At 2PM today, Google is expected to announce their music store that is rumored to include partnerships with 3 of the big 4 music labels. We saw leaked screenshots of how the store will look on Android at the beginning of the week, so for the moment, we have a pretty good idea as to what we can expect. We can’t forget that Google tends to have at least a couple tricks up their sleeves whenever they announce something new like this though. With T-Mobile splashed all over the event invite, should we expect an exclusive partnership there or something as simple as carrier billing for purchases? We’ll know shortly!

Be sure to watch the live stream along with us at the Android Youtube channel.

Join the live chat after the break.  

Live Chat: Google’s Music Store Announcement in Los Angeles [Ended] is a post from: Droid Life

It has been the talk of the day, that Google would be making the announcement for their Google Music Store on November 16.  Invitations just rolled into our inboxes and we are seeing that it is not just Google on the bill.  Looks as though T-Mobile is sharing the responsibilities of hosting the event and are having many top musical guests like Drake, Maroon 5, and even Busta Rhymes perform for a select crowd.  Is Google Music going to be an exclusive to T-Mobile devices in the early stages?  Queue frustration.

Google couldn’t do that to us, could they? They did it with Google Wallet and Sprint, so I guess it’s not completely out of the question. The odd thing here is that we have all been testing their Music Beta app, so why would they lock a music store down to one of the smaller networks in the land? As a service that will be built into the Google Market, it seems odd that they would attempt to fragment that out per carrier, doesn’t it? Of course, this could all be overanalyzing an event that has yet to happen. Maybe T-Mo customers are just going to get a sweet $5 credit to the market while the rest of us just get access? Or maybe they will have the option to buy albums and bill directly to their T-Mo accounts?

A lot of questions there that we probably won’t know the answers to until Wednesday afternoon. Have any thoughts?  Let us know.

T-Mobile and Google Hosting Concert Just Hours After Their November 16 Android Event is a post from: Droid Life

The Google Music store is reportedly set to be announced on November 16, so it is the law of the Internet that we see some leaked images of the upcoming store front just days before.  A lucky Android owner in Venezuela with some, “tricks and beginner’s luck” was able to gain access to Google’s Music store early on his HTC Inspire 4G.  Are they legit?  No way to positively tell, but they sure do look real.  One way these people could help their case on legitimacy is if they posted instructions on how to access it.  Just a thought.

For each category in the Market, they are assigned a color:  Books are blue, Movies are red, and Apps are green. These shots appear to confirm that Music will be orange, something we saw a couple of months ago. Looking a bit beyond just the looks, we see that Google could be offering a “Free Song of the Day.”  Sure would be great for people on the hunt for new artists to worship.  Everyone ready to adopt the newest Google Service?  Plan on dropping Amazon MP3?

Via:  TecnoDroidve

Google Music Store Screenshots Leak, Looks Like We Are All But Ready for Launch on Wednesday is a post from: Droid Life

Oooh, could Google’s new music store finally be ready? They are starting to send out press invites to an event that will take place next Wednesday in Los Angeles. In the invite (posted above), we are jumping to the conclusion that it will be music based upon the quote included which became famous in the movie Spinal Tap. Now, the quote actually means to take something to the extreme or exploit it, but nothing on the horizon seems to fit that description. I’d say that cranking up the volume on a speaker is it, and with that should come a full fledged music store. Of course, we should also point out that today is Nigel Tufnel Day.

A live feed will be shown at Youtube.com/Android. 2PM PST is when magic will happen.

They also included a teaser image that we have dropped after the break that could include a couple of extra hints. I’m seeing “T-Mobile” and getting really scared. There is no way in hell that they announce a music store that can only be accessed via T-Mo phones, can they? I guess they did something similar with Google Wallet and Sprint though. Meh, is all I can say to that.  

The Android guy in the bottom right corner has already been put up for sale at Google’s store for a limited time.

Via:  Engadget

Google Holding Android Event on November 16 in Los Angeles, Finally Announcing a Music Store? is a post from: Droid Life

Some great news looks to be on the verge today, as talks start surrounding the recent rumor that Google intends on opening up its very own MP3 store. The service is said to go hand-in-hand with Google’s Music Beta naturally and users will be buying all their favorite music then streaming it all from the cloud. Info provided from anonymous music executives states that launch is said to be within weeks – just in time to compete with Apple’s new iTunes Match service.

Could we expect an announcement of their Mp3 store along with Ice Cream Sandwich next week? And what will this spell for Amazon? Will Google use it as a native music store like Apple uses iTunes? So many people, like myself are already invested with Amazon’s Cloud Drive that switching over could be a pain. But hey, it’s Google. Everyone else willing to switch everything entirely over to Google now?

Via: NY Times, CNET

Google Plans On Opening MP3 Store In The Coming Weeks? is a post from: Droid Life

A new Google Music apk (4.0.1) has reportedly been pulled from Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus which also means that it was built specifically for Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0).  The hints of ICS are all over it, but most noticeably from the color scheme which has turned cyan-blue.  It also feels much more polished than previous builds.  

Download:  Music2.apk

*Note 1 – It is recommended that you uninstall your current Google Music before installing this one.

