Google setting up music store later this year, looking for search and Android synergy
By Vlad Savov 
posted June 22nd 2010 8:54AM
posted June 22nd 2010 8:54AM
posted June 22nd 2010 8:54AM
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heres hoping to a serious competitor to itunes
@anthonyjradice
I want a serious competitor to the Zune. More specifically, the Zune Pass.
@anthonyjradice
Yes...and hopefully we can physically own the music as well as add our own to our collection, just as iTunes does. I assume that Google's offering will be largely cloud-based, which I think is great, so long as they still have those two features.
@anthonyjradice I'm hoping it will be a competitor to streaming music and other content. Something like Spotify
@anthonyjradice
This explains why they denied the YouTube API for http://www.jamwee.com - smh
@BigJayDogg3
Yeah, a good subscription service is all I really want. I've been using iTunes for years, but have hardly ever purchased anything from it aside from a random track here and there.
@anthonyjradice
Its called Rhapsody.
Then try a little program called Tunebite.
@BMills
He said "serious competitor"
@BMills I'm pretty sure he said a serious competitor....
@anthonyjradice I really want a serious competitor to iTunes app for my Nexus One
@Leachpunk: Right, he said serious competitor. Rhapsody is a LOT more popular and used than Zune pass, which means that the Zune pass would not yet be a competitor to Rhapsody. And no, I don't have a Rhapsody account, but I did own at one time a Zune pass subscription.
@anthonyjradice
Agreed. The only thing keeping me on iTunes right now is the sweetness that is Airport Express music streaming. (By the way, I'm open to suggestions for alternatives).
@BigJayDogg3
napster dude all the way.
@BHFoster
I wonder how far is Apple search along...
@BHFoster
Napster isn't first party. It isn't tightly integrated with the phone. Also, it won't allow music streaming like the Zune Pass will on Windows Phone 7.
@mr88
Here's to hoping that if your computer fries, and you lose all your music, you don't have to re-buy it from itunes, which is a super shitty feature considering you can re-download apps, but you have to re-buy music if you lose it all, fuck itunes, i want something new.
AND WHAT HAPPENED TO MY 69 CENT SONGS YOU CHEAP MOFOS!?
@anthonyjradice Agreed. If they can offer CBR 320kbit mp3s at a competitive price, It would change the way I buy music. I refuse to use iTunes because of their crappy quality.
@HighestRanked2
Zune Pass is the first music distribution system that I've been willing to support in ages. You talk to any iPhone/iTouch user and they go nuts over Pandora. That should tell you how unappealing the iTunes model is. If you're big on music, there's nothing like being able to listen to exactly what you want, when you want.
Just because Microsoft hasn't yet really advertised Zune Pass (go ahead, ask some random strangers if they have ever heard of it) doesnt mean that they won't once WinPho7 drops. If they have the money to push Kin the way they've been, I'm guessing WinPho7 and Zune Pass won't be so unknown to the public for much longer.
@BigJayDogg3 Exactly...I used the zune pass for quite a while and had a month where I didn't renew because I wasn't downloading anything and what I didn't know was that you can't play it on your zune player (or your computer for that matter) unless you're a current paying member. I've since decided to abort ship Zune pass....
Apple becomes Google
Google becomes Apple
@barac
What do you mean?
@huzzlehoff I think he's referring to apple's iAd.
@huzzlehoff
They both copy each other's markets. ads, media, apps, hardware
@barac, fpad77
Oh yeah, silly me.
@barac I think the main differing factor is their company philosophies. Apple strangleholds its corner, wheras google just lets it flow. In saying that, I'm not surprised by that behaviour though; Apple's clash with Microsoft in the past must have taught them a good few lessons, whether their current philosophies in response to those lessons are positive or not is questionable.
@fpad77
You are misinformed about the two company's philosophies. Stop making up bullshit. Apple's focus is on the consumer market.
Google's focus is to expand their presence in every platform, the web, mobile, television etc, to increase their advertising revenue. It's why they bought Youtube - to put ads in every video. It's why they bought Android and are trying to spread it out as widely as possible - for free along with purchasing AdMob. And it's why they are building Chrome. This has nothing to do with letting 'it flow'. Stupid.
@barac Which is kinda bullshit. I'm not saying competition is not good; however, it's true what Jobs said: Apple is not competing with Google––Google is choosing to compete with Apple. Browser, OS, mobile, app store, and now a music store: all stuff that Apple's been in the business of for years if not ever. All stuff that Google has gotten into in the last two years.
