Five Reasons Why Google Music Will Fail

Loading...
Loading...
Google Music has so many problems, not even the death of iTunes could guarantee its success.
It's no secret that I'm
bored with and disappointed by
Google Music. The service is a no-frills iTunes knock-off with little value. It might have looked good on paper, and it might sound good as a Google+ counterpart. But who needs it? Really,
who
? I've already made that argument, so I'll refrain from rehashing it here. Instead, let's focus on the five key reasons why Google Music will never take off.
5. No Free Streaming
Google is the king of online ad networks, and yet it wasn't able to convince record labels to let it build a Spotify-style service with tons of free music and a plethora of user-targeted advertisements. Actually, I might be giving Google too much credit for assuming it
tried
to produce a Spotify-killer. It might have simply said, “An iTunes clone is good enough!”
4. Google's Attempt at Winning the Price Wars is Halfhearted at Best
You can't beat iTunes on price alone without taking a loss. As it stands now, iTunes music is fairly inexpensive. The average album I buy is $10; some are even cheaper. Occasionally I'll spend an extra $2 to $5 to get the deluxe edition if it comes with bonus tracks that aren't available anywhere else. In all but the rarest of cases, the only financial benefit for switching to Google Music would be to save fifty cents per CD. While that might sound like a lot to some consumers, it seems rather trivial in the grand scheme of things. Five years ago, I might have cared about fifty cents. In fact, I might have argued in favor of it, and used that as a reason to choose Google Music over iTunes. But now that my iTunes library has grown, now that I own two iPods (Video and Touch, plus a broken black-and-white model), now that my family and friends have invested in other Apple
AAPL
devices, and now that I have
switched to Mac
, why would I make the leap to Google?
3. The Service is Clunky and is Only Partially Browser-Based
Google loves the cloud, and yet Google Music isn't entirely browser-based, as its users are required to download and install the lame Music Manager software. Thus, I can't help but wonder why Google didn't go the extra mile and design an iTunes-comparable program. It makes no sense whatsoever. I keep hearing from Google defenders that it will “get better with time,” but that's what they said about Google+. For every day we wait on Google to make improvements, our iTunes library (and iTunes loyalty) will continue to increase.
2. No Signup Without a Credit Card
Now this is a genius business move. And by “genius” I mean “the worst decision in the history of iTunes competitors.” While I would expect a small-town competitor to pull a stunt like this, it is absurd that Google – a large and highly respected corporation – would force its users to provide their personal billing information even if they aren't buying any music. You can't even download a free song without giving Google your credit card number. That is insane! It's even worse than Spotify's
convoluted signup procedure
that requires new users to login with their Facebook account. I know why Spotify is doing this: to use Facebook data to its advantage. And I know why Google is forcing music lovers to enter their credit card info: because it thinks we will be more likely to spend money on the service if they already have our payment info on hand. But while some may accept the idea of a Facebook login, most people are not likely to hand over their credit card info until they are ready to make a purchase.
Loading...
Loading...
1. The Library is Horrendously Weak
While I am sure that the average Top 40-loving teeny-bopper will be marginally pleased by Google Music's offering, most serious music listeners will find that its library is incomplete. Let's start with one of my favorite bands, Jimmy Eat World. The band's fifth studio album, “Futures,” is not available on Google Music. It is
mentioned
in the
band's profile
. But it is not actually available to purchase. If Jimmy Eat World is too mainstream for your tastes, let's take look at the now-defunct Straylight Run, which has an obscure EP entitled, “About Time.” The album cover for “About Time” appears on Google Music. But unlike iTunes, which actually sells the EP, Google Music does not currently have it in stock. Now let's examine some of the artists my colleague, Brett Callwood – a punk rock expert and the author of
The Stooges: Head On
– suggested. While Google Music mentions “Fun House” in its
bio for the Stooges
, it does not actually sell the album. Upon hearing this, Callwood replied, “That's insane. That's one of the all-time greats.” Callwood was even more appalled when he learned that Google Music lacked the band's self-titled debut record, as well as its third release, “Raw Power.” “It makes Google look very amateur when all it has are bootlegs,” Callwood said of Google Music's lineup. Next, we took a look at the Ramones, whose Google Music bio is
much longer
than the number of albums being sold. In fact, Google Music only has four Ramones records, one of which is a live collection of hits. On our next search, we were hoping to find a solid collection from the Wildhearts, but Google Music didn't offer anything from the band that was recorded before 2003. We did, however, have a bit of success when searching for David Bowie. “They have all of the essential albums,” Callwood remarked.
Too Little, Too Late
While many will argue that Google is just starting out, that Rome wasn't built in a day, and that iTunes wasn't always the powerhouse it is today, the reality is that Google screwed up. This is the company that built, owns and operates the world's largest search engine. It owns YouTube, the world's largest user-generated video content site. It may very well become the first trillion-dollar corporation. And most of all, Google had years to prepare for its music launch. So no, I'm not going to give the company a free pass on this atrocious mistake.
Follow me @LouisBedigian
Loading...
Loading...
Posted In: TechAppleBlink-182Brett CallwoodDavid BowieGoogleGoogle MusiciTunesSpotifyStraylight Runthe Ramonesthe StoogesThe Stooges: Head On
We simplify the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!

Loading...