7digital opens its music download store to Android

7digital, the UK digital media company, has updated its Android app to become a full iTunes competitor by featuring an in-app music download store along with acting as the phone’s music player.

Additionally, in a move that one-ups Apple (for now at least), the app syncs with 7digital’s digital music locker feature so that tracks previously purchased from the service can be re-downloaded to a user’s handset.

The full features include:

• An integrated music store with a 14 million-strong catalogue of high quality MP3 tracks.
• Optimised mobile delivery – tracks will download in compressed, lower quality format when using a cellular network. Full MP3 320kbps quality files will be downloaded when a WiFi connection is available.
• The player allows users to access and sync tracks stored both locally on their device and in 7digital’s cloud locker.
• Users can browse music by genre and new releases, and search for artist, track or album names. 7digital’s top track and album charts are also available.
• Playlists can be created and managed within the application.
• 30 second previews of all tracks are available before purchase.

Aside from today’s updated Android app and its own website, 7digital partners with RIM’s BlackBerry music download store (including the PlayBook), Shazam, Last.fm, Winamp, Songbird and HMV, which has a 50% stake in 7digital.

And until Spotify rolled out its own download store today, the music steaming service was also a 7digital partner. That’s a pretty big loss to the UK company.

The newly updated Android app is available to users in 16 countries: UK, US, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.