Google offers its latest music service to users on android in the US. The online music store allows consumers to purchase, share and stream music files to their tablet and smartphone platforms.
With a library of over 13 million songs from record labels such as Sony Music Entertainment, EMI and Universal, Google Music is challenging competitors Apple and Amazon, which already have a high profile in the market. Music is available to buy through Android Market allowing users with the Google Music app to stream music directly to their devise. However, the service is still growing and the back catalogue of music available is not quite there yet as Warner, another major label, has not followed suit perhaps lessening the appeal.
The release of Gartner’s smartphone sales report shows that Android held 52% of the global market share during the third quarter of this year, which is over double the presence they had the same time last year giving Google Music a wide audience with Android. For other devices such as iOS there’s the web app, which also allows users to stream, saving the need for syncing but without access to the Android Market.
Much like iTunes, Google Music has a similar set up giving you access to your own collection of songs (that you have uploaded) through its player with the ability to listen across multiple platforms as well as staff picks based on what you listen to. In addition to the usual features Google Music has set itself apart from the crowd with its Artists Hub, which helps musicians promote and sell their music. The service allows musicians and unsigned artists to reach their fans directly and have overall control of how they share and sell their content, “its not everyday you get a massive search engine turning the music business into a more even playing field for independent artists.” Now this may not be unlike services such as Bandcamp that offer a similar thing, but the seamless integration of Artists Hub within Google Music offers the appeal of a smoother connected package with all things music in one place.
Google Music will stay ahead of the game by staying social. Online presence is vital and sharing is a perfect way to get people involved, at this point in time GooglePlus is still growing in numbers but Google Music may give this a boost. Users will have the option to share music via Google Plus posting songs on their wall for people in their circles to listen to once.This marketing tool not only gives individuals the chance to share what they are listening to but it also increases awareness into Google Music as friends are given a taster as to what people are listening to and what Google Music is about. Sony Music Entertainment stated that, “We are pleased to be partnering with Google to further expand the reach of legitimate digital music around the world. By adding a music solution into the Android mobile ecosystem, as well as Google+ and Google search, it is now even easier for users of Google-powered products and services to purchase and access music anytime, anywhere, from any device.”
Anytime you want to look up a song or new music, one of the most likely things that you will do is “Google it” so it makes sense that Google have now added music to their collection of services. Google Music is currently only available to those in the US, so some of us will have to wait until negotiations elsewhere get completed before we can get our hands on it. This may be a good thing as by the time those of us in the UK can access it many of the issues and bugs found at the beta stage will hopefully have been worked out.
