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Tag: Google Music

  • Google Music Store To Snag Universal Tracks

    With the launch of the new Google Music Store fast approaching, it looks like Google is close to inking another record label deal to populate the new service.

    According to a Bloomberg report, Google is very close to an agreement with Universal Music Group that would allow Google to sell their artists’ music in their new download store. When the Google Music Store was hinted at back in October, the sources said that 4th-largest record label EMI had already signed on. That secured artists like Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Katy Perry and (most of) Radiohead for the Google Music Store.

    Making a deal with Universal would be a much bigger content grab than EMI – since they are the largest record label in the American music industry. Coming along with Universal would be artists like Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift.

    The report says that the Google/Universal deal could be finalized as early as Wednesday, November 16th. That date coincides with a Google event in Los Angeles where it’s highly speculated that Google will unveil the new Music Store. Invitations to the event were sent out last Friday on 11/11/11 by “Nigel Tufnel.” The invitations simply said “These Go To Eleven.”

    The Google Music Store will work hand in hand with Google Music Beta, allowing for purchased songs to be stored in the cloud and accessed from any enabled device. There have been rumors that the Music Store will be integrated into Google+, allowing users to share songs with friends and preview tracks before purchasing – rumors that this Bloomberg report corroborates.

    Google Music Beta launched as a simple cloud storage service without any sort of music downloading functionality due to the inability of Google and the record labels to work out deals. Since Beta’s launch, the launch of a Music Store seemed inevitable, but the specific “when” and “with what music” questions are finally being answered.

    Apparently, Google is still unable to work things out with Sony and Warner Music Group, the second and third largest labels.

    Last week, deals were reached to break EMI Group in two, and those separate parts be sold to Universal and Sony. According to the WSJ, EMI’s record-music unit will go to Universal and its Music Publishing will so to Sony.

    Hopefully we get more details at the Google event tomorrow. If you’re impatient, however, you can check out these supposed leaked images of the Music Store via the Android Market.

  • Google Music Store Gets Its First Look Via Leaked Screenshots

    Last week, email invitations began popping up to an event scheduled for this Wednesday, November 16th. The invitations simply said “These Go To Eleven” and were sent by “Nigel Tufnel.” This clear Spinal Tap reference has led many to speculate that the event will have to do with the Google Music Store – the long-rumored retail arm of Google’s cloud music service.

    Various sources are said to have confirmed that the event, which will be live streamed at 2 pm PST, does in fact deal with Google Music.

    But Venezuelan Android site TechnoDroidVe claims to have leaked screenshots of the new Google Music store ahead of its suspected launch on November 16th. According to the site, they were able to access the store via the Android Market.

    From the looks of the screenshots, the Google Music Store will play it pretty close to iTunes and Amazon Music by offering tracks for $0.99 to $1.29. There’s also the ability to purchase entire albums, and features for finding similar artists. If the screenshots prove to be correct, then we can expect Google to offer the “Free Song of The Day” to Google Music users. Here are a couple of the shots:

    A Google Music Store has been rumored to be in the works really since the launch of Google Music Beta. The cloud storage service launched without the ability to purchase tracks due to Google’s inability to form agreements with the major record labels. We got word that the launch of the store was imminent back in October, and that fact was later confirmed by Google Mobile SVP Andy Rubin.

    Since then, there have been rumors that Google Music Store will be highly integrated with Google+, allowing users to recommend songs to their friends and those friends be able to preview tracks before purchase.

    I guess we will see how it shakes out on Wednesday. What do you think about a Google Music Store? Is it what Google Music needs? Can it add a fresh dimension to Google+? Let us know in the comments.

  • Google Music Store To Play Well With Google+

    It’s looking almost certain that sometime in the near future, Google will be throwing its hat into the ring of online music sales with the Google Music Store.

    And when they do, you can probably expect it to be highly integrated with another young Google product, Google+.

    The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google Music users will be able to recommend songs to their friends and followers, through the Google+ platform. Google+ users would then have the chance to listen to the track one time before deciding if they wanted to purchase it. The mp3s will probably cost in the neighborhood of $0.99.

    There’s no word on how much this would work like Spotify on Facebook, where it would allow Google+ users to see what their friends are listening to in real time. But integrating a music store into Google+ would be good for Google+ and well as the burgeoning music store itself.

    According to sources close with the matter, Google Music Store will launch within the next two weeks, even though it is probable that they will not have the agreements in place to sell music from at least two of the four major record labels. Rumors that surfaced last week hinted that EMI, the fourth largest label, was the only one close to reaching a deal with Google.

