Not exactly sure if this is COVID19 related or not, but Google in the first week of August announced that it is in the process of closing its music platform, Google Play Music. Currently, Google Play Music users can stream music, as well as purchase full albums or single music files from the platform. Unfortunately, this will not be the case anyway as Google has rolled out a schedule for the impending closure of its music platform. In the last weeks of August, the Music Manager function of Google Play Music will not allow users to buy, pre-order, upload, or download music from Google Play Music anymore. Then, by October, the Google Play Music app will be rendered useless already as users cannot stream music from the app anymore. By the end of that month, Google will cancel subscriptions at the end of their subscribers' billing cycles, so they should have already migrated their Google Play Music library to a YouTube Music account or use a Google Takeout account to successfully migrate files. What will only be allowed until December in Google Play Music libraries will be uploads, playlists, likes, and purchases (but all those should have been migrated already, eh?).
But then, Google promises to inform users that they will be losing access to all this data by the end of the year. So, as of now, Google is recommending for all users to do the necessary migration and downloading as soon as possible, so that their music files will not get affected.
So, now that Google Play Music is closing shop, will there be other alternatives for its die-hard users? Will YouTube Music be really the only viable option for them? Knowing that YouTube is under the umbrella of the larger Google organization, it would seem to be a bad idea to put all your eggs in one basket, no matter how YouTube seems to be a very stable entity. So, for Google Play Music users who want to look at the larger and very vibrant array of options beyond the world of Google, here are some options to may want to consider keeping a top-notch music library:
Apple Music
Apple is quite aggressive in recruiting new users to its platform, offering access to Apple Music for free in the first three months to new users. Moreover, the company has also been beefing up its app on both Android and Microsoft to make sure all customer bases get enticed to jump ship and join the Apple bandwagon.
Apple Music has a key advantage over Spotify in that you can combine the songs you already own with the Apple Music streaming catalog. Siri users also get more robust voice controls for playback. Like Spotify, Apple Music has playlists that serve up songs based on your listening habits, but you can also listen to the Beats 1 Radio stations with human DJs at the helm.
Plex
Most of us who have come across the platform Plex know that it is a popular arena to stream popular movies and TV shows. Well, it seems that Plex has expanded their offerings just in time to possibly get a share of subscribers from Google Play Music. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
Miss the days when MTV was music videos and not Sweet Sixteen parties? Let Plex fill that longing for the good ol' days through its new partnership with Loop Media. Plex Live TV subscribers are now able to stream music videos from 19 of Loop Media's music channels, which include Top Charting Singles, Hip Hop, and Country.
(Via: https://hometheaterreview.com/plex-delivering-music-videos-on-loop/)
Spotify
Who can forget one of the pioneers of music streaming? Spotify continues to be one of the strongest music streaming platforms with one of the largest libraries of music, with even former adversary Taylor Swift back in the fold. So, yes, you can stream Folklore to your heart’s content with a Spotify Premium account.
Spotify now supports video podcasts, starting with a handful of shows that can be viewed by most free and premium users. The company announced the news today, saying that all users where podcasts are supported will be able to not only listen to these shows but also watch them, both on desktop and mobile. For now, though, only certain podcasts are able to post video to Spotify; most podcasters won’t be able to upload their own video footage. Videos will start automatically when someone presses play, and they’ll sync with the audio feed, so if someone exits the app or locks their device while watching, the audio will continue.
(Via: https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/21/21332584/spotify-video-podcasts-feature-upload)
Tidal
Tidal rose in popularity because the music industry’s big names such as the power couple Jay Z and Beyonce have attached their names to it. Another draw of the platform is that artists provide users with exclusive content, so if you want a streaming service with loads of special features, go for Tidal.
As of August 20, 2019, Tidal now includes social features that make it easy for iOS and Android users to share music and video to their Instagram and Facebook stories. This is something we’ve seen with Spotify allowing users to post individual songs to a story. However, Tidal lets users post individual tracks or whole playlists which appear as still images on either social platform.
(Via: https://www.soundguys.com/tidal-hifi-review-25846/)
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What to Do With Google Play Music’s Departure was originally published on www.harddriverecovery.org
source https://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/what-to-do-with-google-play-musics-departure/
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