Your 'free' GMM cloud storage account isn't really free. You're paying with the loss of your privacy.
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Google Offers Free 4-Month Play Music Trial Subscription to Celebrate July 4th
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I hope you're not using a logical fallacy to claim that Google and Apple both collect data on you, therefore they are the same. Because if so, then wow.
You have your opinion. I have mine. But, c'mon..Iron Butterfly Radio is similar to Jefferson Airplane? Oh, and I own my music.
They aren't the same as for the *reasons* they collect our information / what they do with it. But the end result of a complete loss of 'privacy' is the same. It doesn't exist on the internet.
Since multiple people are stating there are privacy concerns...
Let's say all you're doing is comparing the two specific services. How do they differ in regards to privacy?
Serious question. I just made an additional google account (since this is stupidly unavailable for existing music accounts, which I apparently had since I've uploaded music before though never paid or done a trial of any sort). I entered random information with the full intent of just dumping the device (unless I love it then I'll use it on my main account).
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Unless I'm missing your point. Then I do apologize.
Let's say all you're doing is comparing the two specific services. How do they differ in regards to privacy?
Serious question. I just made an additional google account (since this is stupidly unavailable for existing music accounts, which I apparently had since I've uploaded music before though never paid or done a trial of any sort). I entered random information with the full intent of just dumping the device (unless I love it then I'll use it on my main account).
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In that case this service (streaming your own content) is free forever,
Unless I'm missing your point. Then I do apologize.
Bull. Google and Apple are light years apart in this regard, both in terms of the amount of data they collect and how it's used.
Which should be the standard price for all streaming services.I'm happy with my $4.99 Apple Music student subscription
And student should be $1.99.
What?
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Wish I could disagree with you, but I can't. But the irony of it all is that the reason Google is so good at predicting these kinds of things is because they harvested so much information. But just using Apple products doesn't make you immune. Google has an amazing tracking network, so whether you use google to search or not, you're still tracked because the websites you use most likely use GA. It's easy to identify you, even using Safari, so all your browsing habits are recorded. To me that's worse than telling google what i like or don't like.
One thing to do, is make sure you set up "save cookies only from the sites I visit" to at least kind of control how much sites can harvest off you, since all these tracking cookies come from domains other than what you are visiting.
Sigh, but you are absolutely right and that's why I'm so torn between apple & google. I hate google for what they do, but that's what makes them so intelligent in searches, music, etc. I think if there are better ways to make yourself immune from it, I'd deal with the imperfection of Apple services. But as it stands, even apple can't protect us, and doesn't matter whether you use google services or not. I think we need laws set up by congress that will require optins for this type of data collection. I've wrote to senators, etc, but doesn't make a diff.
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What?
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Wish I could disagree with you, but I can't. But the irony of it all is that the reason Google is so good at predicting these kinds of things is because they harvested so much information. But just using Apple products doesn't make you immune. Google has an amazing tracking network, so whether you use google to search or not, you're still tracked because the websites you use most likely use GA. It's easy to identify you, even using Safari, so all your browsing habits are recorded. To me that's worse than telling google what i like or don't like.
One thing to do, is make sure you set up "save cookies only from the sites I visit" to at least kind of control how much sites can harvest off you, since all these tracking cookies come from domains other than what you are visiting.
Sigh, but you are absolutely right and that's why I'm so torn between apple & google. I hate google for what they do, but that's what makes them so intelligent in searches, music, etc. I think if there are better ways to make yourself immune from it, I'd deal with the imperfection of Apple services. But as it stands, even apple can't protect us, and doesn't matter whether you use google services or not. I think we need laws set up by congress that will require optins for this type of data collection. I've wrote to senators, etc, but doesn't make a diff.
Yes, maintaining privacy is difficult, and maybe it's all for nothing, but I've done all the things you've mentioned, and I've started using the Opera browser on both my Mac and iPhone. They also offer a free or paid VPN service that is very user friendly and when I have to do anything that comes anywhere near something google might have touched, I turn the VPN on.
You're right though that things won't really change until the laws governing privacy are changed, and it may seem like an impossible or hopeless battle, but we can't give up. Awareness is key. I think most people are oblivious to how much info they give up to google by using their "free" services. There's certainly a group that knows and they don't care about the privacy they are giving up, but I think they are in the minority. If we keep shining a light on the dark places that google hides and does its dirty work, more and more people will wise up to it, and hopefully some of those people will be the ones that can actually change the laws to protect us.
