Running on mp3s

iTunes
If you’ve never installed Apple’s iTunes on your iPod, iPhone, iPad or computer, then you probably own a Zune—and your opinion on mp3 software doesn’t count. One of the—if not the—most prolific mp3 software programs, iTunes’ reach and straightforward controls are its biggest benefit.

Google Music
In May, Google threw its hat in the music business by introducing a beta for a cloud-based mp3 program. Cloud-based programs store information, in this case mp3s, on non-local servers so any device can access them. Since the user interface (UI) is web-based, any device that can connect to the internet through a browser is now a Google music player, even an iPhone. On a computer, the UI is clean and smooth. Though it’s not called Genius, Google Music offers the same functionality for creating playlists based on a single song selection. Like Genius, it’s not perfect. I get that nothing in the world compares to Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” but at least try to create a playlist around it. It’s also incredibly easy, but very time-consuming, to upload all of your songs to the cloud. I don’t want to say a bad word about Google—mainly because when they turn evil, rise up, and take over the world I don’t want my negative comments to appear on, well, Google—but on mobile devices, the site is hard to navigate. Gmail remained in beta for more than five years, so the potential for Google Music to rise up and take over mp3 programs—and not just the world—is staggering.
Amazon Cloud Player
It makes sense that the place you buy music—no, not Borders—also offers a way to listen to it. As with Google Music, Amazon’s offering is a cloud-based program and contains much of the same functionality as iTunes and Google Music. The UI is clean but not as smooth and polished as Google Music is, and some album artwork, notably Spice Girls’ Spice, didn’t transfer correctly. There is less functionality than Google Music and iTunes. For instance, you can’t make “smart” playlists, but one extremely nice feature is the ability to re-download your library, which turns the cloud player into a backup drive, as well.
