Google Music announced with Google+ integration, many labels on board
After a long, heavily-rumored lead-up and beta period stretching back to Google I/O in May, Google Music is now official with the support of several top-tier and independent labels, social integration by way of Google+, and free, open sign-up for everyone in the US.
Exclusive: Google readies its Spotify competitor with Universal and Sony now on board
Google will unveil new subscription music services tomorrow at the Google I/O conference, sources close to the company said. Google has now signed separate licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment for both YouTube and Google Play, setting the stage for such an announcement, music industry sources told The Verge.
Google plans to add separate music subscription services to YouTube and Google Play, the entertainment hub for the Android operating system. Earlier...
Google negotiating for subscription music service to launch in third quarter
Google has spoken to some of the top music-recording companies about creating a subscription music service similar to Rdio and Spotify, but music industry sources have told The Verge that any launch of such a service is still months away.
Google has specifically talked about a launch of a streaming music service in the third quarter, the sources said today. The Financial Times reported earlier in the day that the launch is "impending."
Web & Social
Google Music adds 'Shared with me' playlist of your friends' songs
One of the main differentiators of Google Music is its sharing functionality: if a friend of yours shares a song on Google+, you get a free listen of the entire track. Now those tracks are being collected in a single place with the addition of an automatic playlist called "Shared with me." Google likens this feature to an email inbox, and that doesn't seem too far off the mark — there's a counter of songs that you haven't yet listened to, and those new tunes appear bolded in the playlist....
Apps & Software
Google TV gets new Google Music app
One day after announcing Google Music, the company is rolling out a fresh new Google Music app for Google TV. The app streams music directly from your library stored in the cloud and integrates deeply enough into the Google TV system to play in the background and allow you to set up a playlist to serve as a soundtrack to a photo slideshow. Google has promised "future updates" to the music app as well.
Google Music is available now via the Android Market on Google TV, assuming you've installed...
Android
Google Music hands-on
Google Music shed its beta label today, and we got a chance to play with the service — once we bought some new Busta Rhymes jams, we checked out the updated Android and web apps. The most noticeable thing about the Android app is that it's a much faster, more stable application, with a lot more content displayed on the screen at once. It got a new, swipe-friendly look, which should be nicely at home on Ice Cream Sandwich. There's a new layout in landscape mode, which shows album art as you...
Android
Google Music gets Google+ integration
No surprise, Google Music is getting deep Google+ integration. For any songs that you purchase, you'll be able to share with friends or circles on Google+. In order to help drive additional purchases, Google will let any friends that you share with listen to the entire song, instead of the initial 90 seconds, for free. From within the Google Music interface, simply click the down arrow near the end of each song title, select share, and a Google+ overlay will appear on screen for sharing with...
Android
Google Music launching with EMI, Sony Music, and others; offering free, exclusive music
As rumored, Google Music launched its music store today with a range of new content partnerships, letting users buy millions of songs from the Google Marketplace. Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and its subsidiary EMI are launching with the revised service, bringing along their formidable music archives — notably missing, though, is Warner. There's also a host of independent labels on board, giving Google Music a total of 13 million tracks; 8 million of those are live today, with the...
Google: 200m Android devices have been activated
At its music-focused event in Los Angeles today, Google just announced that some 200 million Android devices have now been activated around the world, double the mark it hit back at Google I/O in May. For comparison Apple's most recently-announced number was 250 million back in October — so in the grand scheme of things, these guys are neck-and-neck. It'll be interesting to see how the Google Nexus impacts the numbers in the short term, of course — and as upgrades and new devices come...
Mobile
Google Music store official: artist hubs, Google+ integration, and more
Google today dropped the "beta" moniker off Google Music, and with that, it's announced a music store baked into Android Market, much like it has previously done with books. Google Music is available to anyone in the US, no invitation required, and has the ability to upload up to 20,000 songs to the cloud for free. There will be an app for Windows, Mac, and Linux devices that'll help you upload songs to your locker. Those can be streamed via the cloud or alternatively you'll be able to...