A large portion of the cost is the licensing of the content. Some steaming companies (see: Spotify) are actually losing money.
I don't strictly disagree with your opinions in streaming prices particularly when video streaming costs about the same (to the consumer) right now, but I'm also aware that it's not sustainable to spend more on licensing than you bring in. Not in the long term.
I've been battling this with friends and family for a while, but everyone's response has always been "i have nothing to hide". I always answer with, if you have nothing to hide, give me your facebook and email password since you have absolutely nothing to hide that shouldn't be a problem. And of course that's usually followed by "not like anyone can stop them".
I feel dirty for using Google Music honestly. And lately even an Android phone and slowly going into the "can't do anything about it" mentality. Problem is once you are profiled, it's easy to follow you on the internet even if you are hiding behind VPNs and thus my "oh well, too late now might as well enjoy" attitude, i.e. android phone, google music, etc.
It's very hard to take security seriously anymore. A part of me thinks privacy is a big illusion and has been lost years and years ago. Not just by google and the internet, but by everything and everyone. From your credit card transactions to traffic cameras (I don't mean the highway ones) tracking cars. Mostly useless data, until it's not.
So what do you do with that...?
I've tried all 3 major streaming services and I love Apple Music and Google Play Music the most. However, I don't like the interface for GPM because it requires a slide over and click just to get to My Library. It should automatically load me to it. I know, small complaint but still. Apple Music has a decent interface but it does have some pretty "meh" recommendations and it is kind of cluttered.
Also, I think I'm done with streaming altogether after a year of streaming and not buying music. I like to own my own music and have it available to have forever. After paying $10 per month for a year ($120) I could have purchased all the music I discovered and saved for offline listening for far less than that. It sucks because after being subbed to Apple Music and then unsubscribing when I switched to GPM, I didn't have access to my music (obviously) and it took me a long time to put my library back together.
In the end, I'd rather pay for my music and own it rather than pay and rent my music.
Also, I think I'm done with streaming altogether after a year of streaming and not buying music. I like to own my own music and have it available to have forever. After paying $10 per month for a year ($120) I could have purchased all the music I discovered and saved for offline listening for far less than that. It sucks because after being subbed to Apple Music and then unsubscribing when I switched to GPM, I didn't have access to my music (obviously) and it took me a long time to put my library back together.
In the end, I'd rather pay for my music and own it rather than pay and rent my music.
Yeah but if licensing fee can go down, streaming price would also go down.
It is because of the price who drives a large group of users to piracy after all, although streaming service greatly reduces this user base. I know it is impossible to change it using law enforcement. Perhaps, everyone plainly want more while they can just only get so much after all. Demand and desire.
I hope this will change in the future, maybe after 10 or 20 years.
Never thought about it that way, but very good point. Except with GPM, I do use YouTube Red to avoid ads. To me that's well worth the money.
"Free" means that you (and all of your data) are the product that is being sold.
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Nothing, and nothing. And that is on purpose. I
For someone to get all the music they want for far less than $120 a year tells me they aren't listening to that much music. The value of streaming is much less for someone who listens to their own collection, or doesn't listen to music that often.
I'm like you, Google Play is the best value hands down in my opinion. Especially with YRed and a family plan.
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I've read dumber things on this forum. Not much dumber, but that's not really saying much. Neither statement you made contains any truth, and by the way you wrote it, I honestly don't think you realize it. So that we're clear, the statement is dumb, not calling you dumb.
Google: Pay us to gather your data for ads so you can use another service and avoid ads!
Haha, again, not bashing your choice in service there, its just an odd thing they've managed with GPM/YTR. Making users excited about not seeing the very ads they are making their bread and butter from.
As far as the value of streaming, it really is a frame of mind thing. Do I own it? No. But I have a really wide variety of tastes, and I never know what I'm going to be in the mood for at any given time. To me, the value of streaming is not having to meticulously maintain a library on my own. I can use their catalog to listen to whatever I want, whenever I want, and fill in gaps in their catalog with my own, much smaller library.
