Google launched a new, free music offering Tuesday, which it describes as a complement to its Google Play Music subscription service. Like Pandora, the service will give users the chance to pick bands and genres of music they like, but won’t let them order up songs on demand; it will be powered by the people behind Songza, the web radio/playlist startup Google bought last year. (Re/code)
Free streaming will become available through the service’s iOS and Android apps in the coming days. Google Play Music’s new free streams are supported by advertising, and also available to customers who don’t subscribe to the service’s paid tier. However, it doesn’t go as far as Spotify’s free tier, which lets users pick any song they want when accessing the service via their computer. (Variety)
Google Play Music began as a subscription service costing $9.99 a month in 2013, letting users stream more than 30 million songs, create their own playlists and store up to 50,000 purchased tracks for free. Google said it is offering free streaming to entice more people to sign up for the paid monthly subscription service. (WSJ / Digits)
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company did not say which ad formats would immediately be available with Google Play Music, but a quick test of the new audio player Tuesday afternoon shows Google using two types of ads: Google Display Networks and video promos. (Adweek)