While everyone is (justifiably) drooling over the Droid X…
For the past few months I’ve been on the search for a quality subscription music service. I like Napster because they offer you purchase credits along with your subscription price. Rhapsody looks good, and they have an Android app, but I can’t load those songs onto my older generation iPod. Every service, it seems, has a downside that makes it not worth it for someone like me, who enjoys his music on different devices. Thankfully, Google might soon supply the answer.
You might notice that when you search out a song, or even an artist, on Google search it comes up with an option to play the song via some third party service. Typically you can play the full song once in each browser, after which you can hear just a short sample. It’s a nice little marketing ploy to boost song sales, and it sits in a logical place. After all, if you’re searching for a song you’re probably at least somewhat likely to purchase it. Apparently Google has caught onto this and wants to capitalize.
Yesterday The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is working on its own music download service that would tie into its search results. So instead of seeing a listing from a site like iLike, you’d see a list right from Google’s own music store. Presumably, the same rules would apply, wherein you can listen to the full track once. The option to purchase, obviously, will be the driving force of the business.
What struck me, however, was the note that Google also plans a subscription music service that would launch next year. This is where I think they can really sink in their claws. Almost all digital music services come with drawbacks. I mentioned the Napster and Rhapsody ones, that they’re not compatible with both the older generation iPod, which many people still use, and a large swath of smartphones. Another service I looked at, E Music, isn’t really a subscription service. Apple charges way too much for its tracks and albums, especially the DRM-free and high-quality ones. There is a place for Google in this market.
I like the idea of purchase credits with the subscription price. I like the idea of playing these tracks on any medium I choose. I like the idea of streaming to mobile devices, and I really like the idea of caching (since I spend much of my music-listening time underground). How many of these aspects can Google include in its service? It seems like most other services combine one or two. If Google can nail down them all, it could find itself as a major player in music sales.
One thing we do know is that the service, whatever it entails, will be compatible with Android devices. Sounds like many of us will have to go out and buy extended life batteries.
