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Google Offers Free 4-Month Play Music Trial Subscription For July 4th (macrumors.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Google is offering new U.S. subscribers a four-month free trial for its Play Music streaming service in celebration of July 4th. While everyone has their preferred music streaming service, it's hard to pass up a deal like this. The Google Play Music service offers over 35 million tracks and is usually priced at about $9.99 per month, so the offer amounts to a $40 savings. What's more is that customers who sign-up for the trial also gain access to Google's ad-free YouTube Red service, which features original content, and enables offline and background playback of YouTube videos on mobile devices. If you sign-up for the trial and decide it's not for you, you can cancel at any time.

45 comments

  1. you mean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    happy traitors day - you perfidious colonials, so say we all.

    1. Re:you mean by youngone · · Score: 1

      happy traitors day - you perfidious colonials, so say we all.

      Modded down to -1. Americans have no sense of humour. (They also spell humour wrong).

    2. Re:you mean by digitig · · Score: 1

      (They also spell humour wrongly).

      Fixed that for ya.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  2. Music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

          -- Bill Gates

    1. Re:Music by invictusvoyd · · Score: 1, Informative

      "One thing about pain , when it hits you you feel no music"

      -- Ex Windows user

  3. *Jingle* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We now return you to our regularly schedule programming.

  4. Google Advertisement Here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    First I have to block all cookies install privacy shit, just that those stalkers would stop serving me ads. Youtube became unwatchable without an add blocker and now ads for google on /.

    "it's hard to pass up a deal like this"

    yeah... looking at youtube, it probably end up when I play a song on google music I get spoken advertisements...

    "so the offer amounts to a $40 savings"

    I'm not saving anything if I spend money. There is no savings. Only $9,99 loss

    1. Re:Google Advertisement Here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      $9.99 loss each month when you forgot you had this after 4 months... "You can try it for free", "please give use your creditcard", ... "no it's only a verification"...
      4 months later you start paying... but it was free so you forgot about it...

      So forget about it... no deal

    2. Re:Google Advertisement Here by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If it was really free, they would only ask for your credit card once the four free months are over.

    3. Re:Google Advertisement Here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looking at their google play music site... it seems your paying with your own music and then pay for your own music:

      Free "Upload 50.000 of your own songs"

      So I have to give all my music to google... Men, I wish I was google, instead of downloading music and be called a pirate, I would get all the music for free! Even if I do not have a license deal with that music publisher, "free!"

      Unlimited "Download your music and listen it offline"
      So I uploaded it all for "free!", now I have to pay for it?

      Total crap... and nevermind the music quality. No word on that.

      Pay to pain my ears.

    4. Re:Google Advertisement Here by deltaromeo · · Score: 2

      You can take up the trial and then cancel it 2 minutes later, you will still get the four free months.

    5. Re:Google Advertisement Here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looking at their google play music site... it seems your paying with your own music and then pay for your own music:

      Free "Upload 50.000 of your own songs"

      So I have to give all my music to google... Men, I wish I was google, instead of downloading music and be called a pirate, I would get all the music for free! Even if I do not have a license deal with that music publisher, "free!"

      Unlimited "Download your music and listen it offline"
      So I uploaded it all for "free!", now I have to pay for it?

      Total crap... and nevermind the music quality. No word on that.

      Pay to pain my ears.

      You're an idiot. It's just a convenience feature. Google isn't making you upload anything. If you don't want to then don't. There are so many legit things to bitch about nowadays making up complaints about something that is just not true is ridiculous. Seriously, you're a fucking idiot.

  5. Download free on YouTube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why pay for music?

  6. It really works! All true! Go get it quick! by jasonbrown · · Score: 0, Troll

    Thank you Google!! 3

    --

    "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press"
  7. Listen to Ackbar... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a trap!

  8. I will save you! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First I get 4 month for free, then I am actually "saving" money...
    Yes I saved "40 bucks", I set them free!

  9. the bleeding edge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Owning nothing, renting everything. Pretty soon we will be paying to breath.

    Well our basic needs are actually pretty cheap now. It is all this new business school that wants to keep bleeding money out of people. Don't sell them a product once, get them to keep paying and paying and paying.

    1. Re:the bleeding edge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All this negativity.. nothing new on Slashdot.
      I've been using the service for around 2 years and I think it's the best thing to happen to my musical enjoyment in my lifetime. No more paying $25/CD, or even $1 a song. I can listen to all I want as much as I want for next to nothing. I can listen to it offline, too. And a family plan is only a bit more money. I don't understand how people are still complaining about price here! If you really want to own your music you can still buy it, but personally I don't see the need to.