    As you probably remember, the inability to reach agreements with the labels affected Google Music Beta’s launch. Prior to its launch, that service was expected to offer the user the ability to buy music. Instead, it launched without that functionality. Google Music Beta, in its current form, is a giant music locker in the cloud, capable of giving users access to all of their music that they have uploaded themselves.

    But it’s no stretch to imagine a situation where the Google Music Store is linked directly to a user’s Google Music account to provide seamless transfer of purchased songs to their locker.

    Last week, Google SVP of Mobile Any Rubin said that they were close to launching the Google Music Store. He also said that it would have a little “twist” to it, that it would “have a little Google in it, it won’t just be selling 99 cent tracks.”

    Could deep Google+ integration be part of that Google twist?

  • A “Twist” is Just What Google Music Needs

    Recent reports indicated that Google is working to get some kind of online music store out to consumers. This was hardly a surprise. Many expected this to be part of Google Music when it launched, but Google just wasn’t able to get the label support it needed. That doesn’t mean it can’t though.

    Now, Google SVP of Mobile Andy Rubin is saying that a music store is probably close.

    “I think we’re close,” Rubin is quoted as saying with regards to the launch of a music service with the help from record labels. He’s also quoted as saying that it “will have a little twist – it will have a little Google in it. It won’t just be selling 99 cent tracks.”

    What could this entail? Hopefully we’ll see sooner rather than later. I’ve already got the Google Music beta app on my phone, but it’s sitting there feeling pretty lonely. It could use a “twist”.

    So far, the only label that is reportedly close to being on board with a Google offering is EMI. Meanwhile, Apple’s iCloud service is only just getting started as a complement to its hugely successful iTunes store.

    Google introduced Music Beta back in May. I can probably count the times I’ve used it on two hands. Here’s a video that accompanied the launch:

    There was a lot of hype leading up to the launch, but not so much following it. The disappointment with the lack of a music store was pretty loud and clear around the web. That doesn’t mean Google can’t make this a really good service. It is in Beta after all.

    I do appreciate the free tunes Google has been hooking users up with. Thanks to Google, I don’t have to dig Warrant’s Cherry Pie out of my own collection and upload it on my own.

  • Google Music Beta Like Pandora for Your Collection

    Google Music Beta Like Pandora for Your Collection

    Google just announced Google Music beta at Google I/O. A Google Music service has been long-anticipated, but now it’s finally come, though it may not be exactly what you were expecting.

    As you may know, Google has had some licensing issues with record labels, which is why this service is more about the music you already own. In fact, it’s billed as “a better way to play your music.”

    With Google Music beta, you can upload your personal music and sync it to listen from the web or from any enabled device with the Music app (which is available in the Android market). Songs that you’ve recently played will even be available when you’re offline, thanks to Google’s caching.

    “Once your music is online, it’s always available. Playlists are automatically kept in sync, and you don’t have to worry about cables, file transfers, or running out of storage space,” Google says. “Upload your personal music collection to a single library, even if it’s scattered across multiple computers. You can upload music files from any folder or add your iTunes library and all of your playlists. And when you add new music to your computer, it can be automatically added to your music collection online.”

    Google Music Beta

    Perhaps the most interesting part of Google Music is that is uses machine learning to create playlists based on songs you enter. You now how Pandora works? It’s similar to this from the sounds of it, but it draws from songs from your own collection. This is the “instant mix” feature.

    “All the playlists you create and all the changes you make to them are automatically available everywhere your music is,” says Google.

    Google is rolling out Music beta in stages, and says it’s free “at least while it’s in beta”. It is only available on an invitation basis, however. You can request an invite here.

    We can only assume Google will continue to try and get deals in place to expand this into music sales as well to directly take on Amazon and Apple.

  • Google Music, MySpace Music Encounter Difficulties

    A music service that doesn’t yet exist and a music service anchored to a fading social network (may) have both hit rough patches this week.  Reports indicate that Google Music isn’t succeeding in talks with record companies, while MySpace Music’s CTO has in fact left the organization.

    To start with the Google side of things: Peter Kafka wrote earlier today, “Google’s negotiations with the big music labels are ‘broken,’ says a source familiar with the search giant’s thinking: ‘There’s definitely a problem with the Google music conversations.’  Another industry source says Google’s top executives are reconsidering their music plans altogether.  ‘They’ve gone backwards . . .’”

    That’s less than encouraging for anyone who hoped to see Google start competing with Amazon and iTunes.  And at the same time, it’s plausible, given that Google Music rumors date back to at least 2006 and it managed to launch a music service in China in the meantime.

