Google has kicked Grooveshark out of the Android Market. It's currently unclear if Google will also remotely remove Grooveshark from Android smartphones on which the app has already been installed. The search giant has done this before, but only for malware-infested apps. If the company doesn't start enforcing this policy, users should still be able to get the app from Grooveshark directly since Android does allow you to install apps that don't come from the Market (unless you're on AT&T).
In response to questions regarding Grooveshark's removal from the Android Market, the company wasn't particularly verbose. "We remove apps from Android Market that violate our terms of service," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. While Mountain View did not detail what violations Grooveshark has committed in relation to the Market's terms of service, it is likely that it comes down to pressure from the music industry.
The move comes many months after Apple did the same on its App Store. After receiving complaints from the top record companies last year, the iOS version of Grooveshark disappeared in August 2010.
Grooveshark, based in Gainesville, Florida, is a service that offers music for free by enabling users to post their own tracks to the site and then share them with other users. The streaming service, which boasts more than 6 million songs, is very much disliked by the music industry.