So, if you haven’t heard, Google has put their foot into the music game with their new service “Google Music.” Google music is like a giant iTunes in the cloud in which your library can wirelessly sync to android devices, you can buy new music for $0.99, and store 20K songs for free. So there are a few things we need to cover here:
Is it worth it?
Android Capable
So as far as most of you android users are concerned: “Finally!!” This has been long needed for Android and that would be the most obvious reason to use Google Music.
Price (ish)
Each song that I have seen so far has only been $0.99. What this means is that is definitely worth checking the iTunes store first to see if the song or album is cheeper. For example: Jazz Fusion Artist Chris Potter’s album Underground on iTunes costs $9.99, but on Google Music, it costs $8.99 even though each song costs the same. If you buy any songs with iTunes, the Google Music “Music Manager” gives you the option to automatically upload it to Google Music and, through the music manager, you can download what you bought from the Android Music Marketplace (the Google Music store).
Cloud-Based
Now this is an important feature. I run multiple computers and, if you are like most people, you do as well. Lets say you are at work and you want to listen to your music, you would have to take out your music player and listen. What if you are given new music? You have to wait to put it on your device and/or listen to it separately from your current library. Google Music allows you to instantly listen to your music anywhere…and you can upload those new tracks you just received with the Google Music “Music Manager” to immediately get them in your library. Also, because it is cloud based, it serves as one method of backing up your music (which is important if you spend any money or time on your music at all).
Will it last?
The next most important question is will it last. You don’t want to spend your Saturday uploading your music to Google Music for nothing, so will it last? Well, no one knows for sure, but I feel that it will be around as long as Android is around because there is an untapped market that is being tapped through Google Music. Also, they wouldn’t have done all the negotiations with music industry for a service that will only last the weekend. So, to answer the question will Google Music last, I would say that it will last as long as the Android OS is alive.
Should I use it?
The most important question of all, should I use it. I would say that it is a good idea to have a backup of your data. It is even better when the vast amount of data that you have is backed up across multiple infrastructures to remove any instabilities or areas where, if two pieces of hardware simultaneously fail, you loose all your data (i.e. your computer and backup drive are both destroyed in a natural or unnatural disaster). By having your music synchronized with Google’s servers, you can be assured that it is backed up, so really, your music isn’t going anywhere. I have an iPhone and I use Google Music not for it’s ability to sync, but, for now, as a backup mechanism…and it is a good idea to do so because Google’s infrastructure is more powerful than yours due to the sheer size of their organization’s web prowess.
So that’s it. That’s the review of Google’s new service, Google Music. To learn what Google has to say on the matter, check out their about page. Don’t forget to add us on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook!
