Google's iTunes-in-the-cloud Music Beta

10.05.2011
Google officially announced , a passive-locker music streaming service compatible with Android devices and Web browsers. Google demonstrated a keen talent for renaming existing iTunes features and presenting them as striking new innovations.

Because, honestly, what Google offers is the answer to this question: “If Apple did nothing more with its music-in-the-cloud strategy than allow you to upload your music to a server, present that music in an iTunes-like interface, toss in a Genius playlists feature, and then stream it back to your iOS device or Web browser, what would it look like?”

Setting aside the snark, here’s the idea. You request an invitation via the Music Beta site. Once you receive that invitation you’re allowed to download Google’s Music Manager application (available for Macintosh and Windows). You use Music Manager to upload music from your computer—Google mentions uploading your iTunes library but it’s a sure bet you won’t be able to upload protected music. Playlists and play counts are maintained and you can upload up to 20,000 tracks (or, possibly, the storage-equivalent of 20,000 4-minute tracks). Once you’ve uploaded your music you can then access it via a Web browser and Android devices.

Among those feature taken directly from iTunes you’ll find Instant Mix, Google’s “Genius” feature that lets you generate playlists based on a single track. There’s also a Cover Flow view of album art (but it’s different, see, because the albums move across the screen at an angle).

Music Beta isn’t completely a re-imagining of iTunes for the Web. It adds a couple of useful features. The first is its syncing abilities. When you create a playlist on one device—your computer or Android tablet, for example—that playlist is updated for all devices that access Music Beta. Similarly, when you edit those playlists—add or delete tracks, for instance—changes are reflected across Music Beta. Additionally, Android devices automatically cache recently played tracks and you can designate tracks for downloading to your Android device, which is helpful when you can’t access the Internet from your device. Downloading tracks to a computer, however, isn’t supported.

What does this do to move music-in-the-cloud forward? Very little. Google offers no way to purchase music via Music Beta nor stream music you don’t own, Pandora. This is a passive-locker system, meaning that it requires you to upload your music (and keep a stern eye on any bandwidth cap in the process). Once you do, Google puts a nice interface on it.