‘Beta’ Defines Google Cloud Music Service
- By David Kravets
- May 27, 2011 |
- 12:06 pm |
- Categories: Cool Apps, Music, The Cloud
There’s a reason Google’s personal cloud, music-streaming service is called “Beta.”
It’s an un-baked, no-frills service just two weeks old that some day likely will store the personal music of the masses, just like Google does for e-mail, calendar appointments, blogs, documents and photos.
Music Beta is free and invite only. Sign up here for the invite. Music Beta is also rolling out to the Motorola Xoom tablet.
Getting Started
If you want your cloud to mimic your iTunes music setup, click the iTunes button for upload. Remember, Music Beta comes with space for about 20,000 songs, about 100 gigs. If you have more than 20,000 songs in your iTunes account, Google says it will first upload your iTunes account’s frequently played, favorites and starred music.
Then it uploads in alphabetical order from the first name of a band or artist until you max out on space. That’s roughly how it’s supposed to work. For me, several of my frequently played Eminem albums didn’t make the cloud, yet many of my rarely played U2 albums did.
Best Upload Plan
If you have more than 20,000 songs in iTunes, create a folder of whatever music you want and choose that upload option.
Upload Speeds
The Music Beta upload is slow, and offers several speeds. Turn on the fastest speeds when you are not internet surfing. Slow it way down when online. My 100-gig upload took a week while changing broadband speeds.
Web Listening
At the top of the Music Beta website is a superb search feature. Uploads that did not contain album art are marked by a pair of gray headphones, the Music Beta’s icon. Sometimes Google will put album art on there for you. Overall, the flash-based web interface is a plain vanilla version of iTunes, with embedded buttons to search artists, songs, genres, albums, recently added, thumbs up, playlists and more. You can also create playlists from either the web or Android mobile version or “shop” for artists. You’re redirected to a Google search for whichever artist you chose. Obviously, Google’s own store is in the future.
Android app
The Music Beta phone or tablet apps are built only for Android devices, and have roughly the same features as the service’s web version.
Because internet connections are much more powerful at home or work than on mobile phones or tablets, the Music Beta mobile app suffers the same connectivity problems as other mobile internet, music streaming services when tied to mobile networks. The better mobile connection, the better the experience.
Google offers a workaround. You may fill your mobile device’s hard drive with tracks or albums from your Music Beta account, just like you can with most music services. Unlike the web version, the app won’t allow you to delete music from your cloud.
No iOS App
The flash-based web version works on iPads and iPhones, but not that great.
All in all, Music Beta is worth the price.
See Also:
- Stream Your Music Online – Wired How-To Wiki
- Google Launches ‘Music Beta,’ a Streaming Cloud Service for Tunes
- Apple Kills Lala Music Service
- Stream Music Wirelessly to a Stereo – Wired How-To Wiki
- Pandora Puts Streaming Music on the Desktop
- Hack Allows iTunes Music Streaming to Any Device
- All Major Labels to Stream Free Music on Last.fm
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