    As for what happened at MySpace, Liz Gannes reported, “Myspace Music CTO Dmitry Shapiro, who joined the company less than a year ago, has left to found a new start-up.”  And that’s similarly discouraging, since MySpace Music has been one of the few bright spots at MySpace in quite some time.

    Of course, this shouldn’t mark the end of the line for either venture.  Google can always send in a new negotiator or offer more cash, and MySpace has perhaps gotten used to replacing various execs.

    The timing’s just especially unfortunate on Google’s side since the company’s already dealing with a bad reaction to its first quarter earnings report.

  • Google Music – PushLife Acquired by Google

    Google has acquired PushLife, a mobile media sync/streaming service, for an undisclosed sum (which is rumored to be about $25 million).

    Google is expected to launch Google Music very soon to work with the Honeycomb version of Android. Last week, some apparent images of the service leaked. Now this.

    Here’s the announcement from PushLife:

    PushLife bought by Google

    Here’s a demo video of PushLife from MobileSyrup:

    We talked previously about how critical Google Music may be to Google’s social strategy, which is critical for Google overall – bonuses at the company are rumored to be tied to the success of its social endeavors.

    Google Music would compete directly with iTunes and Amazon, but could also help the company in its battle for user attention with Facebook. Music is very much a part of the social media landscape. Apple is trying to capitalize on this with Ping.

    PushLife has social features, as well as one-click song purchases something that Android users have come to greatly to appreciate from Amazon’s service.

  • Google Music – Critical for Google in Many Ways

    A little over a month ago, Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha made comments implying that Google Music would be coming with Android Honeycomb.

    Google Music is being tested internally at Google, according to CNET, who cites “music industry sources”. These sources also said that the app described in this recent XDA Developers forum, when someone discovered it as they installed Android Honeycomb on a phone, was a “working version of the service, but that the final version could be “much different”.

    Obviously, Google’s not talking. Google is, however, holding back Honeycomb, according to a recent report from Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Might Google Music be reason for this? Google does offer this snippet mentioning music in its description of Honeycomb:

    The platform offers new connectivity that developers can build on. API support for Bluetooth A2DP and HSP profiles lets applications query Bluetooth profiles for connected devices, audio state, and more, then notify the user. For example, a music application can check connectivity and status and let the user know that music is playing through a stereo headset. Applications can also register to receive system broadcasts of pre-defined vendor-specific AT commands, such as Platronics Xevent. For example, an application could receive broadcasts that indicate a connected device’s battery level and could notify the user or take other action as needed. Applications can also take advantage of the platform’s new support for full keyboards connected by USB or Bluetooth.

    Last fall, we looked at a proposal that Google had reportedly been shopping around to record labels. According to Billboard, this involved charging consumers about $25 a year to store songs in their “locker” from which they could access on any Internet-connected device by either streaming or downloading.

    “Google’s download store would operate like a conventional digital retailer, giving the consumers the ability to purchase individual tracks and digital albums,” wrote Billboard’s Ed Christman. “But Google locker subscribers would have the additional option of having their purchases transferred directly to their cloud-based account.”

    Google also reportedly wanted to obtain the right to provide customers with the ability to listen to a full-track stream of every song once.

    Of course, we don’t know how much of this will actually be part of the final product, but it was an interesting look at the strategy the company was allegedly pursuing. It would no doubt be a hit with Android users at the very least. Google account holders make up a significant portion of the web as well.

    In fact, it’s entirely possible that Google Music could play heavily into the company’s social strategy, which it still appears to be honing. This week, Google announced that in the coming weeks, it would start enforcing the requirement of Google accounts by all YouTube users – another key factor in the social strategy, if you ask me.

     

    YouTube - Create an account - A Google Account 

    Naturally, Google Music would compete directly against Amazon and Apple, but music is one area where Google could get another leg up on Facebook. Music is very much a part of the social media landscape. Apple is trying to capitalize on this with Ping.

    Apple Ping Social Music Service
    Music has been one area where even Myspace has been able to thrive in a Facebook world – although the future of that may be more questionable now – perhaps even more so with Google entering the game.

    The bottom line is that people love to share music, and discover new music from their friends. Social and music go hand in hand, and this might be one of Google’s best ins as a new social media force. Expect YouTube integration in one form or another.

    Then there is search. People search for music all the time, and Google is not shy about putting its own products into the search mix – via oneboxes, universal search, etc. Let’s not forget paid search, however.

