Google Music’s launch in the US has prompted much thought on whether we’re about to see a genuine shift away from an iTunes dominated download market. As Google’s Android phones proliferate, with 200 million handsets now out in the wild, the chance for Mountain View to wrest control of the music industry from its deadly Cupertino rival is obvious.
It’s clear that some of Google Music’s ideas are laudable. Its artists hub will be vital for helping nascent talent promote itself and sell its own content through a viable and safe platform. However, the sad fact is that this aspect cannot cover up some serious issues with Google Music.
Google’s MP3 store itself is a smart idea, but it’s clearly lacking in certain areas. Launching without the backing of one of the now three major labels, namely Warner, is a huge risk and means massive artists, from Led Zeppelin to Prince, are missing from what is supposed to be a full-on iTunes competitor. Frankly, that’s not good enough and Google must ensure that it gets Warner signed up pronto.
Then there’s the fact that the music store cannot be accessed via the music app on all compatible Android handsets. You need the latest version of the Market app for it to play nice, but this really should have been flagged up in the official announcement, not have to be sniffed out by tech hacks. It all feels as if the seamlessness isn’t quite there. The mantra ‘it just works’ might bore those who can’t stand Apple, but it’s important for any service’s success that things do ‘just work’.
This isn’t to say Apple’s rival service is faultless. It’s only since iOS 5 that iTunes has become much sharper and more seamless. In reality, Google should have launched its MP3 store much earlier, so it could trumpet its features and make Apple look second best. As it is, it has a compromised solution, for now at least.
And that’s before we even consider the cloud storage options. Yes, Google’s service is free, something execs from the search giant have been happy to tell all and sundry. However, in comparison to the paid-for iTunes Match, it lacks any kind of breeziness. Having to upload 20,000 tracks yourself is a time-consuming pain. Apple’s package does it for you, so you don’t have to. Surely Google could have worked on a solution that did the same for its vast number of Android users.
That’s not to say Google Music doesn’t have a laudable edge. Its artists hubs, which allow any band, signed or unsigned, to sell tracks and additional material via their service is very smart. The 70/30 split is fair and the fact artists can set their own pricing and control the lengths of previews is welcome. The timing couldn’t be better for Google. Only yesterday, a host of independent artists quit Spotify in disgust at the lack of decent pay, while the Mercury nominated songwriter Jon Hopkins this morning took to Twitter to exclaim, “Got paid £8 for 90,000 plays. F**k Spotify.” Google can now position itself as the friend of the struggling musician, although it’ll need to go on the hard sell to ensure new music and undiscovered gems are easy to find on its store.
Ultimately though, the success of Google Music won’t come down to the acceptance of small artists, but the number of songs sold and the amount of money made. The fact it doesn’t have a complete library and isn’t seamless out of the gate is worrying and suggests it’s going to be a while before it troubles iTunes.
