Google Music Vs. Android Market

Google Music is Google’s cloud-based music service. Until today, you could listen to a few songs it had in there already offered for free, or anything that you uploaded from your own computer, but you couldn’t buy new music to put into your “locker” directly.

That was part of today’s big news. Now you can buy music through Google Music. Except that really, you can’t. You buy music through the new music store that’s part of Android Market, which in turn you can bring into Google Music.

If you use iTunes, think of it this way:

• iTunes = Google Music
• iTunes Store = Android Market

Sharing From Google Music

Now if you’re like me, you may have listened to or read about today’s Google Music launch event and come away thinking there was a way for you to share music from Google Music. There is, but only if you’ve purchased a song.

Consider this song within my own Google Music collection, 100 Years from Five For Fighting:

I’ve right clicked on the song, but there’s no option to share. That’s because I didn’t purchase it from the Android Market. Now consider this:

See the second option at the bottom,”Share song.” I get this because this is a song I purchased from Android Market. When you click on it, you get the option to share:

By the way, when I originally started this story a few hours after Google Music launched, I didn’t see a sharing option even for my purchased songs. That seems to have since been switched on. If you don’t see it yourself, it could be that it hasn’t quite rolled out.

Google Music Doesn’t Link Songs To Android Market

How do you share songs you already own but didn’t get from the Android Market? Unfortunately, there’s no easy way.

See that “Shop this artist” link in the options above? It might help if that took you to the page for the song in Android Market, where you could then share the song.

Instead, it takes me to a strange sub-set of Google Shopping, where I can see prices from a variety of vendors for the artist (not for the actual song):

It’s kind of nice that Google Music isn’t hard-wired into forcing purchases from Android Market, but the user experience could be better. And to the main point, it means that if you want to share a song you already have in Google Music but purchased elsewhere, Google Music offers no extra help.

Sharing Samples From Android Market

So how about sharing from within Android Market? Find the song either listed on the song’s own page or in the track list of its album, such as here for Teenage Dream:

 Hover your mouse next to the time length of the song, and you’ll see a “Share” button appear, as the red arrow above points to. Click on this, and a share box will appear:

Because you haven’t purchased the song, you’ll share only a sample (I’ve seen anywhere from 30 seconds to 1:30 being shared). Here’s how it looks, when you’re done:

I’ve seen conflicting reports about whether those outside the US can hear these previews at all. Google Music itself is only open to those in the US.

Sharing Full Songs From Android Market

How about sharing full songs? That’s possible, but only if you actually buy a song. In that case, after you’ve made your purchase, you’ll get this option:

Use the Share button that the red arrow above points to, and you’ll get a sharing dialog similar to what I showed above. The difference is that after you share, anyone who is in one of your Google+ circles can listen to the entire song once:

See how it says “Listen Once For Free” as opposed to “Listen To Preview,” as with my earlier example? If someone’s not in one of your circles, then they’ll see the preview option, even though you already own the song.

Once you’ve purchased the song through Android Market, you can go back to the song and share it again, if you decide to at a later time. You can also do this within Google Music, by clicking on the purchased song, as I explained above.

Could Be Better, Could Be Worse

I was fairly annoyed when I realized that songs already in my library, that hadn’t been purchased through Android Market, couldn’t be shared. There’s no good reason for this. All Google Music needs to do is match up songs to their pages in Android Market, and it could be done.

Indeed, consider this:

That’s me using Ping from within Apple’s iTunes to share a song with my friends. I didn’t buy the song from Apple. Instead, I’d purchased it from Amazon. But Apple still manages to figure out the right song and generate a link that shares it this way:

I’m not limited to sharing only songs that I’ve purchased, which is nice. But then again, the link that I generated and shared out to places like Twitter brings up this fairly unfriendly response:

Yeah, no thanks. Who wants to share music outside of iTunes when people are going to get an annoying, unfriendly message that a bloated software app now has to launch.

Of course, you could turn to something like Spotify, which has music sharing, such as helping you send out a tweet:

But then the follow-through disappoints. Again, software is demanded:

On Facebook, where I gave up on Spotify after it wanted to share anything I was listening to without pause, a quick revisit today suggests that you still need to listen to the sample in the Spotify application, rather than on the web.

Compared to all this, if you want to share the occasional song, creating a Google+ account just to find and share samples from Android Market is pretty nice. That’s because once you share that to Google Plus, you can in turn take that Google+ link and share to Twitter or Facebook if you wanted, so that friends in those places could listen, at least to the sample:

But then again, without a Google Music account, without an Android Market account, you could do the same thing through Amazon:

You don’t even need an Amazon account to do that, nor does someone who wants to hear the sample need an Amazon account to listen.

