As faithful followers of the Free Line already know, Google is easily at the top of the “search engine pile.” The folks at Cuil is aiming to change all of that. Headed by former Google employee Anna Patterson, Cuil is a new search engine that will supposedly “change the way that searching works.” Their secret? Well for starters, Cuil supposedly has 120 billion pages in its index. Google “only” has about eight billion. Patterson is also experimenting with a three-column search result page, which gives the page more of a “magazine-like” feel.The first search engine using Yahoo BOSS, the new search initiative that allows users to create their own search engine, has been released. Called SearchCloud, the engine allows users to dictate the importance of a keyword or phrase. The idea behind it is that by qualifying the importance of the keywords used within a search, users will receive results more suited to their needs. It remains to be seen how well the SearchCloud concept works in practice. Expect to hear more about this promising new engine in the coming months.

In other search engine news, Microsoft announced last week that Live Search will be heading to Facebook. The agreement is considered to be an expansion of a previous deal that saw Microsoft purchase a $240 million stake in the company. As we reported Monday, the deal with Microsoft is just one of two major partnerships deals Facebook had made in the past few months. Facebook plans to have Live Search online by the end of the year.

Switching to the world of online music, it appears as if the Yahoo Music Store will be shutting off their servers September 30th. Due to the store’s use of the controversial Digital Rights Management (DRM) copy protection, users will be unable to copy their music to a new computer or device after the September deadline. In an e-mail to its customers, Yahoo is recommending that users burn their tracks to a CD and re-rip them into the file type of their choosing.

It seems as if Amazon is looking into becoming the backbone of the new “MySpace Music” project. Launching in September, MySpace Music will offer users a variety of music-related content, including DRM-free MP3 files from three out of the four major record labels, ring tones and concert tickets. If the deal goes through, Amazon will be in charge of all of the transactions that happen on the site. Although Apple and Rhapsody are still in the running for the lucrative contract, many analysts consider them to be long shots at best.