It looks like Google is partnering with iLike (MySpace) and Lala for an upcoming music service. TechCrunch claims that the service will be announced on October 28. Supposedly called Google Audio, the effort gives Google yet another way to serve ads. Perhaps more importantly, it gives the company a music service that can be leveraged by products that use Google Android. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington reported:
Google will soon launch a music service, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the company has spent the last several weeks securing content for the launch of the service from the major music labels. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.
This new service will be available for at least U.S. users, our sources confirm, although it isn’t clear if it’s a download or streaming service, or both. Google already has a decent (if little used) music search engine that can be accessed by simply typing “music:” before a query. But songs are not available for streaming or download from those searches.
Apple and Google have been competing in more and more areas, with the companies growing increasingly icy towards each other. Google has had recent difficulty integrating its products (Google Voice) into Apple’s (iPhone). A recent rumor stated that Apple was working on its own mapping program to remove Google Maps as the default on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Google starting a service that competes head-on with Apple’s iTunes is an even bigger shot. Hopefully there will be blood soon.
While I don’t think Google Audio has much of a chance against iTunes, it might be able to do well enough on its own. I know there are a lot of iTunes haters reading the site. Would you give Google Audio a chance?
GO GOOGLE!!! BEAT APPLES BUTT.
I LOVE my Mac, but Itunes can suck it.
@Hrolf What in particular do you not like about iTunes?
@Rpad and Hrolf
I'm wondering the same thing. I never thought my media would be organized before iTunes came along. Windows Media can suck it if you ask me. iTunes and the iPod are the very reason I own a mac. iTunes started it all and the iPod continued to lead me in that direction.
Also, I'm a little concerned about a world where Wal-Mart and Google join up for global domination…
Everything. I hate how i pop a CD, blank or otherwise in and it loads Itunes even if I do not want it to. I hate how my music library is now separated by artists, and albums, so my rap album is chopped up into 5 or 6 places and no matter what I do it wont put it back into one album. I hate how when I attach my Palm Pre to my Mac via USB Itunes loads up every single time, even though I dont want it to,(though Iphoto does this too when I attach the Pre)
I just think Itunes is overrated. I LOVE my Mac, and it would take a bit for me to go back to a PC, or even Winblows, but I do not think Apple is much better then M$ when it comes to how they handle things professionally.
@Hrolf,
to be fair a lot of those are options you are referring to. iTunes is highly customizable
Yea I have been told this, and tried to make it easier, but I have had no luck. Im not a moron when it comes to computers, but Itunes for some reason I just cannot get.
@Shockwave562 Ha! I like Google a helluva lot better than Wal-Mart (even though Google killed my ads! *sniff* *sniff*).
I'm content with iTunes, but haven't really explored any alternatives. It's simple and neat, so I haven't felt the need to use anything else for my music organization. For digital purchases, I usually use Amazon, since it's usually cheaper than iTunes.
@rpad – ya I rarely purchase from itunes either. there are always better and cheaper ways to find music/video and so I wouldn't mind google competing with that aspect. I'd still organize the files in itunes though.
ya itunes isn't perfect but it's the best I've tried. I'm also thankful for iPhoto. all the pictures on my computer were such a god awful mess before my mac changed all that
I DO like the store though. I like how I can search for something and usually find it fairly easily. though the whole pay for music thing is a bit new for me, but since being on AT&T I have not been able to use bittorrent at all..
@Hrolf, how does att block that? do they monitor your downloads or something?
I generally don't bother downloading music. to me 99 cents for a song is worth it to get a clean version without viruses that will sound good on my entertainment center.
as far as piracy goes I refuse to pay for certain things, such as Microsoft Office, Antivirus software and Adobe Photoshop and Reader. I can't bring myself to pay hundreds of dollars for software that is a basic necessity
I should say I don't bother pirating music. it's fairly reasonably priced if you shop around. new cds that I really want come out as frequently as games so 10 bucks here or there doesn't bug me. most the time I'll pick up a song or 2 every month though
I am not really sure. I just know every time I load up bittorrent, my internet suddenly stops and I have not been able to get anything for a year now.
I dont have issue paying for music I just dont have the money. Yea I know 99 cents is cheap, but were already struggling pretty badly. Haven't had cable since we've moved either, but thats because Commie-cast is the only available tv and I REFUSE to pay them money. AT&T would never get my money if it wasnt for the fact we have a home line and its cheap to have internet and a phone.
