Google Music vs. iTunes Match: First Round Knockout For ... Google Music

Google has often been accused of stealing ideas from Apple, most famously by Steve Jobs pointing to Android. And on first glance, Google's music player and cloud-storage locker Google Music seems like a rehash of the also recently released iTunes Match.

Well, it's not. There is no nuance here: Google Music is better than iTunes Match. GMusic makes iMatch totally redundant, a needless expense for a service that Google will give you for free, and that Google service matches iTunes Match (sorry) in nearly every important point of comparison.

Yes, there are many, many reasons to be pessimistic about several aspects of this new iTunes/Spotify/Napster/BitTorrent competitor from the tech giant who tests and rejects products like spaghetti. It is questionable, for example, whether the Internet needs another online marketplace for music and whether Google's music market has done enough to differentiate itself from iTunes and Amazon. The music recommendation engine in Google Music seems OK, but people who want to listen to music before purchasing it should just stick with Spotify and YouTube. The integration with Google+ is ... well, NASA just sent a rover over to that website and found no signs of life.

On the other hand, the Google Music locker, accessible at music.google.com, is a gutsy, aggressive swipe at an Apple service that was considered such an exciting breakthrough that, back in June, Jobs reserved it for his "One More Thing ..." announcement at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference. Apple probably thought it would be a real distinguisher.

Well, it turns out there's another "one more thing": The Google music locker holds 20,000 songs for free and can stream them to any Android or iOS device (or any device with a web browser, really).

Say hasta la vista to Apple's grand plans.

Consider this: In order to use iTunes Match, you have to pay $25 per year. The number of devices from which you can play your music is limited (to 10), and all of those devices must have the iTunes desktop app. If you want to listen on your mobile device, it has to run iOS.

In order to use Google Music, you don't pay anything. There is no limit to the number of devices you can listen on. If you want to listen on your mobile device, you can download the free Google Music app, available now for Android and probably soon for iOS (if Apple approves it). Until then, if you want to listen to Google Music on a mobile browser, all you need is a web browser. Most mobile devices nowadays have web browsers.

So why would anyone use iTunes Match over Google Music -- aside from loyalty to Apple or pure ignorance about the existence of Google Music? The key differences between the two services don't swing the needle toward iTunes Match; they're inconveniences, trifles and petty critiques.

Argument one: Google Music takes days to upload a music library; iTunes Match takes minutes. This is Apple's knockout punch? Once everything is uploaded, who cares? Unless you need your entire music collection ready for that party across town IN TWO HOURS (note to self: pitch idea to Disney), this is a silly point of contention. Save yourself some money (or donate it to charity!), and wait a few days for your library to upload.

Argument two: iTunes Match plays all of your songs in high-quality 256 kbps AAC; Google Music plays them in whatever format they were downloaded. Most non-audiophiles don't care about the specific format of their music; most non-audiophiles can't tell the difference between MP3 and AAC and are quite happy with the quality of the music they own. Moving on.

Argument three: iTunes Match can hold 25,000 songs, while Google Music can hold only 20,000. So if you have between 20,001 and 25,000 songs -- if your music library falls within that golden range of tracks -- perhaps it is worth ponying up $25 to use iTunes Match. Or perhaps you can be realistic about your needs and choose a few thousand songs that you don't have to have available at all times.

What else is there? iTunes Match has a nicer interface than the admittedly oddly spaced Google Music homepage, but that doesn't seem worth $25. iTunes is also a more familiar interface to most; some people will find it inconvenient to learn how to operate a new set of functions. Understandable but unsustainable in the long run, especially as all data and storage moves to the cloud.

What seemed like a bargain a week ago, iTunes Match at $24.99, now seems like an outrage. Such is the fast-moving world of competitive tech. Simply put, iTunes Match either has to drop its price to free or offer an all-you-can-eat option like Spotify to justify its price and make it seem attractive next to Google.

The event at which Google Music was officially unveiled was advertised with the catchphrase "These Go To Eleven." While Spinal Tap did not make an appearance, Google really did give itself that little push over the cliff with its new cloud-storage service. iTunes Match got matched and surpassed. Now Apple needs one more thing to compete.

