Google Music Opens Store and Goes Social
Earlier this year at their annual I/O conference Google took the wraps off their online music streaming service Google Music, their first attempt to take on the monopoly of Apple’s iTunes. While reception at the conference was positive, critics weren’t so impressed, with many labeling it a half-baked product that lacked it’s own music store and a social element to drive growth.
Google must have been listening, because earlier today at it’s ‘These Go To 11’ event, the search giant announced new additions to Google Music that makes it a serious competitor in the online music space.
Music hits the Android Market
Without the backing of the recording industry, Google had no way for users to add songs without manually uploading them to their online storage locker. Users would have to buy songs from iTunes or Amazon and then import them to Google’s music locker; a process that restricted Google’s service significantly.
At todays announcement Google announced an all-new music section for the Android Market with a library of 8 millions songs from record label big players Universal, EMI and Sony and over a thousand prominent independent labels. While the amount of available tracks is far shy of iTunes or even Amazon’s extensive libraries, Google needs only to put its foot in the door of a few labels to gain leverage over the rest. While Warner Music Group is noticeably absent from the proceedings, Google will soon expand their library to 13 million songs, with tracks costing anywhere from 99 cents to up to $10 an album.
Google Music meets Google+
The second factor Google Music originally failed to contend with was the rise of social-integration in music streaming services, which have been incredibly effective at driving user uptake. Streaming leader Spotify have added over 4 million new users simply with the power of social integration into Facebook’s Open Graph, which allows users to share the music they’re listening to on the service in their news feed. Without a social strategy to build its user base, Google Music was dead in the water.
In response, Google Music will be the next feature to make the jump to Google’s social project Google+ with sharing integration. Google Music tracks can be shared to your Google+ circles and listened to in their entirety by your friends before they make a decision to purchase. While most online music services offer 30-second snippets, Google’s approach is an interesting way to encourage the sharing-fuelled growth that Spotify has experienced in recent months.
Could Google Music be the feature to revive flat-lining Google+ traffic and bring its spark back? Musicians have been looking for an alternative to Myspace for some time and despite Facebook’s best efforts, their pages are simply not enough. Could Google Music and integration with the musician-friendly YouTube be what artists are looking for?
Google Music to hit Australia?
But unfortunately, Australians may be in for a long wait for Google Music. Like iTunes Match and Spotify, Google Music is currently only available to United States residents. Music industry holdouts are most likely to blame for the hold ups, a problem that has also plagued iTunes since arriving in Australia.
We’re going to be keeping a vigilant watch on any activity on the Google Music front so if you want to be one of the first be on Google Music when it launches in Australia, sign up for our newsletter at the top of the page and we’ll keep you up to date!
Jim’s been here for a while, you know who he is.
