I know I'm probably jumping the gun here, but now that Google Music Beta has launched and many people have been lucky enough to receive an invite and subsequently upload their music libraries into Google's cloud, I want more. I want more, and I think Google can benefit quickly from doing it.
With Apple and Amazon both recently making strong offerings in the "cloud music" arena, Google needs what any company stepping into an industry needs
: early widespread adoption. Right now, Google Music Beta will simply allow you to taste the flavor of what Google has to offer, and allow you to basically play your online jukebox to your heart's content. Honestly, Google Music is only giving you what you can currently get in several other places, albeit in a slightly different way.
What Google needs to do now is set up an API. I know Google Music is in Beta right now, but this is how you penetrate the market, and how you do it quickly. Personally, I am itching to write a plugin for XBMC so that I can play my Google Music library on my TV without having to hook up my laptop. And with some of Google's arguably-popular competitors already offering REST APIs (e.g., Grooveshark, Last.fm), Google can't miss out on the chance to be the first of the major tech companies to get their product supported by all the people that already know and trust the Google name. Imagine an easy-to-implement embeddable widget for your website, an online stream for your University lectures, or a plugin for your XBMC media server (come on Google, I'm ready)? Show me the win already.
UPDATE 02/13: There is an unofficial Google Music API being actively (and openly) developed by Simon Weber. See the project at GitHub!
Tweet
With Apple and Amazon both recently making strong offerings in the "cloud music" arena, Google needs what any company stepping into an industry needs: early widespread adoption. Right now, Google Music Beta will simply allow you to taste the flavor of what Google has to offer, and allow you to basically play your online jukebox to your heart's content. Honestly, Google Music is only giving you what you can currently get in several other places, albeit in a slightly different way.
What Google needs to do now is set up an API. I know Google Music is in Beta right now, but this is how you penetrate the market, and how you do it quickly. Personally, I am itching to write a plugin for XBMC so that I can play my Google Music library on my TV without having to hook up my laptop. And with some of Google's arguably-popular competitors already offering REST APIs (e.g., Grooveshark, Last.fm), Google can't miss out on the chance to be the first of the major tech companies to get their product supported by all the people that already know and trust the Google name. Imagine an easy-to-implement embeddable widget for your website, an online stream for your University lectures, or a plugin for your XBMC media server (come on Google, I'm ready)? Show me the win already.
UPDATE 02/13: There is an unofficial Google Music API being actively (and openly) developed by Simon Weber. See the project at GitHub!
Tweet
Yes, please use an API so we can use XBMC or a Vista Gadget or anything else to run our Google Music!
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely ways to get it to work. I've now got, thanks to slightly changing around this post, keys on my keyboard controlling Google Music: http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20110622061755509 This is OSX/Automator specific, but there's no reason this can't be translated to other operating systems.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and most likely they will have to in order to facilitate track/album purchases from third party sites into the Google Music cloud. Sure Google will like it if you buy music from them.. but I can't see them ever making a user's Google Music account exclusively accessible only to Google.
ReplyDeleteYes, an API that would allow lets say a bands customers to go on their site and buy a song and then enter their G-mail account automatically pushing the purchased MP3 to the persons Google Music account for playing. They already do it on their blog, just need a way for some indies to do it, even if only for free right now. I do see the potential in copyright infringement though as someone could just setup a page to push the latest Jay-Z album or something to your Google Music. Sure that's something they are figuring out though.
ReplyDeleteI agree, an API is needed! I want a feature that lets me display the content of playlists on my website.
ReplyDeleteAn API would be killer. Was just thinking about this, since i have some music that is not on spotify (I use mopidy and a XBMC plugin for that).
ReplyDeleteI want an api to make my own iTunes.
ReplyDeleteMy music is played using XBMC when I have guests round (via my TV), Banshee when I'm working (in Linux) or Android's music player when I'm travelling (usually on the train).
ReplyDeleteGoogle Music doesn't have AADP, the upload client doesn't work on Linux, and the mobile client needs a decent Internet connection. Failed on all 3 counts.
This definitely needs to happen! I'm already thinking of kinds of great ways to integrate it.
ReplyDelete@Gaz Davidson The upload client DOES work on linux. (I'm currently running it on Ubuntu 11.10)
Agree 100%! I'd love to be able to make playlists on Google Music based on data from elsewhere...my last.fm loved tracks, for example.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to programmatically upload music to Google music? I am looking for .NET API.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently working on an unofficial api: https://github.com/simon-weber/Unofficial-Google-Music-API
ReplyDeleteIt's a work in progress, but quite usable even now.
Hi Simon,
ReplyDeleteAre you planning to make a .NET API to Google Music available?
Thanks in advance.
Simon, looks good so far! I'm going to clone your repo and try it out. Hopefully I can start working on an XBMC plugin now ;)
ReplyDelete@Sachi: not right now. I'd like to work on a more complete feature set before anything else.
ReplyDelete@Joey: thanks! I'll warn you that things are changing very quickly right now, but I try to keep the internal documentation coherent.