Google Music now offers listeners match and scan for free, the same service Apple iTunes offers at US$25 per year as it intensifies competition with the audio giant.
The scan and match ability to find music and match it with the server from the personal computer to the online options was activated on Tuesday, 18 December this week. The feature offers the same ability as Apple iTunes’ ‘Match’ option.
Online saving of personal music libraries is also simplified with decreased uploading time.
However, Apple still has the upper hand when it comes to capacity and quality. While Google has a library of 20,000 available songs, Apple has a collection of 25,000. Furthermore Google offers the song as originally loaded, while Apple restores or upgrades its quality.
Google has announced an alliance with Lala.com and iLike at the end of October 2012.
These companies have been working together to make downloading songs an easy process. Searching is effortless with almost any detail eligible for search – from artist names to lyric snippets.
A number of artists, including One Republic, have also been approached to join in the operation. Online marketing is contributing greatly to successful music sales.
As CD sales are losing out against online sales, various record labels are progressively looking to join online music sales in order to stay in business.
