Google Music is officially open for business, but -- despite an impressive playlist, and some interesting social features -- critics are hardly calling it a hit.
“The Web is
less than enthused by Google Music,” reports TechCrunch.
“The criticism is withering in its somewhat entitled way: ‘Where’s the Spotify killer?’ ‘Radio already does this!’ ‘So it’s basically iTunes
match?’”
Under the headline, “Google Music Is a Complete Letdown,” Gizmodo writes: “Google
Music is out of beta, and it pretty much does everything we thought it would. It will let you buy, store, stream and share tracks you already own. Sounds familiar... maybe because it's an entirely
unoriginal idea. Not impressed.”
While giving it a “sold B,” CNet’s Greg Sandoval writes: “The shortcomings of the service make it obvious that Google Music in its current form is no iTunes killer. Without improvement, it's
unlikely to even maim.”
Regarding all the criticism, Econsultancy says
it’s hardly surprising. “Apple thoroughly dominates this market, and it has for years,” it writes. “If the world's most successful online retailer, Amazon, has failed to put
much of a dent in Apple's iTunes armor with its Amazon MP3 store, why should anyone believe Google can fare better?”
“Google has an uphill battle in front of it when it comes
to competing with Apple in this space,” notes ReadWriteWeb.
“To do that, Google is throwing in some extra features and exclusive content, which it hopes will draw people to Google Music and at the same time, help bolster both Android and
Google+.”
In Google’s defense, TechCrunch adds: “There are two things the critics decline to acknowledge: that Google is providing a simple, free service, and that all Google
products start out underwhelming and gradually expand.”
Under the headline, “Google Music Isn’t an iTunes Killer, and It’s Not Supposed to Be,”AllThingsD writes: “Real people will make a simple non-decision: If
they use an Android phone, they can’t use Apple’s store or locker. So now they can use Google’s.”