Hopefully, Google Music will improve, allowing you to share any song, not just purchased ones. We’ll see. If you want to try sharing yourself, a good place to start is this page at Android Market that lists many free songs.

By the way, if you use the iPhone, definitely check out Soundtracking. It makes it very easy to share whatever you’re currently listening to out to Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. Here’s an example of a song I shared on Twitter and the landing page it takes you to, where you can hear a short sample (warning, explicit lyrics!).

Google Makes Music Social, Skips Search

While we wait, pause a moment to reflect on Google Music Search 2.0, launched back in Oct. 2009. That allowed anyone to search for a song from within Google Search and listen to samples or full-length clips of songs.

Official: Google Stops The Music Search covers how that service was formally made “unavailable” earlier this year while Google made “some updates” to the service.

It’s disappointing that with the new Google Music now launched to the public, there was apparently no provision made for integrating some of its features — or the music preview features of Android Market — to restore what was taken away from search.

The Google Music Store exists in the Android Market alongside app, book and movie stores. It’s available in the US only.

On the surface, it looks and seems to function much like Apple’s iTunes Music Store and Amazon’s MP3 store: Songs are priced from 99 cents to $1.29, there’s biographical info about artists and reviews from listeners.

Purchased songs will be placed immediately in the music storage locker, which allows up to 20,000 songs to be stored for free.

Google’s music store has more than 13 million songs, but it’s lacking one of the major labels: Warner Music. The other majors are there; Universal, Sony and EMI — along with lots of independent labels and artists. But without Warner, Google’s store is missing big sellers like Rush, Frank Sinatra, Nickelback, R.E.M., Michael Bublé, Blake Shelton, Green Day, Lenny Kravitz, and Metallica.

What’s Different About Google Music?

For all its similarities to the iTunes and Amazon music stores, Google is trying to differentiate with a couple features:

Google+ sharing:After buying a song, the user can share it with friends via Google+. Friends can listen to the full song one time for free. See our companion story about this, The Confusing World Of Sharing Songs From Google Music To Google+.

Artist hubs: Any artist with the rights to sell his/her/their own music can offer songs via a dedicated artist page on Google Music. The songs can be sold at whatever price the artist chooses, including free.

Google is also trying to differentiate with a variety of content, but as Billboard magazine tweeted earlier, a so-called “exclusive” Rolling Stones concert that Google Music is selling for $4.99 has been available on Wolfgang’s Vault for years. And for free. Whoops.

What About Music Search?

Not mentioned in today’s announcement is the search aspect. Google rolled out Music Search 2.0 in late 2009 with great fanfare.

Much like today’s Music Store announcement, part of the old music search experience was Google attempting to help combat piracy by exposing searchers to official music outlets and information. But Google turned off that music search experience earlier this year.

It makes sense that Google’s new foray into music will eventually show up in Google.com search results. But when?

The Wall Street Journal reported that Google Music will tie in closely with the Google+ social network.   Users will reportedly be able to recommend songs from their Google Music account directly to Google+.  These songs will be able to be shared with circles, as friends will be able to listen to a  recommendation once for free.  Song would need to be purchased for additional plays, and speculation has the song price at about 99 cents per download – a standard price for MP3s.

Last month Facebook announced new ‘ticker’ functionality that integrates with popular social music services like Spotify, turntable.fm and more.  Facebook users can see what friends are currently listening to and comment, functionality that is very similar the alleged Google features.

Google Music is a bit different from other services like Spotify and iTunes, as users must upload from their current collections.  The WSJ reports that this new Google service could be launching within the next two weeks.

The WSJ reports that Google has been in licensing talks with all of the major record labels including Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Warner Music Group and EMI Group. While Google has been in talks, not all have sounded fruitful. If a Google Music store is launched, it may not have the ability to offer music from the largest three labels, as reports say Google is only close to a deal with EMI (artists include Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum and The Gorillaz).

While the Google Music service is still in invitation-only beta mode, the New York Times reported that Google may be looking to launch a store in the next few weeks. Interestingly enough, Google launched the Google Music app for iOS last month and a new Android version was leaked last week.

One of the issues that may hinder a potential Google music store is the way in which Google Music currently works. Unlike Apple, Google (and Amazon) basically allow users to store music, then listen to it via a variety of devices. This means that all songs have to be uploaded; they can’t be streamed from the service. Apple has licenses that allow remote access to online libraries so uploading can be bypassed. Google does however allow the uploading of iTunes libraries into Google Music.

