Google's proposals are still vague

What a surprise....

I think somebody needs to shoot this monster before it gets too big.

Oh, wait as minute.. it already is.

Yet another Google category killer that will likely launch to much hype and go nowhere. The company is 10 years old and Contextual Ads are still nearly 100% of its business. They just have not figured out how to make money ding anything else. Unless people can easily load "Google Songs" onto their iPhone/iPod, this will go nowhere. And you can bet Apple won't make it easy.

I'm betting with Copeland on this.

Yet another Google category killer that will likely launch to much hype and go nowhere. The company is 10 years old and Contextual Ads are still nearly 100% of its business. They just have not figured out how to make money doing anything else. Unless people can easily load "Google Songs" onto their iPhone/iPod, this will go nowhere. And you can bet Apple won't make it easy.

Still, if anyone can take on iTunes, it's likely to be Google.

I think they've actually got a shot at this. Not everyone has an ipod or wants to be tied to apple.

> that will likely launch to much hype and go nowhere.

Ya, that's what they said about Android. I bet Apple is taking them very seriously.

>Unless people can easily load "Google Songs" onto their iPhone/iPod

Think Android. It is taking significant market share away from iPhone.

Think Android. It is taking significant market share away from iPhone.

Is it TAKING share away from the iPhone or are they coming from different phones?

I like the idea and openess of Android, however it still needs to be polished up a bit and hardware updated.

> or are they coming from different phones?

It is coming from somewhere. That same "where" should be going to Apple. So that is taking significant market share away from Apple.

> it still needs to be polished up a bit and hardware updated.

Not seen an EVO? 4g/wimax with mega screen, res, and WiFi Hotspot. I'd get one in a heart beat if it comes to Verizon.

So long as SJ/AAPL runs a closed garden approach on the iP* device line, it seems to me very proper that GOOG comes up with app analogs on the android line. Let competition reign!

So I'm assuming Google is going to crack down on illegal music, like on their own site YouTube? Why would I buy music when Google already gives it out for free?

Let the games begin, but their track record for making money with anything other than contextual advertising is what it is; terrible.

I'll restate that I hate seeing a search company become a content provider (or affiliate, ecommerce provider, etc). I don't like seeing Google do this.

That being said, and since they are doing it, it's game on. May the best company win.

I have a long list of things I dislike about Apple's approach from the stupid "helper" software that re-installs itself when I delete it and turns itself on when I turn it off to the fact I'm needing to buy multiple expensive gadgets to get the full range of services.

If Google can improve upon those and do it without the closed source monopoly type approach Apple is famous for we all win as consumers.

Randle, sometimes taking sales from a competitor before they get too big is worth paying for.

Reality: I can listen to any song I want to absolutely free. They can all be found online on various sites including Google's youtube. When I want a playlist I turn on local radio. In other words I don't need a $300 gadget + pay to download songs + contracts. In fact I'd be dumb to get hooked into those.

Ya know, I'm a big old Android fan and I could care less about Google providing any form of music service as Amazon's MP3 downloads work just fine and I won't be switching to yet another service.

The real issue here is most people have music on their computer and their phone, and if you primarily do your music shopping on your computer and synch to the phone an Android solution won't interest you at all.

Nothing Google will do will impact iTunes if that buggy software and those buggy iPods can't drive people from iTunes then Apple is kinda unstoppable.

I'd get one [EV0] in a heart beat if it comes to Verizon.

It's really cool and cute but not quite ready for prime time IMO.

Verizon's no where close to catching Sprint's 4G rollout and apparently Sprint's nowhere close except in Vegas.

Buddy of mine got one and they're charging him $10/mo extra for 4G and he's rarely getting a 4G signal in the SV area, and when he does he claims it's not working well, if at all.

Also problems with bluetooth hands-free dialing, battery life is much worse than the smaller androids, and currently is only playing 30fps because of some bug.

I'm tempted too, but I think I'll wait until they fix it.

Unless people can easily load "Google Songs" onto their iPhone/iPod, this will go nowhere. And you can bet Apple won't make it easy.

I (and quite a few others) thought that about Spotify as well, but it's taking Europe by storm, I'm also a very happy Spotify premium member.

Here's hoping that Google can do an even better job than what Spotify have done.

We also have the power of Youtube. Almost every video that contains a music track has a download link leading to the iTunes store. BY taking that business back not only are they making a sale, there costing apple a sale.

Mack.

