Google Launches Google Music 264
George Meyson writes "Google has launched a new service known as Google Music that will allow a person to search fast links to song lyrics, musical artists and CD titles on the main search results page. The user can type in the name of a band, artist, album or song in the main Google search bar special, and results will appear at the top, accompanied by icons of music notes. Items that can be purchased will have links to merchants for online ordering or downloading. Initial merchant partners include Apple Computer's iTunes service, RealNetworks Rhapsody, eMusic and Amazon.com." From the Google Blog: "A few of us decided to try to make the information you get for these searches even better, so we created a music search feature. Now you can search for a popular artist name, like the Beatles or the Pixies, and often Google will show some information about that artist, like cover art, reviews, and links to stores where you can download the track or buy a CD via a link at the top of your web search results page."
Coolness (Score:5, Interesting)
Their response will certainly be interesting. Do I detect a brawl of the titans coming?
I'm not a fan... (Score:5, Interesting)
Now, with this, I'm going to be inundated with more advertisements. I already knew that I could go to iTMS, Amazon.com, allofmp3, etc to get my music after I found what I was looking for. Why do I need Google to tell me?
I was raving about GMail, Google Maps, in the past but with the last two "additions" which were Web Clips in GMail and now this, I just can't say I'm impressed. It was fine the way it was.
Re:Coolness (Score:5, Interesting)
The record companies seem to think so [slashdot.org].
Re:Coolness (Score:2, Interesting)
The same thing that allows them to sue bittorrent hubs for providing links to get pirated material.
Are you saying that Google should be liable for the content they link to?
Nope, but Google might decide to do it anyway to avoid problems. Not sure which search engine, but one of them certainly censors results for chinese surfers at the request of the their government. And don't all German ISPs have to filter out nazi sites?
It all depends on what the content is. Try making a link site to illegal porn and see how fast you end up in a pound-me-in-the-ass prison, regardless of whether or not what you did is illegal.
Google rushes in... (Score:3, Interesting)
Just when we're hearing that the Music Publishers' Association [mpa.org] is demanding jail time [slashdot.org] for folks who put up lyric sites, we get Google blithely putting up...a lyric site index. I know they're claiming that their partner sites are providing these, but my first hit was on lyricsfreak.com [lyricsfreak.com], which I suspect is hardly legal. It's like Google is daring folks to sue them. Awesome.
One important detail Google forgot (Score:4, Interesting)
This is extremely important when we're, ahem, looking for these songs and we don't want to confuse it with live versions, covers, etc.
If Google puts that in there, I no longer have to use AllMusic.com to look album information up.
Re:Coolness (Score:2, Interesting)
More importantly... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Since TFA is /.'d (Score:5, Interesting)
local.google.com
maps.google.com
google.com/musicsearch
Now I feel stupid that I didn't know this without having to sift through comments to find it...
Re:how come google can do this... (Score:2, Interesting)
Question: Where does an 800 Lb gorrilla sit?
Answer: Anywhere he wants to.
Imaging the web according to Google (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm not sure it'll sell, but it should be an interesting product. I like that they've started with real innovation on searching, cateloging, etc, instead of just branding alone. However, in the end the market will leapfrog, it always has.
Compare their lineup to, say, the world of MSN or AOL, which was attempting to brand existing behaviors "email" and "search" and "shop" done pretty much as you have it elsewhere. Yahoo added customer references, then Amazon adds one-click and historical records/you-created-this-page nonsense. Google will probably have as much of all those products, but tied into a dashboard of widgets.
Sadly, nobody has come up with a better concept on ads. Crazy-bad moving ads on a static page of text are the bane of internet viewing. Google's putblished test-only ads, which I like, but perhaps only by their integrating their paying advertising into their lists (with a deliniation for showing such) can we drop this.
Unless these new products are kept simple, users will again migrate to the "meat and potato" sites like craigslist and similar for simplicity. Google's biggest risk is it's newfound audience, and the push to throw ads at them everywhere. The day we see Punch the Monkey on Google, we've pretty much seen this behemouth ready for an undercut.
Google search (Score:3, Interesting)
Did you mean: 'scuse me while I kiss the sky
Cool!
Re:powertabs.net (Score:2, Interesting)
That's the first thing that jumped to my mind. I wonder if Google will be the next target, or are they partnering with the RIAA in this? I guess you could argue that Google is stimulating sales of legitimate media by directing people to iTunes, etc.
other audio content to be indexed? (Score:2, Interesting)
For example, I am currently working on http://www.developeradvantage.com/ [developeradvantage.com], which is creating audio training modules specifically for software developers. So far, there is really nothing else out there in terms of professional, high-quality audio training modules. On amazon.com, you can find over 2000 Java books, but, if you search for audio content, you will find zero results that are technical java books (maybe a few on indonesia though). Same with audible.com, they have no technical content for software developers.
It would be great if I could go to a search engine, type in, say Java, and find some great training modules to listen to while exercising or commuting to work (or perhaps even while working on other stuff at my desk!).
Re:Coolness (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Better yet (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Coming Soon: (Score:3, Interesting)
"OK you don't want it on google *click* there gone.. now they will never apear on google agian, on any part, in any place, oh and *click* your subnets banned for abusing the service please feel free to go to the public liberary to use our services"
Personaly i think the Artists should be scared if the RIAA is crazy enough to go after google.
Re:Coolness (Score:3, Interesting)
The problem is, it takes a lot of very dedicated people to counter the constant shareholder push towards optimizing profits and minimizing loss, and eventually those people lose and are replaced by people who will obey.
The only company that doesn't seem to fit are IBM. I have yet to figure out if they are a temporary fluke or if there is something about going all the way through suck and coming out the other side.