Today ‘Google Play Music All Access‘ was announced in the U.S. with a UK release likely in the near future. It’s a music streaming service to rival Spotify and has been on the cards for awhile. It’s the latest aggressive move by Google to own the world’s data at the expense of your personal privacy.
NOW YOU CAN BUY A MUSIC SUBSCRIPTION FROM GOOGLE
So what will make it any different than Spotify, Xbox Music or other UK music subscription services?
Google Play Music All Access will allow users to stream from its huge library of tracks, from any device at no extra cost, and give you the ability to store your own music online and stream that too. This differs from Spotify where your own music is stored locally on your computer or device and is tied to a physical location.
What Google offers is an online storage option in a world where physical media is becoming obsolete. Even the iPod’s days must be numbered as streaming makes carrying an extra device less attractive. In terms of offering reliable online storage to the private consumer, only the likes of Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and a few others can truly compete.
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST AD MAN WANTS YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION
Make no mistake, Google invented Android as a trojan horse to capture more data. Google already subsides its Nexus range of devices to increase Android market share, so it won’t think twice about offering free online music storage to crush smaller competitors already ahead of Google Play Music All Access.
Spotify UK users will soon be considering making the switch if early adopters are offered an attractive price point which includes all device use. If the British price for early adoption is less than a tenner a month then it will be undercutting the competition and offering a better deal.
Even if Spotify offer UK music subscribers free online storage, they simply can’t compete with Google.
As the next generation of kids listen to music via the web without any physical media, streaming services will struggle to differentiate themselves. Expect these data hungry goliaths to lean on brand power to hammer their product home. That’s why there’s a ‘Xbox Live Music’ service and not a ‘Microsoft Music Service’.
Google’s marketing describe the new offering as “radio without rules”. An alternative could be “radio without privacy”.
Expect ‘Google Play Music All Access’ to have a UK release date in the near future.