The convenience and sheer size of the library you have access to makes it worth it for me.
The irony is there for sure and that's why I said I feel dirty for choosing google music. But as for youtube red, yes the data is collected. The only difference, I don't spend 2-3 minutes of my life watching even more aggravating ads AND getting my data collected. I really value my time, so I'll trade my money for my time (even that sounds weird).
Not sure I can avoid youtube altogether. I think google really monopolized on a lot of things. Tell me that you never looked at youtube videos? If you do, you're being a hypocrite then aren't you?
Stop being pedantic, as if you don't know the differences. Apple and Google collect a lot of the same basic information (Google Play vs The App Store for purchases, Google Music vs Apple Music for your tastes, Google Now vs Siri for requests you make, location information from your iPhone or Android phone and many others), with a few important differences:
- Google has the worlds number one search engine, which is a literal gold mine of data about you.
- Google gets data from millions of websites. For example, if I go to Company ABC and browse their website, and then visit another unrelated website, I'll often be served a targeted ad for Company ABC (since they knew I visited their site). Or I'll be served a targeted ad for another product similar to what Company ABC sells. They know this because Company ABC will have embedded code from Google in their website.
- Google makes $50 billion a year monetizing your data for targeted advertising. Advertising that would be practically useless without a search engine to power it or tracking code built into websites.
- Google Wallet used to track all your purchasing transactions (don't know if they still do).
Apples primary reason for collecting data is for security and to improve the customer experience. Googles primary reason for collecting data is to power targeted advertising, which is almost 90% of their revenue. Any company that relies so heavily on only a single product (advertising) will never have the same concerns about your privacy, regardless of what they try to tell you.
For example, Apple is implementing differential privacy (announced at WWDC). Google is also doing this with RAPPOR. However, Google is more of an experiment whereas Apple is rolling out full-blown deployment. There's a lot of discussion of whether differential privacy can even be used for something like targeted advertising, as the whole purpose of targeted advertising is having a detailed profile about an individual (can't serve me ads for Miller Lite or Budweiser when I'm a beer fanatic who only drinks craft beers - so simply knowing I like beer is not specific enough to target me). You can bet Google will never introduce any privacy enhancing features that could affect their core business (targeted advertising).
So, yeah, not even close.
Agreed. I had to do the same thing. I'm more interested in the YouTube Red aspect of it though, so I just have to re-populate my subscriptions.
IMHO, Google Play Music is the best service out there. I signed up when it was 7.99/month, and the service has only gotten better while keeping my intro price.
Nice Post. On the surface, very reasonable opinion. Not one that I agree with, but reasonable nonetheless. The reason I don't agree with it is you're doing exactly what a lot of others are doing. You're conflating what Apple describes as personal data with what they describe as non-personal data. Also, Apple collects and uses both types of data. They recently updated the privacy policy on May 31st. http://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy/ They're pretty explicit in the fact they collect copious amounts of data. If you do read that policy, take note of the section regarding non-personal information. Look at what Apple classifies as non-personal and see if you agree with their assessment. Also, take note of the section at the bottom that reads Protection of Personal Information. While reading that, keep in mind it only applies to information that can be used to identify or contact a single person. That section is not applicable to the data that Apple considers non-personal (and that's a heck of a lot of data).
That word salad is the long way of saying what Apple considers personal data and what you consider personal data most likely ain't the same thing. Both companies collect massive amounts of data. Google does it primarily to drive their ad machine. But they also do it to improve their products and services. You seem to think Apple doesn't want their customer's data. But they lay it out in black and white they're collecting just like Google. For a company that has a massive amount of people thinking they don't collect data, they sure do a darn good job of... collecting data. It helps improve their products and services, but it also goes to fuel their ad machine. Wanna know how I know? Because they say it does.
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Fair enough. I DO use YouTube. Although its actually increasingly rare these days. Its almost always embedded in an article I'm reading or shared on social media. I never go out of my way to watch videos on YouTube. And not out of principle, simply because that's not how I choose to ingest content. When I'm watching video its usually on one of the streaming services I pay for.
And to be fair: I am stoked to have ad-free YouTube for a few months as part of this trial. I don't use it very often, but when I do it'll be nice to not have to skip ads. I just don't know that I would pay for it in 4 months time. We'll see if they hook me.