Oh great, first Google drops us in traffic and now it is entering our market... Whats missing? Google Travel, Google Jewels, Google Insurance, Google free forums hosting? Google eBooks?

I predict this means yet more universal search results crowding the first page SERPs...

We also have the power of Youtube. Almost every video that contains a music track has a download link leading to the iTunes store. BY taking that business back not only are they making a sale, there costing apple a sale.

Who are these dumb people that buy music when they're already listening to it for free? And can strip the music from the video just as easily?

Oh great, first Google drops us in traffic and now it is entering our market... Whats missing? Google Travel, Google Jewels, Google Insurance, Google free forums hosting? Google eBooks?

Most likely. The internet will be just like the real world, the Mom and Pop stores will slowly dwindle as large sites with big bankrolls dominate every profitable niche there is. The only difference is, no one will have loyalty to small sites like they do with local businesses.

@StoutFiles:

stripping a 64k encoded mono MP3 or having a 320k encoded stereo file with cover arts and lyrics is a question of quality... the people who want to have it for free will download from other sources anyhow! I won't call them dumb, I'd call them picky!

The past 20-25 years have been really interesting. Mom and Pop shops are crowded out by big box stores; they in turn close down as downloads catch on.

Now we have another player entering what appears to be an already crowded market.

It's going to be very interestging to see how many services are actually needed.

And here I am still trying to get all of my CDs, cassettes, etc., ripped.

Google should try creating something of their own, there business plan seems to be let's try to do everything that Apple does (or Bing as of late for that matter). For all the brainpower they've hired I would expect a little innovation.

@Zamboni - so you don't actually use google products is what your saying? I continually use google and apple products because they both have their pros/cons. Google has innovative products come out all the time, and when you see something come out at the same time as someone else, which everyone is claiming as google nocking off other companies, its usually something way different.

Let me give you a story as an example: There once was a developer that the iPhone and despised using windows mobile, but liked the openness of what he could do with it compared to black berry and palm. He made a friend at HTC and started with an open source platform to build as an operating system of his own. Word started spreading about this project, and because it was based on open source, well, it gets out. HTC and this developer, built a front end GUI to support it using their awesome phone hardware. The word spread faster and faster and soon, big dudes like apple where peeking in the crack of his doors and windows. Apple comes out with a phone the same month as the developers phone comes out, and has a lot of the same features.

i want you to now ask yourself, who is being dirty? and who is being innovative?

Who are these dumb people that buy music when they're already listening to it for free?

The link must be worth something to Google or it wouldn't be there.. In the future it could be worth the same - apples cut.

"Dumb" or not if there spending does it matter?

Mack.

Who are these dumb people that buy music when they're already listening to it for free? And can strip the music from the video just as easily?

a) I'm one of those DUMB people that like to listen to my music whenever or wherever I want, and playing youtube videos really doesn't cut it, it's just a way to find music I might like, not somewhere I would go to actually listen on a regular basis.

b) I don't STEAL music (strip, infringe, whatever...) or anything else. I pay for what I have, and quite frankly am appalled that any webmaster who makes his earning off online copyrights would even suggest such a thing.

So there it is, I'm a big fat music buying dumb moron with thousands of MP3's that I enjoy on a daily basis thank you very much.

Google just wished they could take my business away from Amazon, not likely.

Let the games begin, but their track record for making money with anything other than contextual advertising is what it is; terrible.

This has nothing to do with making more cash for the GORG, this has everything to do with GORG taking over the 'net, one niche at a time. And hopefully crushing competitors in the process.

Personally I'm going to stick with my iPhone and iTunes simply because it's not a GORG product. GORG is the new Microsoft. I no longer try out the latest GORG product just because they put it out. Lots of people just trust the GORG like they're a friendly neighbor and use whatever they has to offer.

I do not wish them success in this new endeavor.

Google music.....yikes, soon all the major SE's will just be total portals, to there own content.

So has Google convinced all the artists that they can give their music away for free and make money on the contextual ads?

As an aside... I remember BetaMax and VHS... The latecomer won that round... :)

MS is already way ahead with Zune.. Zune runs on WM7, Zune, Xbox 360, Windows and Kin devices and offers a subscription service that allows you to keep 10 songs.

MS is already way ahead with Zune

Not even close as Zune has a DRM like iTunes used to have and anyone that's ever been burned by a music service closing, like Yahoo Music, will NEVER EVER do that DRM garbage again.

Amazon MP3 sales are final, they're portable from machine to machine, no DRM, no limit to the number of backups, it's a better way to go.