Industry sources tell me Google has talked to several digital media executives about the job, but has yet to hire anyone. I’ve asked Google for comment and will update if I get one.

At first glance, this scenario sounds a bit like the one that MySpace went through two years ago, when it built out MySpace Music, then hired president Courtney Holt from MTV after the service had launched. In this case, though, Google hasn’t formally announced the music service and doesn’t have deals with the big music labels in place yet.

It does have executives working on the service, though. YouTube has loaned out general counsel Zahavah Levine for some time, and earlier this summer Google  (GOOG) brought on another attorney, music veteran Elizabeth Moody, to help put the thing together. And I as should have pointed out earlier (thanks to a reader for the nudge), Android head Andy Rubin is very much involved, as the project is tied to his mobile operating system.

And what, exactly, is Google Music going to be? Good question. Most music executives I talk to imagine that Google would eventually like to run a cloud-based streaming music service. But my hunch is that Google’s initial plan will be a less-ambitious download store, a la Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes–which is due for its own upgrade very soon.

The judge disagreed. And his reasons for doing so will undoubtedly come into play in the Viacom case and others as well. “Veoh has simply established a system whereby software automatically processes user-submitted content and recasts it in a format that is readily accessible to its users,” the judge wrote. “Veoh preselects the software parameters for the process from a range of default values set by the third-party software. … But Veoh does not itself actively participate or supervise the uploading of files. Nor does it preview or select the files before the upload is completed. Instead, video files are uploaded through an automated process which is initiated entirely at the volition of Veoh’s users.”

Google (GOOG) was understandably quite pleased with the ruling: “It is great to see the Court confirm that the DMCA protects services like YouTube that follow the law and respect copyrights,” Zahavah Levine, YouTube’s chief counsel,” said in a statement.

Viacom (VIA) was equally displeased, understandably. “Even if the Veoh decision were to be considered by other courts, that case does nothing to change the fact that YouTube is a business built on infringement that has failed to take reasonable measures to respect the rights of creators and content owners,” the company said in a statement. “Google and YouTube have engaged in massive copyright infringement–conduct that is not protected by any law, including the DMCA.”