    2. Re:the bleeding edge by jasonbrown · · Score: 1

      Ownership isn't real anyway. It's a state of mind. An internal perception of your own reality. Truth = You own nothing ever. Enjoy the music.

      --

      "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press"
  10. So much free milk; why buy a cow? by innocent_white_lamb · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are tons of free streaming music sites that cost nothing to listen to. I don't see any reason to pay a monthly fee to anyone.

    One example that few people seem to be aware of is built into the free VLC multimedia player that many people have installed anyway for other purposes. Look under Playlists - Internet- Icecast Radio Directory and you'll be amazed at what's there. International radio stations by the hundreds.

    I personally use the free version of RadioTunes on my Android phone when I'm driving somewhere. They advertise their own subscription service on it ("Sign up today!") but I haven't heard any advertising for anything else there.

    --
    If you're a zombie and you know it, bite your friend!
    1. Re:So much free milk; why buy a cow? by shanen · · Score: 0

      Because the artists do DESERVE some compensation for their creativity.

      ROFLMAO at the notion of the google sharing any of the cash with the creators. The google has become the great master of profiting from OTHER people's creativity. How much content does the google create?

      More details on the sins of the google in my earlier comment, but let me just recap:

      Today's motto: "All your attention are belong to us, the google."

      That will be $10/month, please.

      (P.S. I really wish reality was nicer, but at this point things are so phucked up we practically deserve Trump.)

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    2. Re:So much free milk; why buy a cow? by swillden · · Score: 1

      There are tons of free streaming music sites that cost nothing to listen to. I don't see any reason to pay a monthly fee to anyone.

      The difference is that with Google Music (and similar subscription services), you choose specifically what you listen to, rather than just picking a category (however narrow). It's the difference between having a vast library of music to choose from, and listening to the radio. That difference may not be worth $10 per month to you, but it is for me.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  11. I beg to differ by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    While everyone has their preferred music streaming service, it's hard to pass up a deal like this.

    No, it's really not.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  12. The real story here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The real story here is the likely reasons Google is practically giving away access to Play Music and YouTube Red. I'd assume that neither is doing particularly well and Google is looking for more subscribers. I don't think either is worth paying for, though. Streaming music is a crowded market and I don't see anything to differentiate Google from other services. As for YouTube Red, I suspect the ads aren't inconvenient enough to avoid and the premium content isn't worth it to most people. When you have to beg people to sign up and go to the lengths to which Google is going, it suggests that it's just not successful. That is a much more interesting story than this slashvertisement.

    1. Re:The real story here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The real story is that their ad revenue pays for all their other failed projects. It's like the fall of an empire. They get decadent in the end, one big failed project after the other. Google search was useful before they became full time stalkers (tracking? if my ex-girlfriend would track me as pervasive as facebook or google does, it would be called stalking and I probably can get a restraining order). The belgiums tried :-)

  13. Once you go FLAC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you never go back!

    1. Re: Once you go FLAC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Aflac

  14. All your attention belong to us, the google by shanen · · Score: 0

    Four months for free? Mostly just tells you how low the actual cost of the content is--but I think it's worth even less. MUCH less than my time.

    Production costs? How much actual content does the google produce? Kind of a great business model, if you can get it, eh?

    I used to be a big supporter of the google. I really bought into that stuff about avoiding evil, but the money drove them to their new slogan: "All your attention are belong to us, the google."

    Share the world's information? No, hoard your personal information and use it to manipulate and even control you.

    Make people wiser? No, just help narrow-minded fools stuff their eyeballs and ear-holes with "evidence" of whatever insane things they most prefer to believe.

    However, none of that is why I hate the google so much now. It's their continuous support of spammers, which mostly mystifies me. The scamming spammers are stealing attention that the google could profit from. It might be professional courtesy, but I think it's more likely just the cost-benefit analysis. Much cheaper to ignore the spammers and scammers than to fight them, and if it's wasting vast amounts of nice people's time and attention, it just proves how little the google cares.

    Is there a solution? Sorry, but the google somehow can't seem to find any such results. (Actually, there are LOTS of solutions to various problems and especially to the criminal scams of the spammers, but don't hold your breath waiting for any improvements.)

    (P.S. I'm absolutely NOT saying that the google is the only EVIL corporation out there. I'm just unable to name a more EVIL one.)

    --
    Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    1. Re:All your attention belong to us, the google by Tough+Love · · Score: 0

      I'm absolutely NOT saying that the google is the only EVIL corporation out there. I'm just unable to name a more EVIL one

      Microsoft. But the gap is closing.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    2. Re:All your attention belong to us, the google by shanen · · Score: 0

      I don't think Microsoft is even close to the #1 EVIL company now, though they probably were in the past. The bigger problem is that there are so many evil contenders at the top that it's hard to pick #1, but I can fairly easily think of at least 10 corporations that are clearly more evil than today's fading Microsoft.

