Google Play Music has offered a US$9.99 (RM37.40) per month subscription service for two years but the launch is the first free version of the streaming service. A free Google Play Music tier has been announced to compete against similar music streaming services, and one would assume it’s a shot fired at Apple ahead of Apple Music’s launch at the end of the month.
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In addition to being restricted to just playlists, the ad-supported side of Google Play Music only offers six skips per hour, and there’s no rewind or scrubbing through songs. It seems like offering a free trial – whether ad-supported or a set amount of free testing – is the ideal way to lure in new listeners.
The service uses Songza, an Internet radio app that Google acquired a year ago but whose innovations it had reserved for paying customers.
Beats Music subscribers making the switch to Apple Music may be concerned about what happens to any unused balance on their account. The station features the involvement of some of the Songza team and it is possible to home in on a custom radio station based on genre, mood, decade, activity, or similarity to particular artists.
In its announcement, Google framed its free tier as a way for users to familiarize themselves with the service before moving to the paid tier.
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, said streaming is the way people are consuming music so it makes sense for Google to push hard into this area, especially if it will take a bite out of Apple’s plans. The second, YouTube Music Key, which is still in beta stage, but Google might launch in near future.
Now, as explained in the video below, Google has added ‘free music for everything you do’ via a Pandora-style digital radio service. “They’re back to the drawing board trying to decide what will work”.
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