Why Google Music is Putting Me to Sleep - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Google + bad idea = …

Google

GOOG

is a great company. Well, a good search engine, a solid ad network, a cell phone powerhouse, a grand collection of analytics, and a likable e-mail client. Google is also pretty darn good at parodying itself on April Fools. Beyond that, I can't say much about Google. I'd like to be able to say that the company is a groundbreaking innovator in everything it attempts. However, based on anecdotal evidence (ex: the launch of Google+), it is clear that when the company can't lead, it will resort to lame copycat tactics instead. That's certainly the case with the launch of Google Music, which is still apparently in beta. Will the full service

ever

launch? And if it does, will anyone care? As I write this article, I am using Spotify to listen to “Baby I Got The Death Rattle” by Los Campesinos!, a ragtag, unpolished indie pop band with more sappy love songs than Death Cab For Cutie. On Spotify, there are quite a few Los Campesinos! albums available – all free with commercials, or commercial-free with a paid subscription of $5 or $10 a month. I personally am not a fan of paying for music I don't get to own, but that's an argument for another day. I only brought it up because of how important Spotify is to Google Music's success – or rather, Google Music's demise. You see, when Spotify approached its North American release, I was the first to shoot it down. “I don't need this,” I insisted. “No one does. We already have streaming music services and they suck. This one is no better.” I complained repeatedly about the service until the day I finally tried it out for myself. After that, I was hooked. It's a wonderful, streaming-only alternative to iTunes. And it offers some exclusive iTunes doesn't get, such as artist commentary. Google Music, on the other hand, does not currently offer any tantalizing exclusives. Unlike Spotify, I didn't complain about it before its release. In fact, up until today, I barely had any interest in testing it out. Once again, my assumption was that I didn't need another music service. In hindsight I realize that that was a very bad assumption to make. We could always use a

better

service than the one we currently possess.

Unfortunately, Google Music isn't a better service. As a browser-based utility from the maker of the world's most intuitive search engine, you might expect Google Music to be the most seamless music service available. It's not. When using Opera, Google Music was glitchy at best. When using Chrome and Firefox, it was just okay. My iTunes music failed to sync automatically (somehow I'm not surprised), even after I told Google Music to grab my library. Worst of all, the music selection sucks, and not just because iTunes has been around longer, but because Google did not properly prepare for the launch of this service. I've heard some reporters claim that Google has an ace up it sleeves: social connectivity. But if I'm not already using Google+ (which I'm not; my account has been collecting dust since the day I signed up), why would I care? And since Spotify can already integrate with Facebook, why would I ever care? For reasons that can only be described as greedy, power-seeking behavior, Google forces its users to enter billing information (credit card included) before they can download a single song. Not just the songs that retail for $0.99 and $1.29 – but for every single song available, including the freebie tracks! This is beyond absurd. While Google might think that it can get away with this, as it is a trusted corporation with enough clout to securely store users' credit card information, the idea of providing that information before I can get something for free makes me sick. iTunes users can register without entering a credit card. Spotify users can as well. So why isn't there a simple way around this Google gimmick? Google loyalists (all five of them) may be quick to point out that Google Music is trying to undercut iTunes' prices by fifty cents. Some albums are even cheaper; Google Music shoppers can get the Super Deluxe version of The Who's “Quadrophenia” for $20.99. On iTunes, you'll pay $24.99. If every Google Music album was $4 cheaper, and if individual songs weren't priced the same as iTunes, Google would pose a serious threat to Apple's empire. But with the average price difference being no more than fifty cents, and with iTunes providing a much better user experience, I'll be sticking with Apple for now. Something tells me I'm not the only one. Follow me @LouisBedigian

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