Google already has a subscription-based Google Play Music service and now it has launched a free version of the music streaming service.
While the premium based version allows you to listen to an unlimited amount of tracks for a fee, the free version is made up of curated playlists designed for different times of the day and based on what you are doing. This “freemium” service will be ad-supported.
According to Elias Roman, Google’s Product Manager in a blogpost, “At any moment in your day, Google Play Music has whatever you need music for—from working, to working out, to working it on the dance floor—and gives you curated radio stations to make whatever you’re doing better.”
The new stations are in part by the staff of Songza, the contextual music streaming service that Google bought last year.
This model is similar to that of Spotify which also offers a so-called ‘freemium’ model in addition to an ad-free premium subscription service. However users of this free model will not be able to songs-on-demand.
The new free, ad-supported version of Google Play Music is launching first in the U.S. It’s available on the web, and is rolling out this week to Android and iOS.
Google’s announcement comes just some days ahead of the expected launch of Apple’s own $9.99 streaming service, Apple Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfnxgN_hztg
