Ever since Apple unveiled iTunes Match back in late 2011, their competitors have been desperately trying to catch up by offering similar services for competitive prices. Amazon was first, with their Cloud Player service, and now Google has updated their Google Play music service with an iTunes Match-like music matching service as well.
What’s especially notable about Google’s matching service (and the biggest edge it carries over Amazon Cloud Player and iTunes Match) is the price: it’s completely free!
From the official announcement late last month:
Add up to 20,000 songs from your music collection to Google Play and stream it to your Android devices and your computer, anywhere you go.
Our new music matching feature gets your songs into your online music library on Google Play much faster. We’ll scan your collection and quickly rebuild it in the cloud – all for free. And we’ll stream your music back to you at up to 320 kbps.
Google’s new service will scan your entire iTunes library, and allow you to access and stream your music for free from anywhere you have access to the internet. Compared to Amazon and Apple’s $25-per-year subscription pricing for their own matching services, Google Play stands out as an absolute bargain.
For more information, or to sign up for the new service, head on over to the Google Play website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OpNOYECtyI&feature=player_embedded
