Hands On: Google Music, Android Music Market

In his review of May's Google Music Beta, PCMag software analyst Michael Muchmore wrote: "Google tends to make software available to the public before it's fully baked."

With the "release" version of Google Music that Google launched on Wednesday, I have to agree, if only because the mobile component isn't quite finished.

In part, that's not Google's fault. There was a time when Web services could be released as a standalone product, but today, Modern Web services demand a complementary mobile app, and the final version of Google Music will have to wait for a mobile counterpart, which Google said it will deliver shortly. But what Google has delivered stands up well to its competition, despite a few glitches.

Google's key addition to the final version of Google Music is a music store, with 8 million licensed tracks available from EMI, Sony, Universal Music, and a number of independent labels. Over the course of the next few weeks, Google will add additional songs for a total of 13 million. And purchasing music generally works well.

Starting off
So far, Google has yet to add "Music" to its solar system of suggested sites orbiting the "+Me" link at the top of the Google toolbar. Until it does, users need to manually visit Google Music, at music.google.com, and then download a Music Manager PC application. (If you're an existing user of Google Music, you don't need to download the application again.) If you're new to Google Music, the app suggests you upload your folder containing unprotected music downloaded from iTunes and Windows Media. You can also select other folders containing music—if, for example, you store all of your songs in an "MP3" folder.

Once uploaded, logging into Google Music's Web site presents a nicely organized list of music, which you can organize by song, album, artist, or genre. Google has also added a column showing the number of plays each song received; for whatever reason, this seems to have reset, so that all songs have been zeroed out.

Unlike Apple's rival cloud service, iTunes Match, Google stores a "unique copy" of whatever you upload. This means more to Google than anything else; it simply means that the company pays more in storage costs, as it stores copies of every file a user uploads, rather than a "master" file that users can access. It also means that if you've acquired a file through illegitimate means—with nonstandard metadata, for example—those errors will be preserved.

Each day, Google has promised that it will make available several free tracks and some exclusive content; when I visited on Wednesday, for example, I had the option of adding Busta Rhymes' "Why Stop Now" featuring Chris Brown to my music library. While Amazon offers the same capability, that service engages in a bit of song and dance, using popups and download bars. Google simply displays the track in your library—no muss, no fuss.

Oddly, if you download the track and then the album, Google Music will save a duplicate copy of the song in your library. And there's another glitch/gotcha: each song can be streamed, but only downloaded twice via the Web interface. Google recommends that users use the Music Manager application to download the track to avoid this limit—but I couldn't find an option to download music, only upload it.

Google's "Home" screen displays the most recent tracks you've played. Scroll down further, and a list of recommended tracks appears. It's here that the purchase process begins.

Google's Music Store
Google seems to charge a standard fee of $0.99 per track, and the company has promised that MP3 tracks purchased through it will be at 320-Kbit/s quality, with no DRM, according to record executives. (Execs said nothing about watermarking, however, which would label each track with an imperceptible digital ID.) Album costs seem to be about $9.49 or $9.99 for top hits, which essentially offers a volume discount for those albums with more than 10 songs.

Clicking on a suggested track launches an updated version of the Android Market, with a new tab for "Music." If you arrive there via clicking on a suggested track, you'll see the album it appears on in the background, along with an editorial review. But to peruse that, you'll need to cancel the purchase process and select a track from the Market page.

Google's purchase process is well executed, however. Click "Continue," and the process begins. (You'll need to agree to the terms of service, which still refers to "Music Beta by Google.") If you've previously entered a credit card within a Google property, Google pulls it from the ether as the default payment option. Approving the purchase places the track in your Google Music collection, or there's an option to listen it using the mobile app, which won't be delivered for a couple of days. (After purchasing it, you may have to hunt for the "Close" option to make the window disappear; I initially missed it in the clutter.)

Stop here and click back to the front page of the Android Market's Music section; it's here that you'll find the premium free music and exclusives that Google has paid for: Shakira, Coldplay, the Rolling Stones, and more. There's also a number of top tracks that Google has previously licensed in the free music section, so be sure and check those out.

An inspired touch is Google's decision to allow you to share a full play of each song you've purchased once, with your friends (or the world) via Google+, its social network. (Note that this option isn't available for songs you've uploaded.) It's a canny way to hook friends on the latest earworm.

Google has also added an Artist Hub that will allow unsigned bands to launch their own Web page, complete with a bio and their own music, which Google will sell with only a 30 percent cut. Until I can set up recording equipment in my shower, I'll have to forego testing that aspect.