Apple on the other hand isn't getting into search. iAds? But that's purely within the mobile framework, *a framework that Google itself has decided to get into AFTER Apple*. So even there, you can't argue that Apple is competing on Google's turf.
@jmaine "You are misinformed about the two company's philosophies. Stop making up bullshit. Apple's focus is on the consumer market."
Apple's focus is on making money. So is Google, MS, Dell, name it...
Now, the way they are trying to secure their market and/or expand it may differ, but in the long run, all they want is to make more money. It's simply being in business.
@fpad77 may have use the wrong word, but he wasn't "making up bullshit". He simply should have used "business strategy" instead of "philosophy".
@BuffaloBill
Sigh...
If you want to know what their business strategy is, read item 1 in their 10-K filing. "They are in the business of making money" isn't worth replying to.
@RawheaD
Even if Google started ''AFTER'' apple you must know that no matter who started, competition is ''ALWAYS'' good and better for the consumers, unless you work for apple or unless you are happy living in the closed walled garden dictatorship of Steeve Jobs. Trust me, I rather trust a company that is more open.
@jmaine You basically illustrated what he just said. I guess because you perceived it as a knock on Apple you had to attempt to defend them. Like you said Google is basically buying up things and letting it go for free supported by ads. They have bought Android and let it go for free for any OEM to use. Apple has their ecosystem locked down to make sure each piece works with the other. They don't license their OS to other OEMs. Theres nothing wrong with that. Its just two different strategies.
And you can look at all the SEC filings you want until you're eyes bleed. Any companies goal is to make money PERIOD. I know you want to believe there is something deep and magical about Apple but the fact is that they are a company in business to make money just like the rest of them. Case closed.
@Blaque14K
I'm not defending either. I was calling out the stupid 'stranglehold' versus 'flow' analogy. Stop posting the obvious.
@RawheaD Weird, I have mobile ads from google on my android phone NOW, where is iAD?
Idiot.
@jmaine the analogy stands. Google's method is to make everything open to proliferate. Apples is to block third party, integrated only products, and lock in devs. Whilst I admire both, I agree much less with apples strategy. Idiot.
@barac Google should stop trying to become a jack of all trades and stay focused on it's core competencies: search & advertising. It's a well-known business concept that companies that foray into unfamiliar markets end up mastering none.
Google kept making Apple out to be the dictator from their 1984 commercial, but I think it's the other way around. Dang google. Can't you find your own product ideas?
@Drummertist
So because someone's done something before, no other company should ever do it?
If that were the case we wouldn't even have cell phones. We would still be hitting up an operator that would manually do the switchboard. We wouldn't have computers, there would be big rooms full of refrigerator sized boxes. We wouldn't have cars, we'd have horses.
This is how advancement happens. One company sees where another falls short and capitalizes on their shortcomings.
@Drummertist how does the making their own music service being a dictator. And doesn't Apple do the same thing? The whole same ideas but doing it better shindig?
@Drummertist
How is this dictatoresque
@Drummertist Yeah google is far more dangerous than Apple. They collect data about everyone, all day long. Wouldn't be surprised if they monitor every mouse movement, every mistype, every Android app launch....everything. At least with Apple if you don't want to buy their overpriced stuff and not deal with them at all, thats an option.
@Shalabi If Google is dangerous, then what about Facebook? Facebooks is a massive breech of privacy and far more dangerous than Google. Google knows what are you searching for. Facebook knows about you almost everything.
I say, we need a distributed, peer-to-peer Facebook with data on user's computers, not on Facebook servers.
@Drummertist
How about competition? With another player in the digital music, especially one with this much web presence, Apple may be forced to include some new, groundbreaking features in iTunes.
@Shalabi
Apple just admitted yesterday that it's tracking users and their info too. What are you paranoid freaks gonna do now?!
@Shalabi This is a tired argument. It's usually people guessing what Google is doing with no substantial proof to back it up. And if they are indexing the world, who gives a shit? I mean seriously... do you feel that your private life is so secretive that using a search engine will expose your deepest and darkest secrets?
@Leachpunk
I support Google, because they know all my secrets. If I crossed them, I could be in big trouble.
@CaryHiroyuki Tagawa lol...upranked you because I get the semi-sarcasm...
but yea...if you want privacy...the interwebs is not for u...
this should tie in nicely with the new OS from Google...."your personal music cloud library".....
The time of GoogleNet draws near. I, for one, welcome our... eh. overlords, whatever - I love Google. Keep bringing me goodies!
@man
Google is kinda scary
@huzzlehoff yea well so is your face, but we arnt saying ^^