In amongst all of the other announcements at today’s I/O developers conference, Google has taken the wraps off its new ‘All Access’ Music service, and judging by the business model and pricing, it looks a sure-fire shot at the popular alternatives Spotify, Pandora and Rdio. More details after the break.
Google Play Music All Access will launch in the U.S initially, costing $9.99 a month with a 30-day free trial. The Big G has launched the service immediately, and for those keen to adopt early in exchange for a significant saving, Google is lowering the price to just $7.99 for those subscribing before June 30th.
As noted by Android team member Chris Yerga:
Music unites us, it’s universal . . We set out to build a music service that didn’t just give you access to a world of music, but helped to guide you through it.
To try and add a USP to the multitude of similar offerings, the All Access Music service will curate a list of songs that auto-updates based upon the kinds of bands and artists you listen to. If you want to purge anything that isn’t to your taste, you can simply swipe it away, and judging by the demonstration, it’s a very sleek service.
Google has arrived somewhat late into the music business, but considering its strong marketing prowess, the likes of Spotify et al should certainly be looking over their shoulders. At $7.99 for those keen to jump right in, it’s very attractively priced, and although I suspect Google will have a tough initial job trying to coerce folks away from their comfort zones, it would be hasty and even naive to write off the search giant’s chances of taking the music game by storm.
The Mountain View company claims this service is better for music discovery than any other, and although I don’t doubt this to be the case, it’s also apparent just how often the big companies come up short when it comes to securing licensing agreements for the tracks most folk want to hear.
As with all new Google software, it will start off in the United States initially before trickling out to the rest of the world. We’ll be sure to follow up with further details pertaining to All Access Music, so stay tuned!
UPDATE: The new updated version of Google Play Music is now live, grab it from here.
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