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Google has released their new music sharing system, and it’s interesting to see how the “free market” in music and Internet services has shaped this new system.

 

First, you can only upload your own music. Unlike Amazon’s similar system, you can’t buy anything on Google Music. That’s because the record labels don’t really want any cloud storage of music, and Google decided to let Amazon walk point on the inevitable lawsuit from the recording industry.

 

Second, when you do upload your own music, you’ll be uploading every single bit of it, and Google will be storing every single bit of it. Google could have made a system that just checks your music for a “digital signature”, recognizes that you have a copy of a Britney Spears album, and stores a tiny little marker in your account pointing to one universal copy of “Oops I Did It Again”. This would allow you to upload a few bytes of information instead of megabytes of song data. But, again, the record labels wouldn’t like that, so Google will be storing millions of copies of the same music in everyone’s individual account, and millions of bytes of upload bandwidth will be wasted uploading these identical copies.

 

This brings us to all the uploading Google Music customers will be doing. All the excitement over “cloud services” and “music lockers” ignores one little fact of US Internet service: it’s extremely asymmetrical. Our upload speed is usually about 10 times slower than our download speed. That’s because the most widely deployed technology used by our cable and telecom ISPs is built on copper wire that’s up to 100 years old. Telcos’ copper is so old that it will probably never support really fast upload speeds, and cable companies have been slow to roll out the technology that allows moderately fast uploads. Only fiber to the home can support fast, symmetrical Internet connections. But fiber-based competition has been limited by cable and telco monopolies, and even when communities try to deploy their own fiber, cable companies have their lobbyists ram through legislation stopping those roll outs.

 

And let’s not forget that over half of the country can only buy Internet service with bandwidth caps, so those users of Google Music will face hefty overcharges if their kids stream Bieber’s latest too many times. Nevermind that the price of wholesale Internet bandwidth does nothing but fall.

 

So, moochers, temper your excitement. In twenty or thirty years, cable and telcoms may finally implement fiber, and record labels may finally give up their dream that you’ll re-purchase your entire music library in digital form, just like you did when you trashed your LPs and converted to CDs. Then, and only then, will you looters be able to taste the sweet fruit of Google Music, brought to you by the innovation of the free market.

A less biased review of Google Music

I requested my Google Music BETA invite. I wonder how long it'll take to get it.

Chrome laptops... I just dont get them

So this Google Music basically cloud saves your entire music library, so you can listen to your music anywhere, on many devices? This sounds phenomenal, as long as they don't verify to see how the songs were acquired, considering I illegally download all my music.

So this Google Music basically cloud saves your entire music library, so you can listen to your music anywhere, on many devices? This sounds phenomenal, as long as they don't verify to see how the songs were acquired, considering I illegally download all my music.

I highly doubt they verify the source, or else this would be useless to me!

 

From what I gather, you can stream with the app over any Android device or from any PC with internet connectivity. Still waiting on my invite Google you f***ers.

Currently Netflix playback is supported on the following phones:

 

• HTC Incredible with Android 2.2

• HTC Nexus One with Android 2.2, 2.3

• HTC Evo 4G with Android 2.2

• HTC G2 with Android 2.2

• Samsung Nexus S with Android 2.3

 

via

^^Watching Archer right now. Perfect picture with no hiccups.

I highly doubt they verify the source, or else this would be useless to me!

 

From what I gather, you can stream with the app over any Android device or from any PC with internet connectivity. Still waiting on my invite Google you f***ers.

 

Well, I'm sort of waiting to see what pressure the RIAA would put on this. Google is a big company and typically will acquiesce to these things, as we've seen with the youtube.

For the record, the "freeze a dying or dead hard drive" trick really does work. It's saving my butt today

Honestly I've never even tried doing that. Maybe someone else can chime in.

 

I'm like three days late on this, by my 2010 Ford Escape (with Sync) plays my iphone stuff over bluetooth and the quality is very high. We listen to my iphone music and pandora over it, and on roadtrips we watch hulu plus and netflix with it. It's pretty great.

I'm like three days late on this, by my 2010 Ford Escape (with Sync) plays my iphone stuff over bluetooth and the quality is very high. We listen to my iphone music and pandora over it, and on roadtrips we watch hulu plus and netflix with it. It's pretty great.

 

That's very cool.

 

So it just pickes up 3G/4G signals?

That's very cool.

 

So it just pickes up 3G/4G signals?

It's gotta be transferring via bluetooth, not actually getting 3G itself.

It's gotta be transferring via bluetooth, not actually getting 3G itself.

 

I think he means that if your listening to Pandora or watching Hulu through your Sync via BT you'd need a 3g/4g signal.

I think he means that if your listening to Pandora or watching Hulu through your Sync via BT you'd need a 3g/4g signal.

Welcome back, jerk!

Welcome back, jerk!

 

This place tryin' to keep me down!

After I saw a special on Amazon I just ordered another 1TB external drive for 69 bucks plus free shipping. Storage is so damn cheap. Im now rocking over 3TB with my imac and another Tb with my lenovo/dell combo

After I saw a special on Amazon I just ordered another 1TB external drive for 69 bucks plus free shipping. Storage is so damn cheap. Im now rocking over 3TB with my imac and another Tb with my lenovo/dell combo

I really want a fully stacked Drobo. ohhhhh.....

There's a new Nook e-reader:

I'll be content with my first-gen nook until they develop color e-ink.

I'll be content with my first-gen nook until they develop color e-ink.

I've played with the first-gen and i found it to be clunky, slow and hard to use.

I've played with the first-gen and i found it to be clunky, slow and hard to use.

The free books I check out from the library are easy to handle and have that nice book smell to them.

I've played with the first-gen and i found it to be clunky, slow and hard to use.

 

You suck at technology?

 

They released an update a while ago for faster screen refresh.

The free books I check out from the library are easy to handle and have that nice book smell to them.

 

I can borrow books from the library on my nook!

You suck at technology?

 

They released an update a while ago for faster screen refresh.

I've played with one at a B&N and at BestBuy. I cant explain why, but I just didnt like it. The kindle was a much better device. The new Nook looks really great though.