Social music service iLike launched into public beta last night at 10pm. iLike takes social networking and uses it to help people share and discover music. The website also provides free music from emerging bands based on similarities with existing mainstream artists. The service includes an iTunes sidebar that allows you to share, compare, and interact with friends.

The service is by GarageBand, a website that helps expose talented new bands based on their popularity among members. The about page on iLike says,

...we designed iLike to improve your iPod experience — with passive discovery of new music, free downloads from emerging artists, and social links to a community of other music lovers — all to match your personal tastes.

Interviews from independent music services, PhilaFunk and Amie Street, have already been published on Folksonomy, but those services focused more on providing an interactive marketplace for discovering and purchasing indie music. iLike seems to go deeper into the social networking aspect of music sharing, and even displays favorite artists you have in common with other members.