At first we were happy with our small 3MB mp512 players. We were in seventh heaven because the songs did not "jump" as they did for old portable cd players. The songs that we could upload were not so many, but we took great care in choosing the most beautiful ones, the ones that MUST always be with us.
At a certain point something changed and we felt the need to have all of Frank Zappa's discography at hand at all times (88 albums, NdA). And here are 3GB… 2GB… 20GB mp160 players! With the release ofiPod Touch, it immediately seemed very strange to me that, instead of increasing the memory of the previous iPod Video (which reached more than 100GB), the device presented itself with a very low maximum number of giga (16GB). Evidently the Apple he was already preparing the coup, sensing that our greed was overcoming the very concept of mass memory.
What if, without being equipped with a large physical hard drive, we had all our music available when we want, while still having unlimited storage space? This is basically what cloud computing allows us to do. Although late to explode in Italy, the rest of the world has already chosen: the future of music is exclusively online.
The services you hear about most often are Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud, Google Music and MP3Tunes. In this list we note the absence of ecosystem, which so far has focused on a “generic” service platform (Azure). Furthermore, Google Music, as well as Spotify (a separate case which we will talk about shortly), is not currently available in Italy.
The main variables of these cloud computing services for the virtual storage of music are:
• amount of free storage;
• cost of extra storage;
• automatic or manual synchronization of your files;
AMAZON CLOUD DRIVES
To those who have an account on Amazon (free), Cloud Drive (Fig 2) offers a 5GB “locker”. Such limited space is not enough to meet the needs of the average listener. The extra storage costs are $ 20 a year for a 20GB “locker”, a good compromise if our library is around this size. Additional extra space will cost us $ 1 per gig and the minimum allowable step for increments is 50GB. Of course, the songs purchased directly on Amazon will not weigh in the least on our precious gigabytes of online memory. Plus, if you buy an entire digital album, Amazon will reward us with 20GB of free storage for a full year. How can I upload the songs from our library online? In two ways, both still not optimal. The first is a manual synchronization which has two disadvantages: it requires a lot of time and patience; it makes us lose vital information of the files, leaving us with numerous tracks by “Unknown Artist”. The second method is the one recommended by Amazon. This is an app that searches for songs in your database and syncs them automatically. It would be handy if it weren't awfully slow and full of errors.
APPLE iCLOUD
As we would expect, all songs purchased from the iTunes Store are automatically and free of charge inserted into the virtual cloud that Apple has set up for us. In addition to this option, in line with Cloud Drive (Fig.3) we are given 5GB of free storage. If these are not enough, the annual costs for extra storage are as follows: € 16 / 10GB, € 32 / 20GB, € 80 / 50GB. As always, the advantage of the apple lies in its “organicity”: if you have an Apple device, the choice of iCloud seems almost obligatory, especially for iPhone and iPad. If you don't have a Mac but you usually use iTunes also on your PC for listening and organizing your sound files, iCloud will appear too inviting compared to other services thanks to the existence of iTunes Match. This app allows us to synchronize all the songs in our library online (including those not purchased from the iTunes Store) with unrivaled simplicity and speed. We also remember that the powerful Apple has built solid ties over the years with some famous artists and record labels, so it could reserve some exclusives for its users in the future. Apple's double-edged sword is always the same: it will not be possible to play files without a device with an iOS operating system or with software other than iTunes since with iCloud we will not be able to access our libraries simply by opening a browser.
GOOGLE MUSIC
For now it is not yet possible to use Google Music (Fig.4) in Italy. The only ones to have tested it are the American users, but the information found on the net is exciting. This is the only (for now) totally free service. Like the other services described above, Google Music is also twinned with an online shop. It is of course Android Market. Unlike its rival iCloud, Google Music does not place barriers on its use with non-Android devices. As always the sore point (the only one perhaps) concerns the synchronization of the songs. Just like Cloud Drive, Google Music also requires the installation of a small software, Music Manager, to search the folders and upload our songs. The program in question, while presenting fewer bugs than Amazon, is quite slow and still very far from the practicality of iTunes Match. Furthermore, after selecting one of the two options “iTunes folder” or “other folder”, if we insert new songs in one of these folders, Music Manager will automatically update our cloud without giving us a choice. Once the boring upload is done, Google Music is forgiven with several advantages. The first is certainly cheap. The storage is limited to 20.000 songs (approximately 80GB) without the possibility of extending it, but everything is completely free and the space allowed is more than satisfactory. Further advantages are both the competitive prices of the Android Market compared to the iTunes Store, and the “Artist Hub” function with which independent artists can sell their music without intermediaries, setting the prices of their songs themselves and receiving 70% profit. In addition, you can listen to all the songs of our friends for once on the social Google+, an option not yet well clarified and that the record companies don't like so much. The latter aspect is the most controversial and we will talk more about it when we talk about Spotify. Although the Android market is not yet provided as the iTunes store, Google Music with its philosophy of free and sharing seems to be the only service capable of countering Apple's excessive power.
