Google Music designed to piss off record labels and Apple
Greg Sandoval for CNet.com on Google Music:
While Google and Levine have negotiated to obtain licences from the four top labels for over a year, the service will appear first in beta without licensing from the labels.
That’s sure to go down well with record labels, just like Amazon’s cloud service is going down well with them. And by well, I mean ‘well’ in the sense of ‘not well at all, due to them spitting fury and going GRRARRGGHH’. Apple’s trying to get record labels on board for its cloud music service, so will record labels go with unlicensed models just to screw the big evil (Apple), or will they finally recognise that Apple’s domination in the digital music space is also making them money? I wouldn’t bet on the latter, sadly.
It’s also worth noting that these online services appear in part to be relying on fair-use laws. This is why they are rolling out in the US. In the UK, they’ve a much tougher battle, given that the UK essentially lacks even basic fair-use law. For example, it’s not legal in the UK to copy any media, even for personal use. The only exceptions are time-shifting of television content and backing up software, although more recent legislation demands that the second of those things not circumvent copyright protection. That the BPI has in the past been quoted as saying it won’t sue people for ripping CDs to use the music on iPods is irrelevant, because that’s very different from legal precedent.
The CNet.com article also quotes Google exec Zahavah Levine:
While the service is still in beta, users will be able to join by invitation only. Initially, to access the service, users will require a browser that supports Flash — that means no Apple devices — or on any Android device that’s version 2.2 or higher, Levine said. Currently the service will start off in the United States only and will be free.
Sounds great. I can’t wait to get stuttering music playback on a Flash-based browser. Still, luckily for Google, Amazon hasn’t updated its own cloud player so that it works with iOS, or Google’s decision to run with the ‘open’ technology of Flash for the future of music playback outside of Android would look a bit stupid.
*cough*Amazon Cloud Player works on iOS devices all of a sudden (9to5 Mac)*cough*
Oh.
Huh? Let’s read that again, kids:
“Initially, to access the service, users will require a browser that supports Flash — that means no Apple devices — or on any Android device that’s version 2.2 or higher”
So that means you either need a Flash-based browser OR an Android device running at least 2.2, and NOT an Android device running Google Music through its Flash-based web browser, as you suggest.
Google Music will most likely take the form of a dedicated application, and not a Flash-based web client.
Gah. Thanks—updated. The principle’s the same though—either native app or Flash, thereby locking out Apple. By contrast, Apple’s taking the more inclusive route, which is more likely to win out.
I suspect that Apple will be late to the party but will be wearing the best looking outfit when they arrive.
Is Apple really taking the more inclusive route, though? I highly doubt that any future Apple-based cloud music service is going to function on anything but an iOS-based portable device. Apple by its very nature ‘locks out’ other manufacturers because the only iPod you can buy is one made by them, so why call Google out on it when it deliberately makes a feature exclusive to Android devices?
Kettle, pot, etc, etc…
Balls—I meant *Amazon* is taking the more inclusive route. Man, I can’t proof for shit today. Apple is ‘closed’, but never makes any other claim. Google, on the other hand, claims openness, but is increasingly doing precisely what Apple does.
@Damien: But the lock out is that it’s harder to do than if you have an iPod NOT that it can’t be done. You can use any music player with iTunes but you don’t get the ‘full package’ unless you go with the iPod. I guarantee that this will be the same case with their cloud offering – you’ll be able to use it but it’ll work best if you’re already in the apple ‘ecosystem’.
Well Amazon are bound to take the inclusive route, as they have no vested interest in either the iPod or Android – they want to succeed (and make cash) on both.
Google, on the other hand, is naturally going to want to favour Android over iOS. Is it really a shock that Google Music could end up being Android exclusive? Surely not to anyone with a brain, at least.
What muddles the waters is that Google supports Apple products in other ways. I agree it would be easier if Google just came out and said “We’re not supporting Apple devices” rather than picking and choosing, but then that’s what happens when a search engine giant diversifies into other fields, I guess. Google has its fingers in many pies.