Amazon Cloud Player: A First Look at Cloud Music
Amazon introduced one of the first cloud music solutions with Cloud Player, which works alongside Cloud Drive, its web-based storage platform. The service features a browser-based interface, making it compatible with any internet-connected PC or Mac. Currently, Amazon supports Android devices only, though support for other platforms may follow.
Amazon offers 5GB of free storage to start. If you purchase music from the Amazon US MP3 store during 2011, you receive a 20GB upgrade for one year. This incentive likely aims to attract users away from Apple’s iTunes and toward Amazon’s MP3 store. Whether it works remains to be seen, but it’s a generous offer.
Amazon also promises to store your music online for a “lifetime”—which, realistically, means as long as you’re alive. It’s a nice feature, unless you plan to pass your cloud library on to someone else.
Legal Questions Surround Amazon’s Launch
Unlike Apple, which pursued licensing deals with major record labels, Amazon launched Cloud Player without securing any legal agreements. One surprised music executive commented that many in the industry questioned the legality of the move:
“I've never seen a company of their size make an announcement, launch a service, and simultaneously say they're trying to get licenses.”
No Upload Fees and Flexible Access
Amazon doesn’t charge extra to upload music from other sources. You only pay if you need more than the free storage. The service also lets you re-download your MP3 or AAC files to up to eight devices.
Music Beta by Google: A Quiet Entry
Google launched its Music Beta service at the Google I/O conference. Like Amazon, Google didn’t secure licensing agreements with copyright holders. The launch didn’t generate much buzz.
Platform Limitations and Storage Model
The service runs on Adobe Flash and currently supports only Android devices. iOS users can’t access it, and only Android devices can re-download content. Instead of offering storage by gigabytes, Google allows users to upload up to 20,000 songs—plenty of space for most music libraries.
Google supports MP3, AAC, WMA, and FLAC formats. However, users can’t purchase music through the platform, as Google doesn’t operate a music store like iTunes or Amazon MP3. This could be a disadvantage, depending on your needs.
iCloud and iTunes Match: Apple’s Walled Garden
Apple’s iCloud and iTunes Match differ from Amazon and Google in several ways. Most notably, Apple doesn’t offer browser access. Users must use iTunes or an iOS device.
No Streaming, But Seamless Syncing
Apple doesn’t support streaming. Instead, users must download music to play it. However, syncing between iCloud and your devices happens automatically, making the process smooth.
High-Quality Matching and Pricing
iTunes Match scans your non-iTunes music and replaces it with high-quality 256 kbps AAC versions. iCloud is free, while iTunes Match costs $25 per year. Apple uses its existing cloud library to match your files, saving you from uploading large amounts of data.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Cloud Music Service
Without knowing Google’s future pricing, it’s hard to say which service will win long-term. For now, I’m sticking with Music Beta by Google because of the generous storage. I have over 4,000 songs, and Google lets me upload 16,000 more. I’ve already filled most of my Amazon Cloud Player space, with only 3GB left.
I haven’t tested Apple’s service since I don’t own an iOS device. But the lack of streaming and browser access makes it less appealing to me.
As the saying goes, to each their own. If you’ve tried any of these services, let us know which one you prefer!
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