Google Inc (GOOG) Lanches Spotify-Like Music Service: The Details

Whoa. This is gigantic news. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) just announced a very Spotify-like news service at its I/O conference, and we have the details and snapshots of the release. As Google’s Android executive Chris Yerga took to the stage to announce it, he had quite a few tidbits of information to share. He was announced as a name that brought “music,” to the moderator’s ears, and the beauty didn’t stop there.

Once on stage, Yerga said that “We recently launched a redesign of the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play Store…[it] isn’t just about looks,” adding “music unites us, it’s universal…with ubiquitous mobile devices, there’s potential to bring that joy together.”

More explicitly, Yerga asked why music listening felt “like a chore,” and saying that in internal discussions, “We agree that the reality is somewhat different…[mobile devices] aren’t giving us all that’s needed,” without mentioning any specific names of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s competitors. Yerga then asked the crucial question: “What if we gave you access to millions of tracks, in addition to your iTunes library?”

Well, that sounds great, one probably thought, but how does it trump Spotify, Pandora, and the rest of the players out there currently?

Yerga then reveals the mega-hyped news of the day: Google Play Music All Access.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s new All Access is “A music service that’s about music,” according to the Google exec, and it’s a “uniquely Google experience to a music service…from the moment you enter to explore, we provide personalized recommendations.”

Drilling into the details, Yerga discusses that Google has “22 top-level genres,” with much more detail underneath. “Anything you see, you can immediately start playing,” he stated, before adding rather playfully “We’re Google, so there’s always Search at the top.”

Su-weet.

But All Access isn’t just on mobile; it’s also on tablets and web browsers as well. According to Yerga, “All Access blends my catalogue, with all of the millions of tracks that are available to you,” and it comes with a special Listen Now feature that meshes an existing library with the service in a streamlined format.

How is it priced?

According to the announcement, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s All Access costs $9.99 a month in the U.S., and all users get a 30-day free trial.

Double su-weet.

What’s more, it’s reportedly launching today, so get those smartphones ready, as it supports typical Google competitors like iOS, in typical Google fashion.

Today’s truly a great day in tech, and it looks like Google’s stock price is responding well, up more than 2% on the day, past a key psychological level.

Check out some more images from I/O: