Google launches a free radio service for everyone
The music space is certainly heating up as we head into the heart of
summer. The latest competitor who wants to provide your poolside jams is
Google, which revealed Tuesday that it has a new, free streaming radio
service that will serve you up curated playlists. It will be free
regardless of whether you subscribe to Google's existing music service,
called Google Play Music.
"Even if you're not already a Google Play Music subscriber, we've got you covered," the company said in an official blog post.
The new radio service bears strong similarities to Songza, a streaming music service that Google bought last July. Songza's claim to fame was that it allowed users to choose stations based on mood. So if you wanted a party night playlist, you could find a station called "Party Night." This is a key feature of the service Google's announcing today.
Users can also build stations around a certain album, artist, song or era. Google said that its stations are crafted by a team of "music experts" -- including former Songza employees -- to pull together the best stations.
That may ring a bell for anyone who was paying attention earlier this month to Apple's music announcement. Apple, of course, made headlines when it announced its long-awaited music service earlier this month. One of the main selling points for the Apple service, which has yet to launch, is that it relies on musicians, music industry insiders and experts to surface and compile music for its service.
Apple's trying to sell Apple Music as an artist's service -- hence, perhaps, why it was so willing to capitulate to Taylor Swift -- because that lends an air of expertise at a time when consumers sometimes feel they have too many choices when it comes to choosing music. The company's coming radio service, complete with DJs, definitely adds to that aim.
Google's new radio service appears to be targeting a similar audience, though with a slightly scaled-back emphasis on the human element.
The company isn't, however, abandoning Google Play Music. In fact, it's hoping the free service will draw more people to its $10 per month service, which lets you ditch ads, get music offline and gain unlimited access to a 30 million library of songs on any device.
The free version of Google Play Music rolls out first in the U.S. and on the Web Tuesday. It will be released for Android and iOS devices later this week.
"Even if you're not already a Google Play Music subscriber, we've got you covered," the company said in an official blog post.
The new radio service bears strong similarities to Songza, a streaming music service that Google bought last July. Songza's claim to fame was that it allowed users to choose stations based on mood. So if you wanted a party night playlist, you could find a station called "Party Night." This is a key feature of the service Google's announcing today.
Users can also build stations around a certain album, artist, song or era. Google said that its stations are crafted by a team of "music experts" -- including former Songza employees -- to pull together the best stations.
That may ring a bell for anyone who was paying attention earlier this month to Apple's music announcement. Apple, of course, made headlines when it announced its long-awaited music service earlier this month. One of the main selling points for the Apple service, which has yet to launch, is that it relies on musicians, music industry insiders and experts to surface and compile music for its service.
Apple's trying to sell Apple Music as an artist's service -- hence, perhaps, why it was so willing to capitulate to Taylor Swift -- because that lends an air of expertise at a time when consumers sometimes feel they have too many choices when it comes to choosing music. The company's coming radio service, complete with DJs, definitely adds to that aim.
Google's new radio service appears to be targeting a similar audience, though with a slightly scaled-back emphasis on the human element.
The company isn't, however, abandoning Google Play Music. In fact, it's hoping the free service will draw more people to its $10 per month service, which lets you ditch ads, get music offline and gain unlimited access to a 30 million library of songs on any device.
The free version of Google Play Music rolls out first in the U.S. and on the Web Tuesday. It will be released for Android and iOS devices later this week.
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