Comments

[DrGrace Gniazdowska]

01:32 PM on 05/08/2013

I don't like iTunes at all, maybe the google music player works with iPod Touch... I hope. I bought music from other sites I uploaded it to iTunes to put on my ipod touch and apple just stole all my songs in my library (they are just gone, poof) they even tried to charge my bank account for all the songs before they disappeared and now I can't access it at all.

I hope Google won't steal peoples music. Apple are thieves. Through the last 3 years I have used itunes, they have messed with my songs many times and I wrote to them, I told them I bought these songs on another site, because they don't have the music I like. Old EU songs I grew up with... They didn't even bother replying, they just continue to steal the music I paid for. I am hoping google music, or anyone else, will come up with a better system.

[hachre]

04:55 PM on 02/27/2013

Horrible article. Listing all of iTunes Matches advantages and then debunking them all in a kind of 'who needs this' matter... Great journalism.

[beccainseattle]

05:19 PM on 01/21/2012

I use Android and Google Music exclusively. 'Nuff said.

[Austin Harris]

04:58 PM on 01/11/2012

Shut up your stupid becasue itunes match destroys Google who is quite late in the music business Apple has been in for over a decade so you can't even say Google Music is better because its not
I have tried both and this is a fact. iTunes Match is $25 for a reason, it has a matching feature to match your lower bit rate songs with the exact same song from the itunes music store free. This is something that the music companies will never allow anyone to give for free and probably apple will be the only company to ever get such a service. Google Music sucks it is all stream while itunes match is both stream and download. Get your information straight before you pick which service is better IDIOT. Come on now.

[Hanzilla]

02:04 PM on 12/19/2012

First of all... Google Music isn't "all stream". Plus Google Music has made all of my auto match uploads 320 kbps. When some were just 192. So you really have no idea what you're talking about. Seriously.

[Garrett Fuls]

08:00 PM on 03/06/2013

You literally have no idea what you are talking about. Nearly everything you just said about the features of Google Music is wrong, and in many cases is completely backwards.

First you start your argument with the fallacy that since Apple has been involved in music applications for over a decade, that that somehow means Google can't be better in any way, or couldn't possibly release a service that is better than one of Apple's.

Then you continue your fallacy filled, fact free defense of Apple with the idea that somehow the 25 dollar cost of iTunes Match is a bonus, but considering Google Music has all the same features that are important, with zero cost to the user, this argument falls flat.

Google Music does have a matching feature, and to a higher bit-rate than iTunes match (320 kbps).

Google Music does stream and download.

Literally every part of what you just said is either contrary to the facts, or a completely fallacious argument.

[JuggaloX13]

11:33 AM on 12/18/2011

The reason that the Google+ sharing seems dead is because Google Music is only in the US right now and Google+ is international.

[OmarLoves]

01:12 AM on 12/17/2011

I mean why are all the articles so biased in favor of apple. Google music is honestly a joy to use. itunes is the worse... i hate it

[Ryan Off]

05:52 PM on 12/15/2011

Great article, although a bit biased. You tend to lean toward GMusic, although the main/only argument you use is the price. The gist I took from your article is this, iTunes Match is very good and better than Google Music is nearly all categories except two: GMusic can play on more devices and it's free.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am both a Google and Apple fan. What I love about Apple devices is the integration between them. This includes streaming via AirPlay to my AppleTV / stereo or using iTunes Match directly on the Apple TV. Apple has put a lot of effort in to making the listening, sharing, and purchasing of music very simple and integrated. And that's one aspect I'm not convinced Google Music will be able to do right.

With that said, I'm using iTunes Match myself for this year and also trying out Google Music (why not, it's free). I'm not convinced GMusic will be around indefinitely for free, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

For those of us who have $25 a year to spare to get a reliable music service with customer support (about the same price as a magazine subscription), then iTune Match is a great service. If you feel this is a service that deserves to be free (or not worth $25 per year), with limited customer support, then definitely go with Google Music.

