Oh Apple, I hope you didn’t expect that Google would just leave you to compete with Spotify and Tidal all alone.
Nope, Google has jumped into the race for streaming dominance too, announcing earlier today that they’re launching a free service similar to Songza, which they also own.
Songza has a catalog of playlists designed for different moods, decades, and activities, and subscribers to Google Play’s paid service immediately gained access when the tech giant acquired Songza in 2014.
However, this free, ad-supported tier means that everyone, not just subscribers, can access the playlists.
These pre-made playlists also mean that users (those who use the free service, at least) have less control–they won’t be able to rewind or see what song is next in the lineup, and, as with most radio services, they’re allowed six skips per hour.
Rather than a drawback, Google executives see this as a benefit for their service.
“[The consumers] want the music to be awesome. They want it to be contextually relevant, but they don’t want to tweak a lot of knobs,” Elias Roman, product manager for Google Play Music, told The Verge.
In other words, “Listeners are lazy…no offense.”
None taken. Yes, I am.
Google Play Music subscribers don’t have these restrictions, they can tailor playlists as much as they like.
Of course, Google already has a plethora of licensing agreements, so listeners don’t need to worry about missing out on any of the hottest and most current music (already winning a huge point against Tidal…cough….Taylor Swift).
When it comes right down to it, this latest service has a lot of similarities to Apple and Spotify, who are about to really battle it out once Apple launches its streaming on June 30.
Whose side are you on?
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