Android
Reminder: Google Music 'These Go To Eleven' live blog today at 5PM ET / 2PM PT!
What with all the leaked screenshots, code snippets and whispers on the wind, we've got a pretty good idea of what to expect: Today, Google's almost certainly going to formally unveil its digital music store, and we're here in Los Angeles live blogging the whole event. At 2PM local time (that's 5PM ET!) you'll find out whether the likes of Sony, EMI and Universal truly did sign their music to Google's service, and whether it'll cost $0.99 to $1.29 per track. Oh, and don't forget the "twist"...
Apps & Software
Sony Music Entertainment also reportedly on board for Google Music Store
Google is expected to launch its new music service tomorrow and it's becoming clear that the company intends it to be a real competitor to iTunes. Key to that effort is signing on the big music labels, and following an earlier rumor that Universal (and its soon-to-be-subsidiary EMI) signed on, the Wall Street Journal reports that Sony Music Entertainment has also agreed to list its music in Google's store. That leaves the Warner Music Group as the lone company amongst the major labels to not...
Apps & Software
Google reportedly near a deal with Universal for its upcoming music store
We'll know for sure tomorrow, but we're seeing more and more signs that Google will announce a full-fledged music store at its "These Go To Eleven" event. The latest comes from Businessweek, which claims Google is close to a deal with Universal Music Group to sell music through its store. Google is claimed to already have EMI wrapped up; Universal would give it the two of the coveted "big four" music labels (which are in the process of becoming the "big three," with Universal buying EMI...
Web & Social
Google Music store screenshots emerge, will include 'Free Song of the Day'?
The Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich are nearly upon us, and one feature that's widely expected to be introduced alongside their release is a Google Music store. The current beta of Google Music functions mostly as a dumb music locker in the cloud, but there's already been evidence that Google's planning to expand its functionality and turn it into an actual store. This weekend has seen more kindling added to that fire with a set of purported screenshots from that very Google Music...
Google Music 'These Go to Eleven' event announced for November 16th
We just got word from that Google is holding an event on November 16th, and our sources tell us it's going to be for Google Music. The email came from Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel, in case the event's 'These Go to Eleven' name wasn't obvious. No word yet on what will be announced, but we expect to see music purchasing added to the service as well as new Google+ sharing service following a glimpse in October of an HTML5-powered music player. We'll be covering the event live at 2pm PST.
Android
Google Music HTML5 music player teases song purchasing
Up until just a few minutes ago, if you fired up your Android browser and paid a visit to music.google.com, you would have been greeted with a new and intriguing message that implies that Google is indeed about to launch a full-fledged music store, as promised:
2. Shop millions of songs in Android Market
Get songs from your favorite artists in Android Market, including hundreds of free tracks.
The information apparently appeared by mistake as Google has already removed the references to the...
Web & Social
Google Music to add Google+ sharing, launch soon?
After hearing Andy Rubin promise that the upcoming Google Music service will "have a little twist," most of the rumors about it have focused on what might be Google's biggest priority right now, Google+. So it's not surprising that today we have a trio of stories suggesting exactly the kind of Google+ integration we were expecting. According to their sources, the new service will allow users to recommend songs purchased from Google Music on Google+ to friends, who will be able to listen to...
Google music store coming soon with a 'twist,' says Andy Rubin
Google's attempt to compete in the music sales business fell short of expectations when it launched the cloud-only Music Beta without support from the record labels, but Android head Andy Rubin expressed confidence that Google is getting close, in his remarks at the AsiaD conference in Hong Kong. Rubin says that Google's version "will have a little twist" and that "it won't just be selling 99-cent tracks." Google is trailing Apple and Amazon, which already sell music and offer cloud...
Google planning to open MP3 store soon?
Google may be close to opening its own MP3 music store to compete directly with both Apple and Amazon, according to a report at the New York Times. Google is said to be in negotiations with major record labels to launch the store now, but that is a process that Google hasn't had much success with in the past. Google Music was originally meant to avoid the lengthy upload process for streaming music, but negotiations reportedly broke down.
Google currently only offers a service called Music...