    This week, Google announced a new type of AdWords ad format – the Media Ad. These ads allow advertisers to insert videos into their ads, which when clicked, open a big video right in the middle of the search results page. Now, these are only available to major motion picture studios right now, but Google said they will become available to more advertisers in time.

     

     

    Now, they’re for movie trailers. I wouldn’t rule out music videos in the future. This could be great for labels (or even independent musicians) to promote their talent. Want to ensure that someone searching for a band sees the video for their best song (or the single, at least), this seems like a pretty good way to do that. You never know what’s going to come up in a YouTube search – bootleg recordings of live performances, fan-made videos, or who knows what?

    It will be interesting to see if bands adopt more Google Profiles if Google finds a way to get more people to actually use and look at them. The rumored toolbar approach to social might be the key there. Google might just go the artist page route, similar to what Bing has done – only more Google Profile/Place Page-style.

     

    Converge on Bing 

    Google’s approach to music is going to be a critical thing to watch, as it could have far-reaching implications for Google in not only music, but social, mobile (Android), and in some ways even search.

  • Google Music in 2 Months?

    "Google Music" is one of those legends that seems like it’s been around as long as Google itself (ok, maybe not quite that long). Rumors pop up from time to time, then they die back down a bit. Then they always come back. 

    Right now, they’re in full force due to some comments made by Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha at Mobile World Congress. Guardian quotes him:

    "If you look at Google Mobile services [via Android] today, there’s a video service, there’s a music service – that is, there will be a music service." He added that the value of the upgrade to the Android system, known as "Honeycomb", which will power the forthcoming Motorola Xoom tablet is that "it adds video services and music services".

    Motorola Xoom - Will it Come with Google Music?

    In actuality, Android product manager Gaurav Jain indicated in an interview last summer, that Google Music and Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) would come out together in time for the holidays. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but just because the timing was off was not reason to think it wasn’t going to happen. 

    Currently, the release, which is expected to complement the release of Motorola’s Xoom tablet, is expected within the next two months. 

  • When Will We See Google Music?

    Depending on who you ask, Google Music is either weeks or months away from launching.

    A report from Businessweek suggests that the launch may come as soon as next month.

    Whereas CNET says we’re months, rather than weeks, away. So, what’s the hold up here?

    Business Insider has a new theory.

    An anonymous source of theirs, who has "extensive knowledge" of the online music space, told them that publishers are dragging their heels. Surprise.

    The Situation

    Google wants to launch a music service that lets users buy songs and have them downloaded into the cloud – accessible from anywhere. The problem appears to be that the publishers expect to be paid for every download. This is why Apple and Amazon don’t allow repeat downloads. Even though it’s outrageous to expect fans to pay twice to download songs they’ve already bought – that’s the situation.

    If a fan buys a song at home, stores it in the cloud, and wants to download that same song onto their work computer, publishers expect to get paid – again.

    It’s a bit anti-consumer of publishers to have these expectations, but this is the music industry. 

    Business Insider’s source doesn’t see anyone getting a license to launch a consumer pleasing personal cloud service anytime soon. Why?

    The major labels are very uncomfortable with "a model where you can just throw anything into the cloud and stream it, if what you threw into the cloud was not legitimately purchased," said Sony Music executive Thomas Hesse at MIDEM.

    Take a Mile

    If the major labels give fans an inch, they will take a mile.

    The most avid file-sharers, in theory, could create their own personal cloud-based music service with a big enough collection. The labels don’t want that.

    However, Michael Robertson of MP3tunes.com is in a legal battle now with EMI. If he wins, it would make Google’s negotiations with rightsholders unnecessary.

    Stay tuned.

    Originally pubished on HypeBot.com

  • Google’s Music Strategy Revealed?

    Google’s Music Strategy Revealed?

    Very interesting article from Billboard today. Apparently Google is circulating a proposal among major record labels regarding forthcoming music service. The proposal provides clues as to what we can likely expect. 

    Billboard’s Ed Christman says the service would include an a la carte digital download store, as well as a subscription-based cloud-based locker. He cites "industry sources", reporting: 

    The search giant has proposed charging consumers about $25 a year to store songs in the locker, from which they could access their music on an Internet-connected device by either streaming or downloading. Google’s download store would operate like a conventional digital retailer, giving the consumers the ability to purchase individual tracks and digital albums.

    Google Music on the Way?But Google locker subscribers would have the additional option of having their purchases transferred directly to their cloud-based account. And the company is seeking the right to provide each customer with the ability to listen to a full-track stream of every song once — as Lala.com did before it was acquired in December by Apple — after which the customer would be limited to a 30-second sample of that song.

