Google Play Music All Access: Android / US-only rollout is just the start

Google Music All Access Android  USonly rollout is just the start

Nearly two years ago to the day, Google introduced Music Beta at I/O 2011. But in reality, it was little more than a gigantic cloud to store 20,000 of your favorite tracks. Despite a plethora of rumors that the search giant would beat Spotify to the punch by launching a subscription-based music service in the United States, we got a digital locker that has done little to distract most listeners from giving Rdio, Pandora, iTunes and other like services at least a piece of their heart. Fast forward to today, and Google's finally joining the bandwagon... in majorly limited fashion.

Google Music All Access is presently only available for mobile as an Android app, and only to users in the US. Moreover, it costs $9.99 -- the exact same sum as practically every one of its rivals. Rivals that have multi-year headstarts in terms of mind and market share. (Yes, it's $7.99 per month if you sign up prior to June 30th.) Google has landed deals with the same "major labels" as everyone else, but even product manager Paul Joyce affirmed to us here at I/O that All Access doesn't have access to any exclusives. In a post-keynote meeting with Joyce, he noted that this is only the start for the product. Naturally, Google's going to do its finest work on its own platform, but it's certainly odd to see iOS users left out in the cold given Google's acknowledgement of its importance just minutes earlier.

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Source: Google Play

Google reportedly signs deal wth Universal and Sony to launch new music service


It looks like Google is not just interested in raking profits from video streaming services alone. According to The New York Times, Google is also getting ready to announce a subscription music...
    


Google reportedly signs deal with Universal and Sony to launch new music service


 It looks like Google is not just interested in raking profits from video streaming services alone. According to The New York Times, Google is also getting ready to announce a subscription music...
    


Google Music gains scan and match feature in the US

Google Music gains scan and match feature in the US

It wasn't very long ago that Google Music landed in Europe -- to the delight of local music lovers, we're sure. On its trip across the pond, the service gained a unique new feature called scan and match, wherein Google scans your local music library and makes the songs it matches instantly available in the cloud -- no upload required. Until now the feature, which is similar to iTunes Match, was only available in Europe, but it's coming to the US starting today. From now on, any US Google Play users who upload their music collection will benefit from this new feature. Over time, the company will also upgrade users with existing cloud libraries. It's a free service and it's automatic -- you're unlikely to notice that it's even happening. The upside is that entire collections will be uploaded faster. We're not aware of any downsides yet -- matched songs will be available for streaming at 320Kbps like regular Google Play purchases, while re-downloaded music will be available at or close to the bitrate of the original file.

Update: Google confirmed that any VBR files matched by the service will be re-downloaded as CBR files with a bitrate that's slightly higher than the average bitrate of the original song. This is obviously a drawback if you're currently relying on the service to backup your music collection.

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Source: Google Play (Google+)

Google Music comes to Europe November 13, brings Google Music match, too

Google Music comes to Europe November 13Folks may be more excited about the newest Nexus phones, tablets and their fresh flavor of Jelly Bean, but Mountain View also unveiled a little something for music lovers across the pond today. That's right, Google Music is coming to Europe beginning November 13th. Unfortunately, not everyone on the continent will gain access, but residents of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain will have Google's musical cloud servies in just a couple weeks. Not only that, Big G is adding an iTunes Match-style feature to Google Music that'll scan your songs and add them to your cloud library, no uploading required. The feature will launch in Europe, with US residents enjoying the feature "soon after."

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Google Music comes to Europe November 13, brings Google Music match, too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infographic of the Day: Music in the Cloud

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This cloud music infographic breaks down various websites and services that offer “music in the cloud” sphere.

Much like the Rock n Roll Hall of Game, the cloud music scene is full of rockstars with unique ‘personalities.’

This infographic takes account of which cloud music service has no ads, offers no ads ...
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Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole

Google Play Music and Movies reach Google TV in full, patch a hole in Google's media strategy

It's been one of the more conspicuous omissions in the media hub space: despite Google Play being the cornerstone of Google's content strategy, you couldn't truly use the company's music or movie services through Google TV without depending on content you'd already paid for elsewhere. As of a new upgrade, the ecosystem has come full circle. Viewers with Google TV boxes can at last buy or rent directly from Google Play Movies and Google Play Music, and the content will be indexed in the TV & Movies section alongside third-party video services and traditional TV. The upgrade also helps Google's TV front end play catch-up with its mobile counterpart by adding automatic app updates and subscriptions. While device owners may have to wait a few weeks as the upgrade rolls out, the addition signals a big step forward for a platform that has normally leaned heavily on others for help.

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Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Play Music app update brings tweaks to Now Playing, Recent, playlists and widget

Google Play Music app update brings tweaks to Now Playing, Recent, playlists and widget

Ever since introducing the Google Music app in beta last year its developers have been hard at work trimming away the rougher edges and that's never been more evident than in the new 4.3.606 version now available for download. While Google Play Music's overall look hasn't shifted significantly, the changelog and a quick spin using it reveal nearly every screen has had some slight change. As seen above, the recently played screen now features larger album art, while the action bar has been adjusted with different transport controls. In this version, users have the ability to adjust and reorder music in the Now Playing queue, while a refreshed widget shows off album art and allows for thumbs up without opening the app. The settings menu has a direct link to the Nexus Q control app (assuming you can run it, and have one), hit the Play store for the updated version to try it out yourself.

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Google Play Music app update brings tweaks to Now Playing, Recent, playlists and widget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon rumored clinching major labels for cloud music rights, iTunes Match feels the heat

Amazon Cloud Player

When we last checked in, Amazon was thought to finally be pushing for full music rights in its Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services. It might be a smooth operator at the negotiating table: subsequent tips to CNET maintain that the top four major labels (a currently-independent EMI as well as Sony, Universal and Warner) have all signed deals that will let Amazon offer the same scan-and-match music downloads and streaming as Apple's iTunes Match. The pacts would let Amazon offer access to every song a listener owns without having to directly upload each track that wasn't bought directly from Amazon MP3. Aside from closing a conspicuous gap, the deal could end a whole lot of acrimony from labels who were upset that Amazon preferred a free-but-limited service over having to charge anything. The online shop hasn't said anything official yet (if at all), but any signatures on the dotted line will leave Google Music as the odd man out.

Amazon rumored clinching major labels for cloud music rights, iTunes Match feels the heat originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Music users granted de-authentication reprieve as company retools activation system

Google Music users granted de-authentication reprieve as company retools activation system

Google Music users learned of a frightful new policy this morning that dictates a user may de-authorize only four devices in a year, out of ten total activations. While the policy is likely to go unnoticed by the majority of consumers, it instantly created a great pain for those who regularly flash ROMs to their phones and tablets. It seems the road to de-authorization hell is paved with good intentions, however, as Google has since responded to critics with the revelation that it'll introduce an activation system that accounts for such nuances.

We've determined through our own experimentation that Google has temporarily suspended the de-authorization limit of four devices, and while it's difficult to know how long this reprieve will last, we're hopeful that it'll remain in effect until Google implements this new system to recognize duplicate authorizations. Additionally, we've learned through our conversations with the company that users may, in fact, sign in to their Google Music account from any number of devices, and it's only when a tune is deliberately streamed that your smartphone or tablet will be added to the list of ten.

What's more, while the company was rather insistent that songs couldn't be streamed to multiple devices at the same time, it seems that Google's system of checks and balances is spotty at best -- we were able to simultaneously stream tunes to three devices without so much as a hiccup. Yes, the system eventually shook its finger at us, but it serves as a nice reminder to have fun while the insanity lasts.

Google Music users granted de-authentication reprieve as company retools activation system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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