*Note 2 – If you want to sync with your Google Music account, you will have to head into Settings>Applications>Manage Apps> and then “Clear Data” on the app.  Should work after that.

Via:  Android Police

Download: Google Music 4.0.1 – Pulled From Ice Cream Sandwich? is a post from: Droid Life

Google Music (or Music Beta by Google) is flat out awesome.  In its current state, members are allowed to upload their entire music collection (20,000 songs) at no cost and then stream it through their Android devices or computers as much as they’d like – unlimited, really.  The only problem has been a lack of an invite system since the service is not necessarily wide open for everyone to join.

Today, they have sort of changed that by allowing each user (well, except me for some reason) the option to invite 2 friends.  Once you login, you should see a new note under the “music beta” logo with a number for how many invites you have left.  Might want to be picky though, two isn’t a large number and I’m sure you have plenty of friends who would like to get in on this win.

Cheers to everyone who sent this!

Music Beta by Google Gives Users Invites – You Must Choose, But Choose Wisely is a post from: Droid Life

Our homies over at Android and Me discovered a set of icons loaded deep within the new Android Market’s resources (download it here) – that would be the spot where they store icons, menus, and anything that pushes the look and functionality of the app.  The icon set they’ve noticed, is the orange set with “music” references all over it that you are seeing above.  Right next to it we have the red set that’s found when you are browsing the movie section, as well as the blue icon set from the book store which is leading to their conclusion that a music section has already been built.

So what exactly does this mean?  Well, a couple of things that A&M notes.  First, Google could just be preparing for the day that they finally finalize licenses and contracts with music labels or they may have already finalized everything and are just picking the perfect spot to launch.  We all know that contract negotiations have not gone as planned, but this could be a great sign that they are moving along, bringing us closer to an all-in-one Android media store.

Via:  Android and Me

Google Finally Ready to Launch Music Store? New Android Market Suggests So is a post from: Droid Life

Not to be out done by Google’s new cloud-based music service, Amazon has decided to step up its game in the free storage department.  The Amazon Cloud Player will now allow you to store an unlimited amount of music as long as you purchase one of their storage plans which start at $20 for 20GB.  You seriously can upload as many music files as possible and they will not take up any of the storage space that you purchased.  All of your previously purchased Amazon MP3s can also be uploaded for free.

And let’s not forget that you can get the upgrade to a 20GB plan just by purchasing an entire album from their music store – some can unlock the storage for just a couple of dollars if you find the right one.

Anyone willing to move away from Music Beta and back onto Amazon?

More info at Amazon’s site.

Cheers Andrew!

Amazon Announces Unlimited MP3 and Music Cloud Storage is a post from: Droid Life

Everyone’s new favorite cloud streaming music app (Google Music) has an update available in the market that brings one major feature which was curiously missing from the start:  song deleting.  If you have been making songs available offline, you have been unable to remove them afterwards – well until now.  All you have to do us go back into your “Make available offline” settings and unpin whatever you want removed.  It should wipe them out of your cache folder after doing so.

Market Link

Cheers Mark!

Google Music App Updated, Songs Can Now Be Deleted From SD Card is a post from: Droid Life

We first reported news that invites for Music Beta were being sent out to Motorola XOOM owners last week, but as of today, it’s looking like Google has opened the flood gates to almost everyone.  While I’ve been using the service for a week (and love it) thanks to an exclusive invite for attending Google I/O, another of my email addresses just received an invite.  Also, our very own Timotato just got his as well as a ton of our followers on Twitter.  It’s looking like a good day for music fans.  Check those inboxes!

Cheers everyone!

Google Music Beta Invites Start Rolling Out to the Masses is a post from: Droid Life

On day 1 of Google I/O, we were told that Verizon Motorola XOOM owners would be receiving an invitation to their new Music Beta by Google service and are apparently delivering on that promise starting today.  The email below was just received by one of our readers…

Hello Motorola XOOM user,

We’d like to tell you about some changes to the Music player on your tablet. The latest app update now supports Music Beta, a new service from Google. As a Verizon Motorola XOOM user, you’ve been extended an early invitation to beta test this service.

Music Beta lets you store your personal music collection online and access it instantly without the hassle of wires or syncing.
Enjoy your music anywhere — listen on any web browser, your Motorola XOOM, or any other device running Android 2.2 or higher.
Save your favorite albums, artists, and playlists on your smartphone or tablet so you can keep listening even when you’re not connected.
Create your own custom playlists or build them automatically from a single song.
To get started, click the button below and sign in with your Google ID:

Get Started

Regards,
The Android Team

We’ve been told that the link provided in the email isn’t working at this time and still just shows a “thanks for showing interest” message, but that will likely change before long and as the rollout for these invites really begins.  To check if you are one of the lucky XOOM owners though, head to music.google.com.

Cheers Steven!

Google Starts Sending Out Music Beta Invites to Verizon XOOM Owners is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you had any questions about Music Beta by Google, then you’ll want to check out this overview video.  You’ll also want to make sure you sign up for an invitation and grab the new 3.0 Music player.

Video: Google Introduces Music Beta is a post from: Droid Life