For more information on Google Music, see the following video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

No Music Store, Google Still Hopeful

There is no music store associated with the new Google Music beta. However Google made clear that it’s still trying to strike agreements with record labels and that it’s optimisitic that it will be able to do so in the future. Google made a point to say that Google Music is entirely legal, though it may not make everyone in the music industry happy.

For the time being users can upload their own music collections (up to 20,000 songs) and then stream those songs to their PCs and Android handsets. Users can also transfer music from iTunes. A nice secondary feature Google introduced for Music was a Pandora or Genius-like capability called “Instant Mix” that allows users to automatically create a playlist of similar or compatible songs.

Streaming Movies to PCs and Connected Devices

More of a surprise this morning was a streaming movie service for Android devices (smartphones, tablets) and PCs. It’s effectively an extension of the recently launched YouTube movie rental service. The same titles are available through both YouTube and the Android Market. Accordingly you can watch movies on your PC via the Android Market, YouTube or on Android tablets and smartphones.

One of the really nice features of both services, but especially movies is that users can “pin” movies and watch them when there’s no data connection (e.g., on a plane).

Google has launched two products that now directly compete with Netflix, Sonos, iTunes and Amazon’s services — not to mention Microsoft. The battle for the cloud and the living room is on.

Click here to view the embedded video.

However there have been numerous stories chronicling setbacks in Google’s efforts to launch its music service, most notably its protracted and apparently unsuccessful negotiations with record labels.

Now, without the labels, Google Music (or whatever it’s actually called) is set to launch either tomorrow or Wednesday at Google I/O.

Ahead of the event we’ve seen a flurry of expected announcements (YouTube movie rentals) and minor upgrades (Goggles, Image sorting). It remains to be seen whether Google Music is one of the big announcements of the next two days.

(See also Danny’s review of past I/O products: Where Are They Now? Products Announced During Past Google I/O Keynotes, which includes a discussion of the various incarnations of Google’s past music efforts.)

Google’s competitor to iTunes and Amazon’s new Cloud Drive and Cloud Player will reportedly be a more modest effort. The suspense comes in guessing the precise features that the new Google music service will provide.

The WSJ speculated that Google will initially offer a “passive” music locker that stores music but isn’t tied to a music store like iTunes or Amazon’s store. It will reportedly allow users to upload their music libaries and stream them to any connected device (PC, handset or tablet). However its functionality will be limited, given the absence of a music store.

By the same token the lack of a music store isn’t likely to impact Android sales in any way. Android has been doing just fine without a native music service.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video above is Google’s Vic Gundotra’s keynote from day two of last year’s I/O event. The demo of some of the features that will launch with Google Music can be seen starting at 33:10.

Image from Techfrom10. Used with permission.

Related Entries

• Official: Google Stops The Music Search
• Amazon Preempts Google Music With Cloud Player Streaming For Android
• Speculation, Intrigue Surround Google’s Delayed Cloud-Tunes Music Service
• With Lala Closing, Google Music Search May Use Alternatives
• Google Music Search 2.0 Launches With Musical “OneBox”

A Google spokesperson tells Search Engine Land:

The music search feature introduced in 2009 is currently unavailable while we make some updates to the user experience.

Google’s Music Search put songs, albums and artists front and center above Google’s regular search results. Google suggested it would help the music industry by making it easier for searchers to “find and discover” music, and to find sites to “preview and purchase” songs.

They did that through partnerships with several then-popular music websites but, as TechCrunch suggested yesterday, several of those sites are now gone. Google didn’t partner with either Apple’s iTunes or Amazon, two leaders in digital music sales.

Google Music Search Then & Now

Here’s a comparison of the music search results then and now. Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown album was one of the example searches Google used at the time.

Meanwhile, Google is reportedly continuing to push a cloud-based music service, but meeting resistance from music labels. It’s unclear if the temporary demise of Google Music Search and/or the user experience “updates” that Google is working on have anything to do with a Google music service, though.

No, it apparently doesn’t work on Apple devices.

Beating Google Music to market it offers music storage and streaming via PC and Android devices. There’s 5 GB of free storage (more if you buy music from Amazon) and inexpensive storage plans beyond that, starting at $20.

As with iTunes users can upload and store their music collection. It also allows hosting of documents, photos and video.

Cnet reported last week that Google was finally internally testing its very long-awaited music service. The launch has apparently been delayed as Google negotiates rights issues with music labels. There’s speculation that at Google’s forthcoming developer conference, in May, Google will finally introduce its music service.