    Obviously such a service would be a direct competitor to Apple’s iTunes, adding to the list of product with which the two companies are already competing. In fact, it would likely even compete with the new iTunes feature, Ping. The proposal reportedly includes social networking features, including the ability to send playlists to friends. This would be no surprise, as other reports indicate Google is looking to add social layers to various core products (which appears to be what the whole "Google Me" project entails). 

    A music service from Google has been expected for quite some time, but little has been known about the details of how it would work. We can’t exactly call this a confirmation of what the final product will be, but it certainly appears to shed some light on the strategy Google is trying to carry out. They still have to jump through the licensing hoops and all of that fun stuff. 

    Would you pay $25 a year for such a service? Let us know. 

    (Hat tip to Matthew Ingram at GigaOm)

  • Search For Google Music Chief May Be Underway

    According to Google’s own people, Google Music – which might be a music download service designed to let users store songs in the cloud at some point – will launch this year.  Trouble is, the Google Music project doesn’t have any sort of public leader, and Google’s now supposedly trying to remedy that problem.

    Peter Kafka reported this afternoon, "The search giant is casting about for an executive to run its music service, which doesn’t actually exist yet. . . .  Industry sources tell me Google has talked to several digital media executives about the job, but has yet to hire anyone."

    It would be a little odd if the hiring process doesn’t proceed quickly; major excursions into new business segments tend to be led by publicity-seeking VPs, SVPs, or presidents of some sort.  And it’s not like there should be a shortage of applicants, given that Google’s involved.

    Whoever’s worked on Google Music so far has presumably done an all right job to date, though, and Kafka pointed out that MySpace "built out MySpace Music, then hired president Courtney Holt from MTV after the service had launched."

    GooglePlus, there is a significant element of risk involved, given that Apple already dominates the music download industry and has a market cap of $220 billion to Google’s $144 billion.

    We’ll see what happens and be sure to report any updates.

  • Google Music, Android 3.0 To Launch Together This Year

    Two of the most anticipated projects in development at Google should be rolled out in a coordinated fashion rather soon.  Android product manager Gaurav Jain indicated in a recent interview that Google Music and Android 3.0 will come out together in time for the holidays.

    Google AndroidZach Epstein deserves credit for coming across the interview, which was published by Israel’s Calcalist.  As for the contents, a (somewhat mangled) Google translation sure enough indicates that Jain said, "Google will combine music download service next version of Android launched for the U.S. holiday season."

    That’s a pretty definite sign some cross-promotions will take place.  It’s easy to imagine how television commercials might work in both the new Android operating system (or at least the new phones utilizing it) and the availability of lots and lots of music via a cloud service.

    Factor in the time of year, and it even starts to seem likely that we’ll see the largest Android advertising campaign to date.

    Unfortunately for Google, as exciting as all that might be, the timing of the rollout could leave it at a disadvantage.  Epstein noted, "New rumors circulated earlier this week suggesting that Apple is on the verge of revealing the fruits of its Lala acquisition . . . .  These rumors suggest a September announcement for streaming iTunes service, which would be bad news for Google."

    On the other hand, if Apple moves first, that might provide Google with an opportunity to address some of its competitor’s shortcomings.

  • Google Music Store Rumors Resurface

    Sometime in the next six months, it may become possible for individuals to buy music straight from Google.  People familiar with the matter believe the company will launch a music store with ties to its main search engine, and later, a cloud-based subscription service is supposed to debut.

    GoogleOf course, we’ve heard similar rumors many times before, and at this point, any sort of official confirmation is still lacking.  It’s possible Google itself doesn’t even know how everything will work out, given the licensing deals and user interface adjustments that any move into this market would require.  Nonetheless, the details of the latest report are interesting to consider.

    Scott Morrison explained last night, "The first phase of Google’s music service is expected to be a Web store where users can buy and download tracks, music industry insiders said.  It will be tied directly to Google’s search engine, so that people using Google.com to look for a particular group or song will be served a link to the company’s music store . . .

    As for the rest of Google’s music-related plans, Morrison wrote about "a more ambitious cloud-based subscription service compatible with mobile phones built with Google’s Android software.  A cloud-based service would enable subscribers to stream music directly from the Internet to their mobile phones, so that users wouldn’t need to store music files on their devices."

    These ideas seem plausible, given that they’d take advantage of Google’s dominance in the search market and complement its interest in cloud computing.

    The ideas seem likely to achieve some level of success, too, if Google decides to follow through and doesn’t make its pricing less than competitive.