Google Music
The technology giant launches its music service.
There's not a single person in possession of a personal music device who does not frequently create a soundtrack for their everyday experiences. A ticket for parking in a bus zone? I like to speed around suburban streets in a rage listening to the Clash's 'I Fought The Law'. Just left the presence of your current love interest? I shove my headphones in, listen to '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' and mentally replay the final scene of Dirty Dancing, replacing Jennifer Grey's face with mine and putting my crush's head on top of Patrick Swayze's finely chiseled physique. Our banal existences are given real interest when complemented with some kind of killer soundtrack. If you're hit with that parking fine and don't have your iPod on hand, you've got nothing but a gaping hole in your sense of financial security.
Enter Google's new service, Music Beta. Operating under the premise that we should never be caught short without a heap of our favourite tunes, the system allows users to upload their music to that great sound cloud in the sky (kind of like an audio Heaven, I suppose) and access it wherever and whenever they want. If, God forbid, you can't find a wireless connection, Music Beta will still play a selection of your favourites and recently played songs offline. The trial service currently works via the internet and can also be accessed on portable Android devices.
But alas, there's bad news for us antipodeans. Like all the best things? In-N-Out Burger, guns and rampant nationalism? Music Beta is currently only available for trial in the United States. With no foreseeable release date for Australia, looks like we'll have to cope with keeping our music directly on hand for a little while longer.
Words: Lillian McKnight
