Google now lets you upload 50,000 songs to the cloud for free

Tim S is also having the same problem - so I know I am not crazy. I am also certain that I am NOT selecting the All Access 30 day trial for free music.

 

No, I meant with the way you wrote that last sentence. If i'm understanding you, this is what you really meant to write:

"Then, the opposite, good way to tell if it's matching is if the artwork it chooses is completely wrong."

So far, i've only encountered this four times: one with Gene Chandler, and two where it didn't include the artwork at all. One had artwork so similar to mine that I almost couldn't tell, but it was also matched. When I listened to the albums, sure enough, they were matched.

Anyway, the process is taking so damn long that I stopped it. Lord knows what would happen if I tried to upload all my single versions and special needledrops, and i'm not going to rename thousands of songs or hundreds of albums just to trick their algorithm.

Too bad. For the casual fan who doesn't care about masterings, this is fine. Otherwise, for serious collectors, audiophiles, and those of us with huge collections, forget it.

 

It's requiring a credit card from me no matter what I try. Maybe it's because I'm in Canada.

 

I do have my own cloud already anyway, but it gives me issues, and I don't have the money to upgrade it.

 

The only other thing I can think is if you are getting a spoofed web page. Scammers do that to get people's CC# numbers.

Or, you guys are just following the wrong links.

Here's pretty much what I did:

1) set up a free Google account (I did this years ago already)

2) Clicked on, or typed in "Google Play".

3) installed their Google Play manager

4) Clicked on the link to add music, and then chose the second option.

That's it! No CC# prompts whatsoever!

 

This. It's a interesting development from Google but I can think of at least one site off the top of my head that'll give you 50GBs of storage for free, no strings attached. Of course they aren't as large as Google so you can't be sure they'll be around forever, but then again, it's hard to say what really will be service wise !

 

This really works?! That's fantastic. I've been struggling with crappy matches for a couple of years now and it's frustrating as heck. I just uploaded a concert that I ripped from a Bluray, which has a shorter CD/digital version, and Google matched all the tracks that were shared between the two versions. If it's as simple as renaming, I'm going to give it a shot to fix all those errant matches. "Fix incorrect match" only works about 30% of the time, from what I have experienced.

 

I have had live bootlegs and unreleased music stored on Google Music for a couple of years now. They're not going to go after anyone with "gray area" stuff.Just like if you had bootlegs in your CD collection. Even if the police busted you on something, they aren't going to sift through your CDs to find some "illegal" bootlegs. No one is, in fact - it's only if you share it that you might get yourself in trouble.

 

Do you have a program that can visually record your computer desktop/browser? I'd like to see what is happening. Or provide us with step by step screenshots.

There's no reason I can think of that this would be happening.

 

I can't do this until later this evening when I am at home. I did try to capture the screens in a program and then copy / paste to the forum, but could not get it to work. I'll give it another shot later tonight.

 

It's not "free." It doesn't cost money, but it's paid for by your usage of Google. They use the information they gain by seeing what music you listen to, when, where, etc. for their own stuff and also sell it to other companies that can get something out of that data. Just like pretty much all Google services - if you search via Google, your searches help pay Google. Your gmail helps pay Google by being a treasure trove of information. It's all anonymous data, but taken together it forms a pretty solid database of information that can be useful to marketing, etc.

 

Do all of the people who are NOT having issues have a Google Wallet account or Google Play account? I have a credit card on file with Google already from when I had an Android phone. Maybe it's recognizing that and that's why no prompt?

 

That's a good reminder that very few "free" services are actually free. But the privacy issues might now bother some people. Personally, I suspect that the email data may be anonymous data but I'm not so sure about the music data. I worry it's like the data being mined and sold by makers of "Smart" TVs. That data isn't anonymous and is being sold to third parties to be used for multiple purposes including targeted advertising. I suspect Google is or will be the same.

 

I do not care who knows what music I listen to. Of course, I do wonder what someone would think of a 50ish year-old man who has Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Dream, and Spice Girls in his collection. I would hope that they also notice Black Sabbath, Nirvana, and Ohio Players, too. Oops! But, they might see that I also have Frank Zappa and Blowfly, put it together with those albums by teenage girls, and think...

 

So what you are really trying to say is that you are a dirty old man?

 

So if I understand correctly, assuming you don't mind mp3s.... if you want the new Zeppelin remasters, you don't have to buy them: just upload the old version to Google Music and it will be automatically replaced by the 2015 version ?

I find this hard to believe, and quite dumb on Google's part actually.

 

I think the same thing would work using iTunes Match service. But you won't get the companion discs.

 

BUZZZZZZ. Thanks for playing.

No go on this. I followed your steps except for number 1. I used my existing Google login. Used Google and searched for Google Play Manager. Same results as before for me. Still takes me through the same screens and to the damn cc number screen.

I am going to try setting up a new Google account and see if that makes any difference. I'll let everyone know the results.

 

The problem with that is the new remasters have bonus tracks if you only upload an old classic version (no bonus tracks) it may upload your files, not matching them.

Now if you have the remasters yes, pretty much they are gonna be matched.

Example: Physical Graffiti

 

I can't believe anyone would do this. Any time they want to (or are compelled to), Google can forward all your personal information to the rights holders of whatever music you have on there. You really think "but this recording isn't commercially available" is going to convince a judge to rule in your favor when the RIAA sues you? The 70-year-old judge who doesn't know the first thing about music, computers, or modern consumer habits?

.0000001% of music consumers even understand what "remaster" means. The losses of these sales will be negligible.

 

I wondered that too. But I think it has to do with Google Wallet.
I am set up, and signed on with Google. They should have a CC# on file for me, I have an Android phone.

I am not set up with Google Wallet, and it's asking me for a CC#.

If it's working for you, are you signed up with Google Wallet?

 

OK just tried again. This time I set up a completely new Google ID, made sure I was signed in with it, and then "googled" Google Play Manager and followed the link to attempt to download it. Same bull**** screens as usual to the Google Wallet / cc number screen.

I was able to capture the screens as JPGs in the order I received them. However I cannot copy / paste them into the post in this thread - something I used to be able to do not too long ago.

At this point, I'm ready to say screw it. It is not worth the time and trouble that I have spent on it. Glad it works for some of you. But it appears it ain't going to work for me and Tim S.

Thanks to everyone who has offerred help and suggestions.

 

I'm in your court...I'd rather be google playless...

 

Intrigued by your message I did the same tests, and the results are somewhat strange: once uploaded, the stereo version of Arthur is in stereo, and the mono Arthur is in mono. BUT it's not always the case: the song "David Watts" comes out as mono in both versions of "Something else", while "Situation vacant" from the same Lp is correct (stereo on the stereo album, mono on the mono).

The replacement feature on Google Play Music seems quite erratic. One should have to check each and every song ? Pretty tiresome.

 

Hmm...I don't know, I've never noticed something like that.
I definitely wouldn't say the service isn't flawed in any way. I don't think it's for people trying to have a permanent backup of their library just because. I approach it from the perspective of a guy who is trying to free up phone storage and trying to conveniently have his whole CD catalog in some form during college. That's why it works for me. If I was just someone trying to backup their music library, I, personally, probably wouldn't be using a cloud service at all (the concept still makes me a bit anxious), but if I did use a cloud service, it probably wouldn't be this one.