Artists at the <3 of Google Music

Why They Made It

Google is entering the online music market with Google Music in the hopes of converting more people into “Googlers”- consumers who exclusively use Google services and products.

The debut of iTunes in 2001 inspired Apple to gain its reputation as a digital lifestyle hub.  Apple products, from the iPod to the iMac to the iPad, have been extremely successful because they are all deeply integrated to provide the same functionality and user experience.  Google has been trying to gain this competitive advantage by providing it own integrated platform, but it’s been missing one crucial component- an online music service.

Why You’ll Join It

You already have a huge iTunes music library, so why should you think about using Google Music?  Below are 5 reasons you might want to try it out:

1.  The free service allows you to store up to 20,000 songs on Google’s servers and streams them to compatible devices, like Android phones.
2.  Google + integration allows you to recommend and share tracks you purchase with friends.  Unlike in iTunes, shared songs can be played once for free in their entirety.
3.  The music discovery function allows you to choose songs you might like based on your music library and the tastes of the people in your Google+ circles.
4.  You can “pin” songs and albums from your cloud onto your Android device for offline listening.
5.  If you have a T-Mobile phone, you’ll have access to additional free tracks each week and the ability to bill purchased songs directly to your wireless account.

Why We Love It

Google has declared that “Artists are at the heart” of Google Music because of its innovative Artist Hub.  This feature is one of our favorites because it will expand reach for independent artists by enabling them to build their own pages, upload their original content, and sell their songs.  They will also be able to link their songs to, and sell directly from, their YouTube pages.

Google Music Artist Hub has the potential to revolutionize the music distribution model.  Media-savvy musicians will be able to sell their music directly to fans, removing the middle man who would normally take part of the cut, like the record label or specialized distributors.  Musicians will then be able to spend a lot more resources on producing interesting and catchy viral videos, creating more value for fans like us.

Check out Engadget’s live blog from the Google Music event for more information.

HuffPost Tech Infographic on comparing the online music stores: