Google Music announced, tightly integrated with Google+
Google launched its cloud-based music service, Google Music, focusing on leveraging a large Android user base and social networking to distribute 13 million tracks from over 1000 record labels including EMI, Universal and Sony.
Google on Wednesday announced its rumored music service is live, extending the company's Music Beta program to everyone in the US and adding an online store that will tightly integrate with social networking hub Google+ and the Android marketplace.
Google Music is based on the beta program that allowed users to upload and stream up to 20,000 of their own songs from the company's servers or "digital lockers." The free music storage service, which was previously an invite-only affair, is now open to the US public and will support an Android app that is planned to roll out over the next few days.
"Today, our music beta becomes a full end-to-end service called Google Music," said Jamie Rosenberg, Director of Digital Content for Android.
Jamie Rosenberg announces Google Music
Google has tightly integrated its new music service with the company's Google+ social network, introducing a unique program that allows users to share music with friends. When music is purchased through Google Music, the song or songs will automatically appear on the purchaser's Google+ page where friends are granted a free one-time listen. Customers can also share songs via email if a friend doesn't have a Google+ account, though they will need to sign up in order to listen to the track.
"Google Music is about discovering, purchasing and sharing music in new, innovated and personalized ways," Rosenberg said. "Other cloud services think you have to pay to listen to music you already own. We don't."
Customers can make purchases from Google's online store or the Android app, and it was announced that T-Mobile will begin allowing customer's to be billed through their monthly service plans.
Screenshot of Android Market Music Store
Songs from partner labels like EMI, Universal, Sony and over 1000 indy labels are priced in line with competition, with 320 Kbps digital tracks costing either $0.99 or $1.29. The store currently has 8 million tracks to choose from, and will add 5 million in the coming weeks.
The format of the online store is similar to that of Apple's iTunes, and features artist bios, interviews, free tracks and more. All songs are stored in the cloud and can be either streamed to users via a Web-based player or a dedicated application. Downloads and offline listening are also available for songs stored in a user's digital locker.
Google on Wednesday announced its rumored music service is live, extending the company's Music Beta program to everyone in the US and adding an online store that will tightly integrate with social networking hub Google+ and the Android marketplace.
Google Music is based on the beta program that allowed users to upload and stream up to 20,000 of their own songs from the company's servers or "digital lockers." The free music storage service, which was previously an invite-only affair, is now open to the US public and will support an Android app that is planned to roll out over the next few days.
"Today, our music beta becomes a full end-to-end service called Google Music," said Jamie Rosenberg, Director of Digital Content for Android.
Jamie Rosenberg announces Google Music
Google has tightly integrated its new music service with the company's Google+ social network, introducing a unique program that allows users to share music with friends. When music is purchased through Google Music, the song or songs will automatically appear on the purchaser's Google+ page where friends are granted a free one-time listen. Customers can also share songs via email if a friend doesn't have a Google+ account, though they will need to sign up in order to listen to the track.
"Google Music is about discovering, purchasing and sharing music in new, innovated and personalized ways," Rosenberg said. "Other cloud services think you have to pay to listen to music you already own. We don't."
Customers can make purchases from Google's online store or the Android app, and it was announced that T-Mobile will begin allowing customer's to be billed through their monthly service plans.
Screenshot of Android Market Music Store
Songs from partner labels like EMI, Universal, Sony and over 1000 indy labels are priced in line with competition, with 320 Kbps digital tracks costing either $0.99 or $1.29. The store currently has 8 million tracks to choose from, and will add 5 million in the coming weeks.
The format of the online store is similar to that of Apple's iTunes, and features artist bios, interviews, free tracks and more. All songs are stored in the cloud and can be either streamed to users via a Web-based player or a dedicated application. Downloads and offline listening are also available for songs stored in a user's digital locker.
Comments
And I play them on...what?
Also, who the fuck uses Google+ in any meaningful way? I work for an Internet company and no one - no one - is using it
Play them on whatever you want. It has a great web UI.
I'm enjoying the music on my tablet and phone.
With or without G+ integration, it's a great service. With Google+, you can share the songs you purchased with other people so they can play them for free. And I've seen plenty of people use Google+.
Google lacks focus. *Shocking*.
Yawn.
Google lacks focus. *Shocking*.
Okay. You think they should just be a search engine?
Does it actually offer an iTunes Match feature? or is the "we don't think people should pay for their own music" just hot air, and Google expects people to upload all their music manually?
It obviously does not have "iTunes Match" as it is not itunes. But it does allow you to upload all of your music to the cloud at no cost.
For most people it would be finished by the time they wake up in the morning. From how buggy itunes match has been, it'll probably take the same amount of time.
And what do you mean "we don't think people should pay for their own music"?
Does it actually offer an iTunes Match feature? or is the "we don't think people should pay for their own music" just hot air, and Google expects people to upload all their music manually?
It was "We don't think people should have to pay for music they already own" If your going to quote, at least get the right quote.
It was "We don't think people should have to pay for music they already own" If your going to quote, at least get the right quote.
