SAN FRANCISCO: Google Inc. unveiled Wednesday a streaming music service called All Access that blends songs users have already uploaded to their online libraries with millions of other tracks for a $10 monthly fee.
The service puts the Internet goliath in competition with popular paid subscription plans like Spotify and Rhapsody and free music services like Pandora.
The announcement at Google’s annual developers conference in San Francisco kicks off a wave of developments in the digital music space that are expected to entice consumers with ways to listen to music on a range of devices.
Rival Apple Inc. is expected to debut a digital radio service later this year; Google-owned YouTube is also working on a paid subscription music plan; and Sweden’s Spotify is reportedly exploring a way to make a version of its paid streaming plan free with ads on mobile devices.
Google is playing catch-up in the digital music space after launching its music store in November 2011. Apple’s iTunes Store, which launched in 2003, is the leader in song downloads and Spotify claims about 6 million paying subscribers worldwide.
But Google’s massive reach on mobile devices that use its Android operating system means it could narrow the gap quickly. Some 44 percent of active smartphones in the U.S. are powered by the Android software, according to research firm eMarketer. Google said about 900 million Android devices have been activated worldwide.
All Access will be available in the U.S. on Wednesday and comes with a 30-day free trial. It is expected to roll out soon in 12 other countries where Google currently sells music, including 10 European countries such as the U.K., France and Germany, as well as Australia and New Zealand. For consumers who start the trial by June 30, the monthly fee drops to $8.
Google’s All Access allows users to search for songs, albums or artists directly, or peruse 22 different genres. Google curators also offer up recommendations based on a person’s listening behavior and their existing library of songs.
You can listen to any of millions of tracks right away, or switch to a “radio” format that creates a playlist of songs that you might like. Radio playlists can be adjusted by deleting or re-ordering upcoming songs.
By combining an all-you-can-listen-to plan with music sold from its Google Play store, the service covers any gaps. Some artists, like Taylor Swift, keep recent releases off streaming services for several months in order to boost download sales.
All three major recording labels — Vivendi’s Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group Corp. — are part of the All Access service. According to research firm eMarketer, over 96 million Americans are expected to stream music on mobile devices at least once a week in 2013, up from 85 million a year ago.