Google has lifted the shutters on its Play Music service for Australia, bringing the great southern land up to pace with the US and Europe, where the service has been available for some time.
Australians can now buy music through the Play Store and store up to 20,000 tracks in a free "music locker". These tracks are available on all devices using a Google login and a Play Music app, including Android phones, Chrome web browsers and PCs.
Google charges AU$2.19 for individual tracks in Australia and prices ranging from $10 to $20 for complete albums, with most new albums for $15.99. There are discounts on back-catalogue titles, with some tracks for AU$1.69 and albums for as little as $7.99.
Music in the cloud
You don't need to buy 20,000 new tracks to fill up your online storage quota, though. Using the Play Music PC software you can upload versions of the music you already own and access it via the cloud.
Tracks for sale can be previewed through a web browser on a computer, or through the Play Store app on Android phones.
Play Music rounds out Google's service offers in Australia, joining Magazines, Movies and Books which all rolled out separately over the last 18-months.
It's hard to gauge whether Aussies will get behind the service, though. Google's pricing isn't especially competetive next to existing services like iTunes and BigPond Music. It will also face stiff competition from the growing list of streaming service in Australia, all of which offer access to a similarly sized catalogue of music for under $15 per month.
