When Google Music Goes Away

What are your plans when GM is gone. I tried YouTube and canceled on day 25 of trial. The problem here seems to be the lack of music lovers at Google. Sergey nor Larry could care less. Steve Jobs was a music lover and it showed in creating ITunes.
I have begun to use Amazon but was puzzled by their refusal to play songs I have downloaded without a Internet connection. I thought that was what downloading was all about!

3 Likes

I’m in the same boat. YouTube music is out for me. The app is just a hot mess. Amazon is ok ish, but their catalog lacks stuff I listen too. The same goes for Tidal. That really just leaves Pandora and Spotify. Out of those two I am pre preferring Spotify. That seem to be the best alternative to Google Play music. The integration with all the things is there, the app is ok to use, I can add my own content, off line mode works as expected, and they have the content I want. All that said, I miss Rdio. No other music service has yet to duplicate the great features Rdio had.

2 Likes

I uploaded all my music to Google as a backup. But, I keep a copy of all my music on my phone and all 4 of my computers.

I do not use any of the streaming music services. I do use iTunes to BUY music. Since I have an iPod I keep in my car, I like to own my music. If I like something a lot, I just buy it. I have so many MP3s from CDs I own, that I like to add to my collection.

I do rent movies thru Google, though. Then, I can watch them on Youtube on a Chrome PC hooked to the TV via HDMI.

2 Likes

Waiting and seeing. I really enjoy having music and YT commercial free so until it’s gone gone… Frankly, YTM is alright. I can deal with it. But they need to transfer everything over.
The backup plan is to just shift to Spotify.

I’m like you, I buy music (iTunes), I don’t stream it. I listen to albums, not singles or playlists (rarely). I like to make edits and compilations. It’s probably a generational thing, as well as a lifelong passion for music and having worked for a time in radio.

One point: I was reading somewhere that if you can’t access iTunes (or, more accurately, they can’t access you) for a long enough period of time — maybe going off grid for a while, or during a very prolonged power outage — you won’t be able to play a thing in your iTunes library (assuming that your devices are somehow charged up), even though you’ve downloaded everything. (Supposedly iTunes pings you every so often to validate your account or your device? I have no idea.) I asked someone else about this, and it was old news to them, so maybe I’m the last person on earth to understand this. In my mind, purchasing something and downloading (not streaming) it should mean it’s mine, even if I go live on a desert island…evidently not anymore (?)

1 Like

@Brickshy, were the songs you downloaded from Amazon purchased from the website? I’ve never had any problem playing purchased music from Amazon without an internet connection. :confused:

It sucks! Spotify is the absolute worst.

I listen to a lot of music from artists with like 85 albums (the dead namely) and when you “like” an album it’s listed in full when you select the artist. Meaning every song in that album is listed under the album title.

So when you like a bunch of albums you have this massive list of songs and you have to scroll through to get to the album you want. Then if you go back it starts you at the top of the fucking list. The only way to get to a list of albums without the songs is to hit the hamburger menu and “go to artist”…so what the hell is the point of liking an album in the first place?!?

I don’t like playlists because most of the albums I listen to are supposed to be in order. I hate the UI it’s awful. I wouldn’t use it if it weren’t for Hulu+Spotify for $5.

I listen to local music when I can.

I do not think this is an issue anymore… For music already purchased - you can move files to other devices, and other computers that do not even have Itunes (like a chromebook). The music still plays. I have my entire music collection on multiple PCs… Itunes is only actually installed on 1 of them…

Itunes used to use a different format for music a few years ago. And, it think it checked the digital rights for each song periodically. Leo has even talked about this a few times on the Tech Guy. So, for more recent purchases, I do not think that is an issue…

1 Like

That’s great to know, thanks :slight_smile: (I need to start listening to TTG more often!)

1 Like

Rats…It looks like there are serious flaws in just about every service out there. Guess I’m going to have to get a turntable and stock up on vinyl.

2 Likes

That is the one show I never miss on TWIT.

I even listen to old ones while I exercise or drive.

1 Like

Completely agree, my thought is that Google Play music will just hang around much like Hangouts. They know that YouTube Music sucks. They will fix before shutting down GPM.

Wait google is killing another one of their services? I have 1000’s of songs on there and its a great way to carry all your music around instead of using all your storage on the phone. I dont like streaming either I want to pick the album to listen too. I wont pay for a steaming service as I will buy the records, cds from the artist.

1 Like

I use Play Music just for the “on the go” convenience factor…rip CDs and upload them. If it goes away, I guess the alternative will be going back to PowerAmp and locally stored files. Maybe the Pixel 5 will have a 1 TB storage option. :grinning:

I’m mainly an album listener with no interest in streaming random singles or creating playlists.

2 Likes

I still have no idea what I’m going to do. Honestly, if YouTube Music gets my music library imported over like many expect will happen, I will give it a good honest shot. Outside that, might end up on Spotify. I don’t know. I wish I didn’t have to leave what still works so well for me. Upgrade the UI in Play Music and we’re there. But nope, Google got bored. It’s like Inbox all over again.

I must say I really don’t like the interface of Google Play Music. YouTube Music has issues too and really don’t like that following an artist also adds the artist into YouTube subscriptions. I would probably be with Spotify or Apple Music if it were not for the bundling of ad-free YouTube which I get a lot of value out of.

Yeah the YouTube bundling takes it over the top. I always forget about that when considering what’s next when GPM goes away. I would HATE ads on all YouTube videos. I’m so used to not seeing them that I forget they are ever there to begin with.