for Amazon purchased music and free up to 5 gigabytes for music purchased elsewhere). Using an application called a Cloud Player, users will be able to access that music on any computer connected to the internet (for free). Users wanting to keep large quantities of music, video and other material in Amazonâs cloud will have to pay a fee.

However, record labels donât necessarily consider it fair use for a user to make copies for personal use. Music publishers like ASCAP and BMI also are not pleased with Amazonâs new service. The head of marketing for ASCAP worried that the Cloud Drive âis simply a way to avoid having to pay songwriters and composersâ as well as artists.â

There has been a lot of speculation about the...