Google Ended Its Play Music Service, So I Implemented My Own Cloud Music Solution
I tend to be an early adopter of technology and became an early user of many of Google’s offerings, only to have a number of them eventually go end-of-life. Google Play Music is one of the latest to suffer that fate. Google has a history of ending products. Search the web for Google Cemetery to see the long list. After relying on such products only to lose them on multiple occasions, I no longer immediately jump on board when Google announces offerings. I wait instead - especially when Google has several products serving the same market need. I am not anti-Google. Far from it. I still enjoy using many of their products. That said, I am no longer an early adopter of Google’s latest, and I have weaned myself from depending on a few of Google’s products I think are at risk for longevity. I am more pragmatic these days when I incorporate a product into my life. I tend towards products that are their company’s main focus because I believe there is a much better chance of those companies supporting them for the long term. I do not want to have the rug pulled out from under me when something I have come to depend on disappears.
I used Google Play Music for quite a long time, uploading my entire music library to it, and even having a subscription for a while. It met my needs, was convenient, and I was happy with it. Alas, that would change. The writing was on the wall a couple of years ago when Google announced YouTube Music. It was only a matter of time. I planned to wait to see how things played out. Sure enough, this was the year that Google Play Music finally disappeared, replaced with YouTube Music. I kept an open mind and gave YouTube Music a try. Unfortunately, at least for me, it is not a replacement for Google Play Music. I had lost a lot of what Google Play Music provided to meet my needs. Access to my uploaded music library, while still there, is not unusable, and I am not particularly interested in being steered towards video content rather than just music.
So, what to do? I decided to go my own way by creating an alternative cloud music solution. That meant moving my music to a chosen cloud repository and finding software with the capabilities I require to organize and access it for listening. I had actually selected and acquired the software and decided upon my cloud storage location a while ago. I did not get around to putting it all together until this past week when I uploaded my library, containing tens of thousands of tracks, to the cloud over several days. While requiring a bit of planning and effort, the overall process was surprisingly easy and painless. As for my cloud-based music library, I now have what I lost with the demise of Google Play Music. In some ways, things are even better than before with some new capabilities. Everything is working as I had hoped, and I am quite happy with my chosen solution. I also like that I have much more control over my cloud music library experience, now and in the future.
I love it when a plan comes together!
A couple of things to note for the record. First, I do still use YouTube Music to stream its curated playlists. And second? Well, what prompted me to finally implement my own cloud music solution was the announcement of changes to Google Photos that will go into effect next year. Here we go again.
Originally published in LinkedIn Pulse.