Google quietly adds music to Play NZ

UPDATE:  I asked Google if the free online locker feature of its Play music service - available in NZ from today - will scan and match tracks purchased from Apple's iTunes store.

A spokesman from the company's Sydney office replied:

"Yes. The scan and match locker service scans the contents of the song library on your computer that you select (for instance, in your iTunes Library or My Music folder) and then recreates this music collection in the cloud by matching to licensed reference files. So for tracks that match, users don’t have to worry about actually uploading tracks to the cloud — Google automagically replicates this music library for you, so you can access it online on any internet-enabled device."

That's quite an appealing feature for NZ iPhone users who've been thinking about making the move to Android, but have been worried about losing mobile access to music they've bought through iTunes.

The service is free up to 20,000 songs.

Early adopters tell NBR it will also upload songs it can't match.

I also asked if there are any plans to add TV and movie content to Play (as there is in the US). There's "nothing to announce at this time."

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ckeall@nbr.co.nz

Google has quietly added New Zealand to the list of countries where music is available through its Play Store (Google equivalent to the iTunes AppStore). We also get a cloud "locker" service that works along similar lines to iTunes Match.

New release tracks cost the same as iTunes: $2.39.

There was no immediate word on when it will add two other components that have been conspicously absent for NZ uers: movies and TV content.

On its official blog, the company says.

From today, all New Zealanders can now listen to their favourite artists and download all the latest music from Google Play — a digital entertainment destination for Android devices and the web.

Google Play makes it easy for you to buy your favourite songs and albums, and instantly add them to your music library. Our free scan and match music locker also means that you can add up to 20,000 songs from your existing music collection to Google Play instantly, and listen to your music from any computer or Android phone or tablet, even when you’re offline.

On Google Play Music, you can find the latest releases from established New Zealand artists such as Brooke Fraser, Kimbra and Shapeshifter.