Google launches free
streaming service ahead of Apple Music debut
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[June 24, 2015]
By Yasmeen Abutaleb
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc
launched a free version of its music streaming service on Tuesday, as it
sought to upstage the debut of Apple Inc's rival service next week.
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Google Play Music has offered a $9.99 per month subscription service
for two years but Tuesday's launch is the first free version of the
streaming service. It is available online and will be available on
Android and iOS by the end of the week, Elias Roman, Google product
manager, said.
Apple said earlier this month it would launch a music streaming
service on June 30 for $9.99 per month along with a $14.99 per month
family plan, with a free three-month trial.
As with other streaming services, such as Spotify and Rhapsody,
Google Play Music curates playlists. Users can tailor playlists
based on genre, artist or even activity, such as hosting a pool
party or "having fun at work."
"We believe this is a play that will expose a lot of people to the
service," Roman said in an interview.
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Unlike Google's subscription music service, the free service will
carry ads, be unavailable offline and exclude certain songs.
Roman said millions of people look at Google Play Music each month
but are not ready to pay for a subscription. By offering a free
version of the service, he said, the search engine hopes more people
will be compelled to pay for an upgraded version.
Ted Cohen, managing partner of TAG Strategic, a digital
entertainment consultancy, said the timing of Google's launch was
strategic.
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"It's a smart time to do it with all the attention around Apple,"
Cohen said. "If they did it absent the Apple service, it wouldn't be
the same story."
Google declined to say how many subscribers it has but said they
more than doubled in 2014 from the previous year. But rivals
Pandora, Spotify and Beats Music had far more mobile downloads than
Google Play Music in 2014, according to data from analytics firm App
Annie.
(Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb)
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