@hrolf, I can definitely understand that. times are different then they were when this whole 99 cents per song thing started.
funny note about Comcast, unfortunately my girlfriend works for them, it's sweet and a little bitter because I can't stand comcast but we do get tv,phone, and internet and I still don't have to pay those jerks. also, comcast sponsored me going to club level and the broncos/Patriots game so they are earning some respect back for me
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Google-To-Craf…
Check that out. Maybe ATT lit a fire when they were trying to drag google from the FCC mud.
@smartguy
I think their own phone is a smart move. Android will never reach its full potential when it isn't used to all of its strengths. Google will make the most out of it
@shockwave
I'm more interested in the wrench that will be thrown into the market. It will change the US cell market. Could lead to alot of developers doing that.
@ Hrolf
1) If all else fails, try the "sorting" option in iTunes.
2) The Pre syncs with iTunes because you haven't told iTunes or iPhoto not to.
3) The bittorrent thing probably has to do with your Static Nat and/or port forwarding. I would Google the instructions for that if I were you because that does get complicated.
@hrolf (from earlier in the post) i agree about not liking how itunes will segment a rap album into 5 or 6 parts. itunes needs more options for sorting your music.
i dont really like itunes that much sometimes, but it is the best option for keeping all my music in one format, which can easily transfer to my (soon to be) 32gb ipod touch.
one downside is that itunes is a dominating format, so most of my music is stuck in that format.
perhaps if itunes has some decent competition it will be forced to clean itself up…a lot.
@ bsukenyan
WHAT? (I actually yelled that out loud when I read your post)
I know the dilemma you speak of. I have tons of rap albums and even a 3 disc compilation of WWE wrestler theme songs that are listed as the wrestler as the artist. The option you seek is called (believe it or not) "sorting".
What you do:
1) Get the album to show up on a list by itself. Usually you can go to the "albums" list and it will bring it up the way it would look if you just had that album on your HDD. If that fails, make a playlist that you will soon delete.
2) Highlight the whole list and right click or command click. Go to "Get Info".
3) The third tab at the top in the window that pops up says "sorting" click on it.
4) in the "Artsit" tab, type the main artist who's CD you got without them featuring anyone.
5) Click OK
That should do the trick. I have all those wrestling themes come up where the W's should be and it says the various wrestlers names. If this doesn't help, I'll make a video, post it on Youtube, and link it here. Let me know if I need to do that.
I've really only had a couple of sorting issues with itunes, mostly is was on a tv show not music. if you pay close attention to how you have it sorted you should be able to have everything sorted correctly.
Of course, I have OCD about making sure my Library is organized. one little TV show not fitting in the group will drive me nuts
@ Shockwave
I'm the exact same way. If the the cover flow shows 2 pictures for the same album or show… I fix it immediately.
I got your email by the way.
N8r
What they said about the rap albums. it drives me nuts.
I actually dont have it sync with Itunes, but when the phone gets plugged in via USB Itunes and Iphoto both pop up automatically. I actually use another program to sync with since the movies I have tried to put on my Pre WITH Itunes AND the right format STILL wont upload correctly.
Also about post 20, thank you , I will try that to sort the stuff that is completely off..
the bittorrent thing I will most certainly look into, thanks for the advice.
@ Hrolf
You are more than welcome. It drives me nuts too, that's why I messed with the sorting.
The syncing thing, no, you more than likely didn't tell it to sync with those programs. However, it does it automatically. You have to tell it NOT to if you don't want it to. When you plug the device in, it should pop up in the sidebar of iTunes. There should be a check box in "options" that says "Automatically sync… yada, yada,". Uncheck that. I have an iPhone and am not truly familiar if the Pre works the same way.
With iPhoto, you have to go to "Preferences". In the "General" part, there's an option that says "Connecting cameras open with" and a scrollbox next to it. Pick the app you do want your photos to go to and that should solve that.
I can totally see the movies thing since iTunes only really recognizes m4v's. If the pre doesn't recognize them… I can see the dilemma.
the Pre actually does do M4v's but for some reason, and It might have been the program I had been using to convert the files, it would put them on the phone but the phone couldnt recognize the file. as soon as I tried with the newer program it worked.
@N8R thanks for the advice, i will have to try that later tonight with a couple of albums. i will let you know if i get it to work or not.
@topic im still just really skeptical of any music service that is not itunes with concerns to how it will fare with the mainstream public, because itunes is sooooo ingrained into our society.
@bsukenyan Sure, but don't you feel better about one coming from a large company like Google? Because of positive experiences with its past products, I'm willing to give Google Anything a shot.
@rpad yeah i do feel more comfortable with a music service coming from google, instead of a smaller company or a newer start up company. I still just think that anything that comes out to compete with itunes will be a small speck on the radar due to itunes familiarity and its history as the best music service around (im talking more about when it first came out). People feel comfortable with it, and due to the format that all itunes files are in it confines itunes products and forces you to have to buy their products completely, or not at all.
thats tough competition.
