Google Launches 'Music Beta' Cloud Service

124354 google music beta

As expected, Google today announced its new Music Beta service, offering users the ability to upload their music libraries to Google's servers for cloud-based hosting that allows users to access content from any device. The offering competes against Amazon's Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services, as well as Apple's expected MobileMe revamp.

Music Beta is currently available via invitation to U.S. users and will allow users to upload up to 20,000 songs using software for Mac or Windows. The service then offers a web-based interface and initial app support for Android devices. The service is free while in beta, and Google has yet to announce pricing for when the service exits beta.

Like Amazon's cloud-based system, Google has yet to achieve the cooperation of major music labels, forcing the company to rely on a "passive" system in which users are responsible for uploading their own content. Google had been working to reach agreements with record labels to roll out a more robust service, but those talks had stalled with the two sides at an impasse. With Apple reportedly having its own service ready to go and finalizing deals with record labels, Google has apparently shifted gears to more quickly launch the scaled back service without label support.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

Thataboy Avatar
172 months ago
My whole life I have been an early adopted, on the cutting edge of tech.

Maybe I am now an old man, because I SIMPLY FAIL to see the point in either Amazon or Google's offering.

1. Streaming all media in an age of mobile data caps? Not cute.
2. 8GB, 16GB, 32GB etc. is a ton of space to house thousands of songs locally. No network connection required. Will it hold your entire music collection? Probably not. But you don't listen to your entire music collection all the live long day.
3. If you want access to your entire collection, stream from your own computer via AudioGalaxy or whatever other programs there are out there. AudioGalaxy works very well. Yes, your computer needs to be on. Big deal.

So to recap, use local. If you want to stream, stream from your own computer, but keep in mind your data caps.

Why does a third party need access to all of my files? F that. Google and Amazon are not game changers here. People are flipping out like they're doing something impressive. Keep in mind, I actually really like Google and Amazon :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Žalgiris Avatar
172 months ago
If you want it with you all the time then why don't you put it on your damn iPod?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jsbaugh Avatar
172 months ago
I couldn't agree more. Google went to town at this I/O. I'm really impressed with the span of their developments.

Really? Is anything that Google announced today shocking or revolutionary? So far they have announced they are trying to cure fragmentation which they announced last year and still hasnt worked. Movie rentals and clould storage is old news and they are finally catching up. So far there is nothing surprising to me.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChazUK Avatar
172 months ago
U.S only makes me a sad panda.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
inkswamp Avatar
172 months ago
you need to look at the music streaming stuff as just part of what Google are planning..their vision for mobile and home entertainment which so far is winning and winning well.

Their i/O today was certainly more impressive than anything Apple has done recently.

Assuming Google can deliver then this iOS vs Android thing is over before it even really began.
Given that Google delivered on almost nothing they promised at last year's I/O (and what they did deliver mostly flopped) I'd say this is a lot less definitive than you make it sound. Also, where Apple wins is not in getting there first, but being the first to implement it in a way that doesn't require the users to be a card-carrying member of the Geek Club. Google's music thing will require a very intuitive interface and a no-hassle approach for the end user, and that's not something Google is known for.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Roessnakhan Avatar
172 months ago


Forever Beta.

What a surprise.

Sent from my final, complete, fully-realized iPad 2.
You're comparing a cloud service to hardware? If you want to compare Apple products to Google's "Music Beta" use "Ping", "MobileMe", and "iWork.com", which should also have "Beta" attached to them.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)