A year ago it briefly previewed streaming music for Android in an on-stage demo that was so low-key and went by so fast that it went unnoticed by many people.

Music has been something of an Achilles Heel for Android devices vs. the iPhone. So Amazon’s Cloud Player and storage service — and presumably Google Music when it launches — will level the playing field. However Apple is thought to be working on iTunes streaming, following its purchase of LaLa in late 2009.

Officially Google will welcome any service that makes Android a more competitive and useful platform. However Amazon has effectively preempted Google Music with the launch of Cloud Player. As a consequence Google Music will need to be better or more usable in some way (more free storage would be one way) to get the same attention it would have in the absence of Amazon’s launch.

Postscript: There appears to be a “backlash” brewing against Amazon by music labels.

Now several outlets are reporting that the Google music service it may launch as early as “next month.” The key word is “may.” While the labels are hungry for an iTunes competitor, Business Insider speculates that Google’s service might never launch according to anonymous interview sources:

This person, who requested anonymity, is sure that Google has offered cash payments to record labels: “You don’t get in the game without up front payments, so for sure that is happening”  . . . How long will it take for Google to line the [music] publishers up? This person thinks it might never happen: “I don’t see anyone getting a license from the music industry to do a consumer pleasing personal cloud service.”

One interesting question to ask is: given the headache it’s generating, why does Google need this service? One might have answered, originally, to close a competitive gap between Android and the iPhone. But that’s no longer necessary it would seem; Android is doing just fine without an associated native music service.

There are many users who would welcome a new cloud-based competitor to iTunes and it would likely offer Google another product to build community around as part of its larger social strategy. So there would seem to be several justifications for its existence.

We’ll see if it happens and whether it’s a worthy competitor to iTunes, Spotify and others. Apple not long ago bought Lala and is also reportedly working on a cloud-based version of iTunes.

Related posts:

• With Lala Closing, Google Music Search May Use Alternatives
• Google Music Search 2.0 Launches With Musical “OneBox”
• Live Blogging From The Google Discover Music Launch Event
• Rumor: Here Comes GTunes, Google Music Service

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The pundit consensus is that this is about Google’s yet-to-emerge new social networking effort — and I’m sure it is — but there are probably some search-specific applications of this technology that we’ll see in the future.

Mainly the Angstro buy made me wonder what the supposed “Google Me” (as a metaphor for Google’s broader social strategy) will turn out to be. Google now has numerous properties that have explicit or implicit social dimensions: Orkut, Buzz, Latitude, GMail, Maps, Contacts, Calendar, iGoogle, YouTube, Vevo, Google Talk, Google Reader, Picasa, Profile, Docs, (the now abandoned Wave) and more. There’s also a coming Google Music service and, reportedly, a Zynga investment and a gaming site to arrive later.

Google has also reportedly put former mobile chief Vic Gundotra in charge of social. Gundotra is highly capable but it will take intense work, creative inspiration and even luck to figure out how to bring all these disparate pieces together into a coherent and compelling whole.

Yet maybe there isn’t a single “social network” or product per se (Orkut 2.0) that Google has in mind. Perhaps the company is going to embed a social layer into each of its properties, more deliberately and explicitly than it has done to date. However that probably wouldn’t be enough by itself to capture the public’s imagination.

An earlier and very thoughtful presentation by Google Senior User Experience Researcher Paul Adams criticizes Facebook privacy and hints that groups might be the center of a new Google network. Though provocative, groups doesn’t seem splashy enough by itself either.  However Google “Social Circles” (contacts + social media content), which is not quite a product but is the basis of social search, does seem to be ripe for further development. The term “circles” even suggests a product name focused on groups.

Gaming and mobile are additional, fruitful areas for Google to attack from a social standpoint, so might shopping be as well. But other than building a kind of “me too” offering, there’s no obvious social media strategy for Google. Orkut, Wave, Buzz and several other weak or shuttered products (e.g., Lively) argue that Google can miscalculate, in some cases badly, when it comes to social and product development.

However with the recent spending and acquisitions Google has signaled that it’s very serious about building a product — or products plural — that will help it compete with Facebook and/or provide a kind of social infrastructure to keep it relevant as the Internet continues to evolve. This is a very public and high stakes effort for the company.

I’m eager to see what it produces.

Postscript: Google just bought social-mobile game development company SocialDeck. So add that into the mix. Gaming definitely is emerging as a primary entry point for Google in its effort to build a social network or more social experience.