Adds further tie-ins to Google+

Google has made a change in its Google Music service for US-based Android users that allows them to not just stream but actually download their songs onto their Android devices or computers, according to a company blog post. The service, which launched just days after Apple launched its iTunes Match, also strengthened its ties to Google's social service Google+ by allowing users to share YouTube music videos of songs with their circles and friends on Google+ (if available).

The Google Music service originally limited uploads to 5,000 songs but quickly upped the limit to more closely match the iTunes add-on. Google's service still requires users to manually upload songs not bought on the Android Market, but allows users up to 20,000 non-Market songs stored for free (supported by advertising) compared to 25,000 songs at higher MP4 bitrates through the ad-free but $25-per-year iTunes Match. Google Music also lets Google+ users stream songs from their collection to anyone in their circles. The music manager is browser-based and available for both Mac and Windows users, with a native app for Android devices.

The ability to share YouTube music videos matching the songs a user has in their library is a direct result of Google's recent buyout of RightsFlow, which brought a dedicated team devoted to licensing and paying rights holders and is expected to make more music available to Google in the long term. The deal could eventually lead to other exclusive video or special segments becoming available to Google+ users.

The company could also decide to start limiting YouTube video social sharing exclusively to Google+ as a way to pump up more active interest in the service, which has had difficulty keeping early adopters engaged. A series of early blunders, such as not allowing pseudo-nonymous or anonymous postings, along with a recent consolidation of privacy policies that lets Google collect user data from across its services has resulted in some backlash.

There was no word in the blog posting as to when Google Music might be rolled out beyond the US. Apple's iTunes Match is available in 36 countries outside the US, giving the company a competitive advantage in those areas.

By Electronista Staff