Google Launches $10-A-Month New Music Streaming Service In US Dubbed 'Google Play Music All Access'

On Wednesday during the keynote presentation at his company's developer's conference, Google CEO Larry Page scolded the media for its interpretation of his company's relationship with other technology firms.

"Every story I read about Google is kind of 'us versus some other company' or some stupid thing, and I just don't find that very interesting" said Page. "We should be building things that don't exist."

But during that same conference Google outstripped its arch-rival, Apple, with the launch of a subscription music streaming service on Wednesday while simultaneously mounting a threat to other providers such as Spotify.

Dubbed Google Play Music All Access, the product has a strong focus on personalized recommendations via the so-called Explore feature. Like Spotify and other services, All Access will let you start a radio station while listening to a particular track, and in-depth tweaking controls allow you to nix songs that don't suit your fancy. Another feature shown onstage is Listen Now, which highlights new releases and content Google thinks you'll enjoy.

The announcement comes as Apple considers its own music service. The tech giants have become increasingly interested in subscription services thanks to the popularity of Spotify, which has more than six million paying subscribers and more than 24 million active users in 28 countries.

Chris Yerga, Google's engineering director, said users would be able to stream from a vast library on any device, using the Android operating system.

"This is radio without rules. It's as 'leanback' as you want to, or as interactive as you want to," said Yerga. Users will be able to search for an artist and add tracks to their library. A "listen now" feature will create a mix of favourite artists or genres based on previously listened-to songs.

A subscription costs $9.99 in the US, and all users will get a 30-day free trial. The service is launching stateside today, and if you sign up before June 30th, you'll get $2 off the monthly fee.