Mobile Technology

Google Play Music All Access: Google's Spotify rival is here

Google Play Music All Access: Google's Spotify rival is here
Google Play Music All Access was announced today at the Google I/O developer conference
Google Play Music All Access was announced today at the Google I/O developer conference
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Google's All Access service is already available on the web
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Google's All Access service is already available on the web
Google Play Music All Access was announced today at the Google I/O developer conference
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Google Play Music All Access was announced today at the Google I/O developer conference

It seems like everyone wants in on the on-demand music streaming craze. Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody, Mog ... even Apple is rumored to be launching a similar service. Today Google joined that party, with its new Google Play Music All Access subscription service.

On its most basic level, Google Play Music All Access is a lot like existing subscription services. Pay your US$10 per month, and enjoy unlimited on-demand streaming. And at a quick glance, the selection looks pretty similar to Spotify's and Rdio's. Most popular music is available, but expect holdouts from some of the big artists. You know, stuff like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, or Rihanna's latest LP.

Where Google’s take on it is different, is in its interface. The mobile app makes arranging playlists and radio stations a piece of cake. To remove a song, swipe it away. To rearrange order, just drag and drop. I found it much more enjoyable to use than Spotify – which bafflingly doesn't even let you organize playlists.

Availability

Google's All Access service is already available on the web
Google's All Access service is already available on the web

You can sign up for a 30-day free trial of All Access right now. If you sign up for a trial before June 14, you’ll get a discounted $7.99 monthly fee. Otherwise it’s $9.99 per month.

Google Play Music All Access is available now on the web, and as an update to the Google Play Music Android app. No iPhone version yet. All Access is only available in the U.S. at launch, but Americans can hit up the source link below to get in on the action.

Source: Google Play Music All Access

1 comment
1 comment
jimbo2112
Personally, £120 is not much to ask for a whole year of streamed music. When I was young, people paid much more than this to keep their collection up-to-date. OK, that was theirs to keep, but they did not have 10M songs to choose from either.
Expectations are too high on what digital products are worth. It's so tough to sell as people cannot see the effort that goes into making stuff.
One good thing to come from the digital music revolution is the value of a live gig is truly appreciated again.