Google Music a bust for Kiwis
Apple iTunes gains a serious competitor - but Google Music has a couple of drawbacks.
With much fanfare, Google has launched a music download service, Google Music.
The company says its service is now "open to all."
But don't get too excited, Kiwis.
"Open to all," means open to all in the US (as opposed to its earlier test phase, open only to a trial group).
There's still no word on when Google Music will be available in New Zealand, or other countries beyond the US.
A second issue: even in the US, Google hasn't managed to get all the major labels onboard. The giant Warner Music is a notable hold-out.
Warner includes the Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Snoop Dogg, Metallica, Oasis, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Prince and REM, among others.
Once the service does arrive here, it looks tasty. Despite Warner's absence, there ae 13 million songs, and users get an "storage locker" (similar to Apple's still US-only iTunes Match) that allows up to 20,000 songs to be uploaded for free.
An "Artists Hub" allows any musical act to contribute their own songs to Google Music, and create a home page.
Some better news for music fans: pay-per-month music streaming service Spotify has signaled it will launch in New Zealand next year.
MORE: Google Music: 5 Things You Need to Know (pcworld.com)
NBR staff
Fri, 18 Nov 2011
Fri, 18 Nov 2011
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Google Music a bust for Kiwis
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