"Now you can search for a popular artist name, like the Beatles or the Pixies, and often Google will show some information about that artist, like cover art, reviews, and links to stores where you can download the track or buy a CD," Google produce manager David Alpert said in a blog on the site of the Internet giant."We do this sort of thing a lot - adding a bit of special information to results for important searches.

For example, we have movie show times and stock quotes.

The more information we can make easily accessible with a simple search, the better."

A test version of the service was expected to be online Thursday, Google said.

"Right now the music search feature mostly works for artists popular in the US and a more limited number of artists from other countries, but we plan to expand it to classical music, worldwide artists, and lesser-known performers, Alpert said.

"Our list of music stores will also grow over time."

Google remains the leading Internet search engine among US users with 48 per cent of Web searches, according to a recent survey.

Google shares, which went public in mid-2004 at 85 dollars, advanced 3.57 to 422.53.

- Nampa-AFP

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