The latest venture in the continual expansion of Google’s empire, Google Music, has officially launched.

So what’s the difference between it and iTunes? Not much, it seems. The service allows independent artists to sell their music directly to users, and you’re given one free share of purchased songs with a friend via Google+ – but that’s about it. Like iTunes, there’s a free daily download on offer.

At the moment, there are 8 million tracks available, priced between 99c and $1.29 and all offering free 90 second previews. However, Warner Music hasn’t reached an agreement with Google – so fans of artists like Moby and The Prodigy will have to download elsewhere.

At least someone’s behind Google Music – and that someone is Tiesto, with the DJ providing an exclusive mix for the company.

Currently, the service is only available in the US. Bummer?