[Christopher M Breeden]

04:11 PM on 01/09/2013

So how did your experiment go?

[Cory Weston]

08:25 AM on 05/14/2013

Google Music will always be free. That is what Google does.

[999 homeboy]

06:53 PM on 11/24/2011

I've been using Google Music since beta and it works tremendously well. I use it for my 8GB iPhone so I can listen to my whole collection anywhere there is cell service without having to carry another iPod. It actually only took 2 to 3 days to upload 7800 songs.

[PostHaster]

07:33 PM on 11/21/2011

If you want to have more than 20,000 songs, can't you just have just another google account. You can sign up for free, or I will sell it to them for $500 on ebay!

Yes, you can't have a play list spanning the two accounts. But give me a break! can't you put your classical music collection and rock collection on two different accounts? I don't think anyone would want "shuffle all" the two collections!

[kyeblue]

07:13 AM on 11/21/2011

the question is how long will google music stay for free.

[wilray]

07:51 AM on 11/21/2011

Judging by their other services, I would say indefinitely. Google music is integrated into the rest of Google and the Android Market. Songs purchased from the Android Market will be place into your Google storage Locker. The music sales and the integration with Google's other services is their incentive to keep it free. Basically, once you enter the Googleverse, Google has multiple ways to make money off of you. They can sell you product or services, or they can sell advertising. They're not that concerned about how you get to the Googleverse, they are just concerned that you stay as long as possible. Music is an excellent way to keep someone in the Googleverse.

[JuggaloX13]

11:36 AM on 12/18/2011

To add to what +wilray said, Google would like monetize by offering more storage for a price, like Picasa and Gmail. I have an extra 80 GB tied to my Picasa/Gmail account for only $20 a year.

[netzwerg]

05:36 AM on 11/21/2011

I've been using Google Music for months and really like it. No need for my iPod anymore. If you have an extensive music collection, it takes some time to upload, but since you only need to do the uploading once, it's no big deal.

I especially like the fact that I can download the music for offline listening.

I give google music 5/5 points, very good.

[beccainseattle]

05:22 PM on 01/21/2012

Thank you! No one seems to mention that you can download music to devices for offline listening from the app/browser.

[Chris Darko]

01:27 AM on 11/21/2011

"Argument two: iTunes Match plays all of your songs in high-quality 256 kbps AAC; Google Music plays them in whatever format they were downloaded."

AAC... high quality, really?
It is a horrid format. I will stick to FLAC and MP3 320, thanks.

[wilray]

03:49 AM on 11/21/2011

Chris, I guess you know that your music purchases from Google's store are MP3 320. You probably also know that Google has not signed Universal at this time. Until such time as they do, if you want any Universal releases, I suggest 7 Digital. www.7digital.com. I just came across them recently. They are actually a U.K. company, but there is an easy link to the U.S. store for prices in dollars instead of pounds. All their music is MP3320, and they store your purchases in a locker for re-download at any time. Have Google Music Manager monitor your download folder for automatic uploading to your Google Music Locker, and you get to have your purchases stored at all three places with one effort.

[Chris Darko]

06:48 AM on 11/21/2011

They are nice and all, and I looked into them because of their Ubuntu deal, but my preferred method is purchasing a physical disc, ripping it in FLAC once, and then never opening it again, but still having it in a nice shiny collection.

Because having it in FLAC means I can reconvert to any format (usually mp3 320 for mp3 players), and I have a CD-quality copy (despite not having the hardware to discern the difference), I am free to enjoy more power over my files (and, being able to tag and name them exactly as I chose right off the bat).

Until I have a higher mobile data cap, offloading the music to the cloud is highly impractical and costly; I get a mere 800MB/month at $10 for the data.
That being said, when I do have a higher data cap on my phone, using music manager in the way you specified (on my album rips instead of my downloads folder) will be glorious.

[Cory Weston]

08:26 AM on 05/14/2013

Wrong.

