Google (GOOGL) has confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it is testing “Listen Now” ads in search results for streaming music services including its own Google Play Music and competitors like Spotify, Rhapsody and Apple (AAPL)’s Beats Music.
The new ad formats, which are designed to simplify purchases for consumers, appear in searches on PCs as well as mobile devices and are performing well for some advertisers, a person familiar with the results told the Journal.
“Music services previously could have bought similar ads, but the grouping, display and labeling are new. “We’re happy to help users quickly find legitimate sources for their favorite movies, music and more via Google search,” a Google spokesman said.
The search giant also confirmed to the publication that the music services pay for each click they get, just like traditional text link ads it displays in search.
Google also confirmed to the Journal, who first noticed the ‘Listen Now’ section, that the test had started in the past few weeks.
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