True that. "Corrections" is so bad at getting the facts straight you would almost think he was Dilger or something.
Does it actually offer an iTunes Match feature?
Is iTunes match still a beta feature? Honest question. Seems to have a lot of initial issues.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0
Who uses Google+ in any meaningful way? I work for an Internet company. No one I know is using it
Not many people used Facebook at first either, you know.
And to answer your question: millions, and growing. This past week was Google's 3rd best ever yet (following the initial beta launch and public launch), which demonstrates it's getting traffic.
Cite: http://mashable.com/2011/11/16/google-plus-traffic-2/
It may not be Facebook or Twitter size yet, but it's certainly no Ping.
All you gotta do is knock them off that search engine perch, and these little "beta" projects on the side will evaporate. Evaporate!
Google Music isn't a beta project tho.
Not many people used Facebook at first either, you know.
And to answer your question: millions, and growing. This past week was Google's 3rd best ever yet (following the initial beta launch and public launch), which demonstrates it's getting traffic.
Cite: http://mashable.com/2011/11/16/google-plus-traffic-2/
It may not be Facebook or Twitter size yet, but it's certainly no Ping.
Ping still exists?
And yeah, people laughed at Facebook when it first came out.
Getting back on topic. This is a free service. Unlike itunes, you can listen to and download your songs, locally, anywhere, on any device. It has a great web interface, many free songs, and easy access for new artists that want to publish their music
Too bad it's US only for now.
The biggest innovation here though is allowing independent artists to sell directly. Think of what that will do in the long run.
From the user perspective, there's a couple of features that iTunes does not have:
1) Sharing (by email and Google+)
2) Play from any web browser.
3) Free
Whenever Google does something commercially prospective, they fail. Whenever it's free, they gain some partial success, like Chrome browser, Google+, search, Android.
Well, how come? If you just target the cheap audiences, who want to get everything for free, then you won't be able to sell ANYTHING.
Googles audience are either nerds who know how to get their free stuff (and by the way mostly are not any wealthy) or they are the penny savers who buy their Android mobile coz it's 100$ cheaper than an iPhone (then realizing that their phone lost 70% value within 6 months).
With 200 million Android activations, lots of them in India and somewhere, they still rank below iOS's 250 million, but in terms of wealth, they might be not even 1/10 of Apples audience wealth and probably 1/30 in willingness to pay for content. What does that mean in terms of ad business ? Google keeps attracting the lowest consumer segments, and even lower with such new services. That's devaluating their ad business! If I'd advertise on Google, who do I reach nowadays ? Do they buy anything at all or do they save so much money on their costfree Google services and cheap phones, that they have even more to spend than the average Apple consumer ?
If each Google music buyer will allow 100 friends to listen to a 1$ song? Waiting for the day when Google buys me a car if I just print their logo on it. Why doesn't Google even pay all my expenses as long as I open up to them completely ? Future of the world ? Apple - people paying and staying free, Google - people don't pay for the price of being Googles slave.
I can't imagine why Google would charge, when they've got a monopoly in search to leverage off of.
Who else but Google could have thought of such an innovative system.
http://gizmodo.com/5860265/google-mu...mplete-letdown
Google Music isn't a beta project tho.
If you're anywhere outside the US, it feels like a Beta project. Just saying....
It will fail like any other service Google offered. Google TV just failed, Wave failed, ChromeOS failed, Buzz failed. Google+ also failed to attack Facebook. Maybe it's an option for Androiders, but not for the masses.
Whenever Google does something commercially prospective, they fail. Whenever it's free, they gain some partial success, like Chrome browser, Google+, search, Android.
Well, how come? If you just target the cheap audiences, who want to get everything for free, then you won't be able to sell ANYTHING.
Googles audience are either nerds who know how to get their free stuff (and by the way mostly are not any wealthy) or they are the penny savers who buy their Android mobile coz it's 100$ cheaper than an iPhone (then realizing that their phone lost 70% value within 6 months).
With 200 million Android activations, lots of them in India and somewhere, they still rank below iOS's 250 million, but in terms of wealth, they might be not even 1/10 of Apples audience wealth and probably 1/30 in willingness to pay for content. What does that mean in terms of ad business ? Google keeps attracting the lowest consumer segments, and even lower with such new services. That's devaluating their ad business! If I'd advertise on Google, who do I reach nowadays ? Do they buy anything at all or do they save so much money on their costfree Google services and cheap phones, that they have even more to spend than the average Apple consumer ?
If each Google music buyer will allow 100 friends to listen to a 1$ song? Waiting for the day when Google buys me a car if I just print their logo on it. Why doesn't Google even pay all my expenses as long as I open up to them completely ? Future of the world ? Apple - people paying and staying free, Google - people don't pay for the price of being Googles slave.
Comedy.
Apple = free Google = slave.
Hilarious.
The hatred.
try disdain
If you're anywhere outside the US, it feels like a Beta project. Just saying....
I don't think they're offering the finished Google Music application outside the US yet, tho Universal Music indicated it's on the way during the release event this evening.