Google Play Music is now live in India, which means you can shop for and download Music from Play store or Play Music app on Android or iOS. However, there is no streaming subscription available as of now and that makes us a bit skeptical about its adoption in India.
Price for individual songs starts at Rs.15 and an average album can be bought starting from Rs. 90. In contrast, popular music streaming services like Gaana, Saavan, Hungama, and Wynk music allow you to stream and download music for a monthly subscription of around Rs. 100 to Rs. 140
Google Play Music catalogue includes popular Hindi and international songs, alongside numerous numbers in Indian regional languages.
The UI is easy to navigate. Categories include devotional music, Kids section, Indian classical, Top songs and albums, and more. A ‘Recommended for you’ section is also present that should relay a personalized contextual list once the Play music gets familiar with your taste. You can authenticate purchases by keying in your account password or via fingerprint sensor.
Like all other Google services this one too will benefit from its ubiquity. You can access Play Music via Chrome app, on the web, via Android or iOS app or through desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux. Users can also upload up to 50,000 songs to their library and later access from all places.
A majority of consumers in the India are habituated to downloading music for free, and for now, it feels like the already existing Indian rivals have a better chance of converting such audience.