[wilray]

06:50 AM on 11/21/2011

Oops, I meant to say that Google hadn't signed Warner Bros, but Warner Bros releases are available at 7th Digital.

[JasonMcl]

11:24 PM on 11/19/2011

OK, so I have finally used this service enough to comment a bit on its finer points.

Here are some things I like.

- You can "Make available offline" as much music as you have storage on your phone

- You can change the settings to only show songs on your phone when off of wifi so you do not use ANY mobile data. (This is very important for limited data users).

- You can download any song from your library twice via the browser and unlimited times via the music manager (desktop app).

- There are a few hundred free songs available, not all are obvious but you will occasionally come across a whole album labeled "free"

- You can edit tag information online, Amazon did not have this feature.

- Album art can easily be uploaded while editing a tag

- You can organize playlists by dragging songs / albums around.

- The Audio quality / bitrate is higher than Amazon and iTunes

- You can create "instant mixes" based off of your currently selected song (very useful).

- The web interface is very polished and clean

- There are no play buttons in the library, double click instead

[JasonMcl]

11:33 PM on 11/19/2011

Also of note, you can use the service on a total of 10 devices at any given time. (Not including the browser version which can be played anywhere).

Any PC that you use the "Music Manager" to upload or download songs counts as a device.

You can de-authorize any device at will.

Music is stored on your phone in MP3 format with the tags intact, the filenames will be a jumble of letters and numbers though.

[wilray]

06:46 PM on 11/19/2011

There is a concern that is more important than the time need to upload you music library. Although, I won't be using iTunes match, Apple is the clear winner here. It is the bandwidth needed to upload your library. If you have an extensive library your usage caps may be problem with the other services. 10 or 20 gigs might not be a problem, but I understand some services have a cap as low as 150 gigs per month. I get 250 and have never come close to using up my allotment, and I check my usage regularly. There was a fellow in my area who was totally connected to the internet (even his bathroom scale), he went over his 250 gig allotment with Comcast and without warning they suspended him for a year. He couldn't bargain to pay for the extra bandwidth, and they would not allow him to switch to a business package because he was under suspension. This is part of Comcast terms of service. I understand that other companies have similar measures, however you might not actually know what your usage is until you get hammered.

[Bathat]

07:44 PM on 11/20/2011

That's a very important point. I also have Comcast with a 250 gig monthly limit. Most of the time I'm under 150 gigs a month so it isn't a worry. But I have 210 gigs of music on my harddrive and if I started uploading without keeping an eye on my limit I could get in trouble. According to Comcast if I go over I will get a call informing me of it and the notice that if it happens again my Internet service will be suspended, with no recourse to connect again for a year. Since I would, should I sign up for Google Music, most likely, only have to upload all my music once I just have to be careful that one time, but still it is something to be aware of.

[wilray]

11:53 PM on 11/20/2011

Here is my suggestion. Since Google Music Manager allows you to specify which folder to upload from, separate your music into different master folders. Check the size of each folder and upload each folder separately. Let's say you feel comfortable uploading 40 or 50 gigs a month. Have each folder contain that amount. I would probably name the master folders something like Nov11, Dec11, Jan12, Feb12 just to be able to keep track of things. Check your usage through the month, and when you are near the end of each month see what it is. If you have a lot of bandwidth left, have an uploading party for a few days, and then start the process again the next month.

Doing it like this you'll never have to worry about exceeding your bandwidth limits and overtime you will get all your music uploaded to your storage locker.

[Chris Darko]

06:52 AM on 11/21/2011

Your ISP is highly unusual; uploads are truly unlimited with most good ISPs, no?
This has been the case in Australia - despite a limit on downloads, uploads are unmetered.

[Albert Liu]

03:10 PM on 11/22/2011

This is not unusual in the States at all. 150-250 GB soft caps are the standards for "unlimited".

[Mr Spann]

05:13 PM on 11/19/2011

I've been using google music for months now and I'm selling my iPod. No need for it anymore. And the minute I download music, it's available on my phone, my tablet, and any computer. Oh and it was free. I'm happy.