Google Play’s Music All Access streaming service has launched across Europe in Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and the UK – but Germany still has to wait.
Like rival Spotify, All Access provides streaming access to a huge library of music, licensed from all the major record companies, as well as top local and independent labels.
However, it doesn’t offer a free tier. Like Netflix, users can enjoy a month’s free trial but have to pay £9.99/€9.99 per month from there on.
The service launched in the US in May and in Australia and New Zealand in July.
Google Play Music All Access lets subscribers create their own interactive radio stations as well as browsing recomended tracks. Like Spotify, users can ‘pin’ albums to play them offline.
Additionally, Google Play users can store their existing download catalogue – up to 20,000 songs – for free online, and listen to them alongside the All Access catalogue on any Android device, or via the web.
All Access is part of Google Play Music, which also offers a download services, as well as being part of the wider Google Play store – which sells other digital entertainment products such as movies and e-books.
Paul Joyce, product manager for Google Play Music said: “Google Play moves one step closer to your ultimate digital entertainment destination, where you can find, enjoy and share your favourite apps, games, books, movies, magazines, TV shows and music on your Android phone or tablet. Go ahead and start discovering a whole new world of music.”Music Business Worldwide
