Google Working With Major Music Labels To Offer Streaming Music Service
The music streaming market is already kind of crowded (and Spotify might have already perfected it, obviating the need for any more players anyway), but because Google is Google, the company is reportedly in talks with music labels to develop its own music streaming service.
According to the Financial Times, Google’s service would more or less be the same model as Spotify, including offering both a free ad-based version and an unlimited-streaming paid tier. Part of the necessary infrastructure is already built because of Google Music, but evolving from an upload or buy-and-stream service to one where a user can stream from a massive online library of tunes is a major move.
Google Music
Aside from the obvious need to beat Apple and Amazon to the punch on music streaming--both tech juggernauts have music services like Google that don’t yet offer the kind of streaming that Spotify does--Google no doubt sees a music streaming service as another way to cull data on users worldwide, which would help it target ads and track trends. Further, Google would be able to bundle its service on all of its Nexus (and Glass?) devices, or at least until someone brings an antitrust suit to bear. (Microsoft knows something about about how that goes.)
Spotify
Yes, it all comes down to data and ad dollars for these major tech companies, but for the consumer, nothing beats opening an application, pulling up any recorded musician’s entire catalog, and listening for as long as you like.
According to the Financial Times, Google’s service would more or less be the same model as Spotify, including offering both a free ad-based version and an unlimited-streaming paid tier. Part of the necessary infrastructure is already built because of Google Music, but evolving from an upload or buy-and-stream service to one where a user can stream from a massive online library of tunes is a major move.
Google Music
Aside from the obvious need to beat Apple and Amazon to the punch on music streaming--both tech juggernauts have music services like Google that don’t yet offer the kind of streaming that Spotify does--Google no doubt sees a music streaming service as another way to cull data on users worldwide, which would help it target ads and track trends. Further, Google would be able to bundle its service on all of its Nexus (and Glass?) devices, or at least until someone brings an antitrust suit to bear. (Microsoft knows something about about how that goes.)
Spotify
Yes, it all comes down to data and ad dollars for these major tech companies, but for the consumer, nothing beats opening an application, pulling up any recorded musician’s entire catalog, and listening for as long as you like.