MP3Tunes
We also mention a service that cannot compete with large multinationals, but that was a pioneer of cloud computing in music. MP3Tunes (Fig.5) declares MSP, Music Service Provider, thus giving a real definition to these services to which so far we have not been able to give a real name. The service has its own player, Locker, (locker, in fact, a term copied from Cloud Drive) executable on Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS and Android. The free space available is just 2GB. If you want extra space and the elimination of annoying ads, the prices are as follows: $ 40 / 50GB, $ 75 / 100GB, $ 140 / 200GB. The prices are not very competitive and the program for automatic synchronization, LockerSync, has the same defects already widely mentioned in the previous cases, but the case of this MSP is nevertheless very interesting, if only for its foresight (it was founded in February 2005). MP3Tunes doesn't have "proprietary" stores like Amazon, Apple and Android. Until recently, it allowed its users to purchase music on major e-shops (Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody, 7digital, Napster and Zune). After a lawsuit with EMI (which we will discuss in the next in-depth) MP3Tunes Store is currently closed, allowing subscribers to buy music only on Amazon.
In Fig.6 the main characteristics of the aforementioned services are summarized, comparing them.
After this overview on the most famous Music Service Providers, in the fourth part of “A cloudy future” we will focus on the legal issues that these new media bring with them, talking about DRM, piracy and judicial struggles against the majors.In the beginning we were happy with our little 512 MB mp3 players. We were in seventh heaven because the tracks were no longer skipping as it used to be with the old portable CD players. The songs we could put on a CD were not so many, but nonetheless we used to take a lot of care in choosing the best ones, the ones which we always had to bring with us.
At some point something has changed and we've felt the need to have Frank Zappa's entire discography (88 albums, AN) always at hand. And there came a shower of 2GB…20GB…160GB mp3 players! With the release of the iPod Touch, it immediately seemed to me very strange that, instead of improving the prior iPod Video with an increased memory (which, by that time, was already up to more than 100GB), the maximum giga amount for the device was rather poor (16GB). Clearly Apple was already up to the big score, knowing that our voracity was already beyond the memory capacity concept. What if, without having a high capacity hard disk, we had all our music at our disposal whenever we need it, and at the same time, an unlimited storage space? This is, in short, what the cloud computing allows us to do. While it is taking long to explode in Italy, the rest of the world has already chosen: the future of music is solely online.
The services we are hearing the most about are Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud, Google Music and MP3Tunes. In this list we can notice the absence of ecosystem which, up until now, has been counting on a “generic” platform (Azure). Moreover Google Music, as well as Spotify (a different case which we will be talking about soon), is not available in Italy.
The main variables of the cloud computing services for the virtual storage of music tracks are:
• free storage capacity;
• extra storage price;
• manual or automatic synchronization of files;
AMAZON CLOUD DRIVES
For those who have a (free) Amazon account, Cloud Drive (Pic.2) provides a 5GB “locker”. Such a limited space is not enough to meet the average listener's needs. The prices for the extra storage are 20 dollars a year for a 20GB “locker”, a good compromise if our library is about this size. Additional extra-space will cost us 1 dollar per giga and the minimum amount available is 50GB. Obviously, the tracks purchased via Amazon will not affect any of our precious online storage gigabytes. In addition, when purchasing an entire digital album, Amazon will reward us with 20GB storage, which will be free for a year. How to store the files from our library online? There are two options, both of them still not optimized. The first one consists in synchronizing the files manually, a work which brings to two cons: it takes a lot of time and patience; lots of vital information for the files gets lost, leaving us with a great number of files by “Unknown Artist”. The second one is what Amazon suggests us. It's an app that searches for songs throughout your database and synchronizes them automatically. If it hadn't been that slow and full of errors, it would come in handy.