I think Itunes is here to stay. They have made that name synonymous with digital music. Much like how people ask you to "xerox" something for them or to give them a "kleenex" when they need a tissue…."coke" when they want a soda.
@bsukenyan I agree that it probably won't make a significant dent in iTunes' market share, but that doesn't mean it can't be successful. The world isn't all Coke and Pepsi — Snapple sells too. It makes the market more interesting and adds another battle to the Apple/Google war.
@rpad yeah i agree about it adding another thing to the Apple/Google war, which makes things interesting to pay attention too. But the consensus is that it wont make a huge impact. you are completely right though, it can be very successful, and i really hope it is.
i feel like itunes has this huge monopoly with some of their products dealing with itunes, and i wouldn't mind one bit seeing it have some actual competition.
Don't forget, amazon, bestbuy and walmart all sell digital music. Google has to do more than worry with Apple. They should worry about the number 2 and 3 guys before they try and compete with numero uno.
I think a big thing to consider is that iPods can go directly to iTunes. Being as how Apple has shown a precedence with their reaction to Google voice… it will offer less accessibility to customers since iPods are the number one mp3 players out there.
In the end, if Google offers a better deal to the artists for uploading tracks… it may be the edge they need.
@N8R
More and more android phones are coming out and a google music store could be an update for those devices.
Though I will stick with Itunes. Gives me good service.
@N8R And it's not just Android phones. There are Android media players too.
@ Smartguy
That's phones… I'm talking about iPods. My 7 year old wants an iPod and I have no excuse not to get him one when I have SEVERAL reasons not to get him a phone.
The #1 demographic for music sales has always been kids. That's why Miley Cyruss and the Jonas Brothers are killing on the charts right now.
@ R Pad
But they gotta get more of those out if they really want to make a solid run at it.
iTunes beat Wal-Mart… that's saying alot.
@N8R They will. It's not going to be as big as iPod/iTunes, but it has a good chance at success. Being able to have a hand in both the software and the shopping experience is a big advantage.
@N8R
Yeah, I said phones but the line between the two devices is definitely running thin. As cool as I think the new Nano is simply because it records video, I won't get it since my Iphone is also an Ipod. I like dual functionality in my devices. (i cannot wait for the summer when new Iphone comes out that records video and is all around better…goodbye 3G)
Kids are definitely something I didn't consider when I made my post though. I see plenty of them with phones now. I don't think there are enough of them to make a difference in the matter however. Not yet anyway.
@ R Pad
Success… yes, dominance… no. Google is already successful. Like I said, if they have a better publishing deal, it may turn the tide considerably.
Also, I tried posting this once and it said "duplicate comment" when it didn't show. I'm really only typing this line so the comment will appear.
@ Smartguy
Teens and Tweens… yes. Even younger kids are still interested in music though. Think of all the little princesses going to dance recitals.
iPods get on with wifi. It doesn't need to be a phone to access iTunes store. Next time you're at your local mall, look at all the kids with iPods. I like the dual functionality as well, but there is a much bigger market to consider than you and I.
My kids are too young for phones, but not MP3 players with a prepaid account. That's just one example.
@ Smartguy
Also, i got my first Walkman when I was 5. I also got "The Story Of The Stones" a Rolling Stones greatest hits anthology (because my parents are awesome) with it.
My son already has a portable CD player, but thinks it's too clunky and hates the skips. He wants a Touch because of the games as well (as I listen to the Banjo Kazooie N&B music in the background while I type).
His favorite song is "Weird Science" by Oingo Boingo and his favorite singer is Bruce Springsteen.
I feel accomplished. He also knew who Elvis was before he knew who Jesus was, however.
@N8R
You got him hooked on old vein head huh?
@ Smartguy
My wife assisted.
All of Springsteen's album's before Born In The USA are amazing. If you've never heard "Nebraska", I highly recommend that album.
@N8R For some reason your original comment ended up in the spam folder. I just deleted it.
But yes, nobody should expect any new music service to dominate. iTunes has been too successful for too long. To borrow a line from Talladega Nights, "Ain't nothin' wrong with silver."
@N8R
I remember you getting on to me months ago about bashing on Springsteen. You recommended that album then. I listened to it. Not too bad. If only I could erase the images of him while listening.
@ Smartguy
I recommend that album to everyone. I didn't mean to spam you with Boss hype, my bad.
Greetings from Asbury Park is another masterpiece.
I personally may be a little to hetero to notice what he looks like while listening to an album. (I kid)