      However, I think MS was an important innovator in new forms of EVIL. It is quite possible that the EULA deserves the #1 EVIL innovation rank. The fundamental notion of "Legally it ain't our fault, no matter how badly we phucked up or how badly it phucks you up" is truly evil. I'm not even saying that Microsoft originated the concept of evading liability, but I think they perfected it.

      Can you imagine how different software would be if there were some expectation of liability for the harms? Talk about defensive programming.

      (P.S. Now that I think about it a bit more, I'm doubtful that "innovator" can be applied to Microsoft even in this context. They just steal bad ideas and perfect their badness. Rather sad that they can't perfect any of the good ideas they've stolen or bought. Highly negative influence, yes, but I still can't rate them as #1 EVIL now.)

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    3. Re:All your attention belong to us, the google by Tough+Love · · Score: 0

      I don't think Microsoft is even close to the #1 EVIL company now...

      Windows 10 malware/spyware. I rest my case.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    4. Re:All your attention belong to us, the google by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      Downmodded twice by evil Microsofties. See what I mean?

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  15. Try to read this in conjuction with... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  16. A Day Late And A Dollar Short As Always by westlake · · Score: 1

    It would have been helpful to post this story before 5 PM ET on the Fourth. Picnics. Concerts in the Park. Fireworks later, Lots of things to do, I'm at my desk but not for long.

    1. Re:A Day Late And A Dollar Short As Always by shanen · · Score: 1

      Or revive it after the holiday? Or implement some mechanism to extend the life of important stories above transient tripe?

      Or a mechanism so slashdot could fund the best improvements that the most members want to use?

      Gaddap, ya' dead horse, giddap.

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    2. Re:A Day Late And A Dollar Short As Always by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fortunately still live on the 5th

  17. Slashvertisement. by ledow · · Score: 0

    Fuck off with the slashvertisements, whether you benefit from them or not.

    Seriously, I can find that kind of product-pushing shite anywhere. Find something that I *can't* find just anywhere.

  18. How Sweet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now isn't that just so sweet I'd say.

    Google, like Apple, vacuums up the public internet radio stations and sells them to subscribers for money!

    The public internet radio stations are free! Why does Google and Apple charge money for what is free! Greed! And worse!

    Cheers to Google and Apple. You have become the neo Swastika of the neo Race of Racists. Congratulations on you accomplishments.
     

  19. This isn't news. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is an advertisement.

  20. Just killed a free 3 month subscription by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just killed a free 3 month subscription to Play Music (came with a chromebook that has since been wiped of ChromeOS for a stock Linux instead). Used it once for about 3 hrs. Never found any music that I liked and it was too much hassle to use it.

    It just wasn't worth the effort.

    Pass.

    I use Amazon Music once in a while. It is also a hassle, but at least some of the free music is good. The stuttering playback is a major downer, however. Flash sucks Amazon. Stop using it.

  21. Subscribing is somewhat of a downgrade. by Simulant · · Score: 1

    Yes you get commercial free streaming and access to a ton of music you don't care about, but you also lose "Instant Mix" which is arguably Google Play Music's best feature. Instant Mix creates a mix from your own music collection whereas Start Radio will play from Google's entire library. You might think you want the latter but I can almost guarantee you will miss the former if you have any investment in your own collection. You will then have to wait months for your subscription to expire (even if you cancel it right away) before the feature will return.

    I've been down this road a few times...

  22. Re:All your attention are belong to us, the google by shanen · · Score: 1

    The bad moderation is NOT Microsoft's fault. That's slashdot's local incompetence and also the growing intolerance of thought-provoking comments. I would argue that the google is the main culprit there. Pandering to the users is largely based on avoiding showing them hits that they don't like.

    However, your main point about the security problems of Windows 10 is related to the EULA problem I mentioned and the increased spyware is actually Microsoft trying to play catch-up in a different form of EVIL, where Google and Amazon are the current leaders.

    --
    Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
  23. We gave it a test run by CrashNBrn · · Score: 1

    Will probably switch over to the 14.99/mos (up to 6 ppl) family plan - before it's billed in November.

    Can play whole Albums; Artists are suggested (initially) by anything you may of purchased previously on Google Play Store.
    I had one purchase, Tom Cochrane & Red Rider (1986). Am listening to Neruda (1983) which I haven't heard in 6 years or more - as I've never gotten around to replacing my 150+ casette tape collection.