APPLE iCLOUD
As we would imagine, all the songs purchased on the iTunes Store are automatically stored for free on the virtual cloud that Apple arranged for us. In addition to this option, online with Cloud Drive (Pic.3), 5GB storage is provided for free. In case it isn't enough, the yearly prices for additional storage are the following: 16€/10GB, 32€/20GB, 80€/50GB. As always, the good thing about Apple is in its “organic-whole” aspect: if you own an Apple device, choosing iCloud is what appears to be almost due, especially for iPhone and iPad. If you don't have a Mac but if you usually use iTunes even on a PC for listening and organizing your audio files, iCloud will appear to be much more tempting in comparison to the other services thanks to iTunes Match. This app allows us to synchronize online all our files from our library (including the ones which have not been purchased from the iTunes Store) with unrivaled ease and quickness. We must remember that the powerful Apple have been building solid bonds with some famous artists and labels through the years, therefore it could reserve some exclusives to their users in the future. The Apple's double edged sword is always the same one: it will not be possible to play files without an iOS device or with different software from iTunes since, with iCloud, we could not access our library simply with a browser.
GOOGLE MUSIC
For the time being it is not possible to use Google Music (Pic.4) in Italy. The only ones who could already test it are the American users, but the bits of information online are exciting. It is (so far) the only one completely-free service. As well as the other services we've been reviewing, Google Music is combined with an online shop. We are obviously talking about Android Market. Unlike the competing iCloud, Google Music doesn't have any limitation when using it via non-Android devices. As always the sore point (perhaps the only one) is about the file synchronization aspect. As well as Clod Drive, Google Music requires a little software installation, Music Manager, for searching inside our folders and uploading the tracks. The program in question, though having fewer bugs than Amazon, is very slow and still too far from the iTunes Match convenience. Moreover, once having selected one of the two options “iTunes folder” or “other folder”, if we insert new tracks inside one of these folders, Music Manager will automatically update our cloud leaving us without a choice-option. Once the extremely boring upload is done, Google Music apologizes showing us its pros. The first one is indeed the economic aspect. The storage is limited to 20.000 tracks (about 80GB) with no chance to expand it, but everything is absolutely free and the space provided is more than satisfying. Other options are both the competitive prices within Android Market in comparison with the ones of iTunes Store, and the “Artist Hub” function which allows independent artists to promote and sell their music without middle man and personally setting a price list for their tracks retaining the 70% of the profit. In addition, we can listen, just for one time, all the tracks from our friends on Google+ social network, which is a not-yet-defined option that record companies don't like very much. The latter is the most controversial aspect and we will have a much deeper approach as soon as we talk about Spotify. Although the Android market is not as stocked as the iTunes store, Google Music and its free and sharing philosophy seems to be the only one service that can thwart the overwhelming power of Apple.
MP3Tunes
Let us also include a service which cannot compete with the large multinationals, but has been a pioneer in cloud computing music services. MP3Tunes (Pic.5) defines itself an MSP, Music Service Provider, therefore providing a nomenclature for these services, which we were not yet able to call in any way. The service in question has its own player, Locker (a term stolen from Cloud Drive) playable on Windows, OS There is only a free 2GB storage space. If we need additional space and to remove the annoying adverts, prices are as follows: 40$/50GB, 75$/100GB, 140$/200GB. Not very competitive but and the automatic sync software, LockerSync, has the same defects we've been talking about for the previous cases, however, this MSP case is very interesting, at least for its farsightedness (it's been founded in February 2005). MP3Tunes doesn't have “proprietary” stores as Amazon, Apple and Android do. Until recently it allowed its users to purchase music through the main e-shops (Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody, 7digital, Napster and Zune). After a lawsuit with EMI (which we'll be talking about in our next analysis), MP3Tunes is closed at the moment, and users can only purchase music via Amazon.
Pic.6 shows a comparison among the main features of the abovementioned services. After this overview on the most popular Music Service Providers, for the fourth part of “A cloudy future” we'll be pointing out the legal aspects which these new services have been bringing along, such as DRM, piracy and legal battles over the majors.
Italian to English translation: Humbert of the Judge
