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Google gives digital music another look with Play Music All-Access

Google's director of Android engineering described it as a "uniquely Google approach to a music subscription service."
Written by Rachel King, Contributor

SAN FRANCISCO -- Following up rumors that it was building a "Spotify killer," Google came clean with an updated music service: Google Play Music All-Access.

Introducing the addition to the digital entertainment store during the opening keynote of Google I/O on Wednesday, Chris Yerga, director of engineering for the Android team, described it as a "uniquely Google approach to a music subscription service."

See also: Google I/O by the numbers: 900 million Android activations | Google developer tool releases include new Maps, Games, Google+ APIs

"Music unites us. It's universal. The joy of music is a content," Yerga said. "With ubiquitous mobile devices, there's the potential to bring that joy with us wherever we are."

However, Yerga described that when the Google Play team started mulling about building a music service, the reality of of this is a bit different.

Essentially, it's a mashup of the existing Google Music locker and Play store with a Spotify-like monthly subscription.

Pricing starts at $9.99 per month, starting with a 30-day free trial. It launches in the United States today, with the promised roll out to additional markets "soon."

As an extra incentive, users who sign up by June 30 will see the subscription rate drop to $7.99 per month.

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