google.com/music
Google Play is a digital marketplace that provides users with access to apps, audiobooks, music, and pretty much anything else they might want under the Cloud.
Whenever Google puts out something, I always get excited to try it out. And that was definitely the case with Google Play. They continue to produce excellent software year after year, decade after decade, and few companies are even close to matching their level of excellence.
However, as far as Google Play is concerned, it would probably be more fair to compare it to iTunes or the Apple App Store than to compare it to Spotify or Tidal. That being said, it does everything that all of those platforms do and some would say it does so better. But we'll get to the bottom of whether that is true by the end of this review.
Without further ado, let's start unpacking everything that Google Play has to offer! Regarding music streaming specifically, I will be primarily looking at how it functions in the context of today's market.
History
Google seems to be one of those tech companies that doesn't require introduction. We use it every day and it has a pretty impressive reputation so when the time came to develop a streaming and digital content distribution service, the people at Google didn't take the task lightly.
Google Play, the Android mega service that we know today, originated from the consolidation of three formerly separate products: The Android Market, Google Music, and Google eBook Store. The brilliant people at Google figured out that combining these three services would make them more convenient for users. As a result, Google Play was born.
The Android Market was originally announced on August 28th of 2008. It became available to users on October 22nd of that year, and it has been improved and convenient features like product filtering have been added ever since.
In 2010, the Google eBook Store debuted and featured 3 million eBooks. This made it officially the largest eBook collection in the world. Only Google could launch a store this large.
Last year, Google?s media storage just kept growing, this time in the music space. In November of 2011, Google announced Google Music, a new section of the Android Marketplace. On which people could purchase individual songs or full digital albums. It wasnât until March of 2012 that Google finally merged all of these platforms into one. Thus, Google Play was born.
Design
Google Play has undergone many interface and design changes over the years. It has oscillated between looking like an app store, something similar to iTunes, and settling into the more sophisticated and modern design that it boasts today.
Today, the Google Play web page looks a lot like the Netflix web page. In the center of the page, you will find a gallery of new and hot content. You can browse through this content by medium, movies, music, books, etc. or you can use the content filers on the left-hand side of the page to more precisely select what you are looking for.
The Google homepage is brightly colored and easy to use, with sections for Apps, Movies and TV, Books, Devices, and Entertainment. You can browse for new content by clicking into each section or peruse your library by type of content.
However once you enter the VIP area for Google Play Music, the site changes almost entirely. It is less generalized and made for flawless streaming of your favorite artists and songs. One thing I love about Google Play Music's design is the fact that artist pages span the entire page, making for a more cinematic (if you will) listening experience than many other streaming services can provide. It creates a very immersive experience, offering in-depth artist bios and any other information that Google Play Music can provide.
When you login, the top songs of the moment will be displayed. Below that, you'll find all of your recommended listens on Google Play Music. The site design is colorful and vibrant, catering to the user.
Content
As far as the number of songs is concerned, Google Play Music is pretty big. It has more songs than Spotify, which makes it a good contender for the top streaming app. Google Play Music has over 40 million songs, from a variety of different music genres. And, it also has a lot of popular podcasts.
Google Play Music offers many of the same features as other music streaming services, such as downloading songs and listening offline and enjoying radio stations based on mood/activity/situation/genre/etc. One of my favorite aspects of Google Play Music is their upload feature which allows you to store up to 50,000 of your own downloaded songs on their servers. If Google Play does not carry a particular song or artist, adding them to your library is easy.
If you upgrade to Google Play Music Unlimited, you also get access to YouTube Music. So, essentially, you are getting two great music streaming platforms for the price of one! Can't go wrong with that, right?
Desktop and Mobile Experience
I have already delved into how much I enjoy the desktop site, but what of the app? Well, I feel like I can't stress this enough - this app is made by Google; so, you can basically bet money on the fact that it is going to be well designed.
If you were to gamble on that, you would be collecting your winnings right now. Google Play Music is an extremely user-friendly and simple app; it does not have features and redundant buttons like some other apps do, but it keeps it simple with just the music and search bar here. I like that hands-off approach, personally, when it comes to app design; there is no clutter, just flawless functionality that is easy on the eyes.
Pricing and Plans
Well, as I sort of hinted earlier on, Google Play Music is a free and Freemium service. You can, by all means, enjoy Google Play Music without ever paying a dime. However, you will be missing out on a few key features if you don't pay $9.99/month:
allow me to illustrate what I mean by bringing you through what Google Play Music Unlimited offers for $9.99/month:
Google Play Music Unlimited provides users with more music options than the free version of Google Play Music. For example, users who sign up for Google Play Music Unlimited can listen to ad-free music, have their music available offline for when they're not connected to the internet, and have access to more playlists and stations than users who are only subscribed to the free version of Google Play Music. Additionally, users who subscribe to Google Play Music Unlimited also have access to millions of songs that are not available in the free version of Google Play Music.
-No ads EVER
-Choose your favorite songs, albums, and artists
-Customizable playlists with no ads
Hi! I'm a listener of Spotify. Quite frankly, I am sick and tired of all the ads. I never want to see an ad again on this app - ever. And to make things even better, you can listen to anything you want without any pesky commercials getting in the way! Plus, you can personalize your listening experience by choosing your favorite songs, albums, and artists. And last but not least: no more annoying ads! Thanks for giving us listeners what we really need - an ad-free experience!
is a great feature of the app.
The app has a great feature of being able to access songs on-demand.
is a great feature of the new iPhone
-The new iPhone has a great feature that allows users to download music and listen to it offline.
has now become available in the Google Play Store.
YouTube Music access has now become available in the store.
Although you don't have to upgrade, it's highly recommended that you do. At least if you want to take advantage of all that Google Play Music has to offer.
Suggestions that I have for Google Play Music
I would actually like to see on-demand song playing offered in the Freemium version. Come on, Google, are you really that cheap? Ads aren't enough for the free version? Anyone who has used the free version of any music streaming app already knows all too well that frequent ads are more than enough to inspire an upgrade. If nothing else, they annoy you into action. At least let us poor folk choose a song and listen to it as we wish!
Conclusion
In my opinion, Google Play Music is a formidable music streaming service with killer trademark Google design, tons of music/podcasts, the ability to upload your own libraries, and a competitive monthly price point. There are plenty of things that are working for this service.
Nonetheless, I think that Google is a little stingy with services in its free version. Plus, there is not really much that Google Play Music offers that you couldn't get on any other music streaming service; there is nothing content-wise that is really setting it apart from the bunch, in my opinion.
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