Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

How will Google Music fare without label support?

Molly McHugh
By

google music betaToday Google announced its cloud-based music service and beta testing has begun. Now don’t get us wrong – we were among the first in line to request an invitation to try out the program. Even still, we’ve got plenty of skepticism reserved for a music service without any music labels behind it.

Repeating history?

Google TV has recently been making news not for its popularity or success but for what it plans to improve. When the product launched without content provider approval, Google TV quickly found itself blocked by some industry heavyweights: Viacom, NBC, CBS, Fox, and ABC. Hubs like Fancast and Hulu also kept their content out of Google TV’s hands.

Recommended Videos

Google recently landed some major partnerships, inking deals with Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros., and gaining access to thousands of their movies via YouTube. Unfortunately, Google TV failed to make a good first impression with consumers and now it’s going to have to claw its way back into their good graces. It’s more than possible, expected even, considering there hasn’t been ample progress made by any particular Internet TV device – they’ve all been experiencing some sort of content provider problems. But jumping the gun again with its music service seems like a risky move, and we wonder how long this beta testing round will last…possibly until it can secure some industry support?

How it stacks up

Like Google is now, Amazon launched its Cloud Drive Player without the support of the big labels – and it didn’t go over as smoothly as it hoped. Sony directly questioned how legal the service was, and last we heard Amazon was switching tactics and “aggressively” trying to obtain the necessary licenses. Despite lingering legal issues, Amazon does include a music store, something Google currently does not have. Instead users are limited to the 20,000 songs in its database. Sure, sounds like a lot, but it just isn’t – not when compared to the infinite offerings a music store can provide. Of course, Google’s music services’ features (more storage, playlist curators) in general outshine Amazon’s, which makes us hopeful for the final product.

So at least Google isn’t the only one to launch without label backing, and of course it’s only in beta, so there’s hope yet. The only hitch is that Apple is rumored to have secured major studios’ blessings, and if it can launch with all the loose ends tied up, it would easily outshine the competition. There’s something to be said for waiting and shipping a totally complete product with all its bells and whistles intact versus packaging what you’ve got and getting it to (some of) the public on time.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Molly McHugh
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
This HP Pavilion desktop PC had its price cut from $700 to $440
HP PC connected to a monitor.

HP is one of the most reliable sources for dependable desktop PCs at affordable prices. Take this as an example -- the HP Pavilion Desktop TP01, originally priced at $700, is currently available for just $440 following a $260 discount. With a configuration that's more than enough for the usual tasks that you'll do for work or school, this is one of the most attractive desktop computer deals that we've seen in a while. We're not sure how long this offer will remain online though, so you'll have to complete the purchase as soon as possible if you don't want to miss out.

Why you should buy the HP Pavilion Desktop TP01
Let's get it out of the way -- the HP Pavilion Desktop TP01 isn't going to be as powerful as the top-of-the-line models of the best desktop computers. However, with its AMD Ryzen 3 5300G processor, integrated AMD Radeon Graphics, and 8GB of RAM, it's going to be more than enough to handle activities such as doing online research, making reports, and creating presentations. The desktop PC excels in its storage capabilities though, as it's got a 256GB SSD for its primary storage where Windows 11 Home is pre-installed and a 1TB HDD for its secondary storage. That's a lot of space for your files!

Read more
This Lenovo 2-in-1 laptop is discounted from $3,409 to $799
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 front angled view showing display.

If you skip past Lenovo's somewhat disingenuously high estimated value system, there are generally some great laptop deals to check out at the site. Right now, you can buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga for $799. Lenovo reckons that's reduced from $3,409 which seems excessively high and unlikely to us, but we do know that $799 is a pretty sweet deal for this laptop. If you're keen to know more, keep reading while we take you through what to expect from it. Don't forget to hit the buy button if it sounds like the one for you.

Why you should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Read more
Quick — This 32-inch 4K monitor just had its price slashed by 21%
The 27-inch Dell S2721QS 4K monitor on a table.

Dell often has some great monitor deals and the firm has certainly excelled itself with an offer on the Dell 32-inch SE3223Q 4K monitor. Usually priced at $380, it's down to $300 for a limited time only. A fantastic price for a 4K monitor, you might already know to hit the buy button below but if you need some more guidance, keep reading while we explain what it offers.

Why you should buy the Dell 32-inch SE3223Q 4K monitor
Dell makes some of the best 4K monitors around with the Dell 32-inch SE3223Q 4K monitor reflecting many of those qualities. It offers 99% sRGB on its VA panel with 1.07 billion colors overall. There's also the aforementioned 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 wide viewing angles and an anti-glare surface. It also has a response time of as little as 4ms gray-to-gray extreme and AMD FreeSync support. While the response rate isn't perfect for a gaming setup, it's fine for some light gaming with AMD FreeSync ensuring you get smooth browsing while you work.

Read more