Probably there aren’t many on here who have used the upload function of Google Play, but it has been a useful tool, letting me listen to my own music without ad breaks across different devices wherever there’s an internet connection, without lugging around a terabyte hard drive and plugging it in.
Now Google have decided to junk it. I’ve done what they suggested and transferred my files and playlists to YouTube Music. But the functionality is shite. Lists instead of icons, no way to download my music and no way to edit the files online. All of which Google Play allowed.
Apparently we’re all streaming now anyway. But that means a monthly sub or adverts every 30 minutes.
Are they any suggestions for alternatives?
Thank you!
you know the first suggestion will be to buy a Fiio or whatever they’re called, don’t you?
I’m reading Gödel, Escher, Bach at the moment, and this strikes me as a fine example of a Zeno paradox. Thank you. I think a big SD card in my smartphone to go with a smaller SD card in my non-Smartphone is the answer.
I face the same issue. This
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/06/09/hands-on-youtube-music-upload/
explains the whole situation as best I’ve found.
I loved GPM and was dreading its demise.
I love YTM more. It’s faster, more responsive.
I think the message is: regard YTM as a handy source of playing your own music but make sure it’s saved on a hard drive. Or two. And a cloud service.
Regard that as your canonical music library.
And the subscription is a good thing. Lots of YouTube videos marked as music can be played audio only. How else are you going to hear Septober Energy by Centipede without big spendies on Discogs?
Alternatives? There’s the music storage that emusic does but given how gaunt that service is looking I wouldn’t rely on it.
Or a big microSD in your phone. Or a dedicated player.
I’m happy to have some files on my phone and YTM myself, though I’m going to miss automatic uploads. Dragging and dropping is a faff.
Thanks, bogl. I’d read the article before posting, which was in part what sent me here in search of answers.
I think your underlying message is, accept it and change with it, and I think you are right. I’d be interested to know how YTM is more responsive. That would persuade me to move with the times, I think.
In a sense, GPM was a cloud service, as is YTM. If you have alternative suggestions, I’d be happy to hear about them.
As I replied to Kid, a big SD card may be the answer. They are getting enormous, these days. I probably need to update my Smartphone anyway, so I’ll factory that in with the frighteningly complex number of variables to consider when making the selection.
Thanks, again!
I’ve gone the SD route. I used to think I needed everything on demand but I don’t. The things I really like are on demand, and more random stuff when I can access it is working for me.
Thanks for the reminder – I’d been holding off because YT Music wasn’t on Sonos, but wonder of wonders, now it is.
I’ll be interested to see if YTM on Sonos handles my stuff better than GP did, ie make all of it visible rather than a selection made according to mysterious principles of its own.
I used to love Rdio. I think YouTube Music must’ve bought them out. I switched from Apple Music to YouTube Music about a year ago. Can’t stand Spotify. I’d say I was around 75% satisfied with the overall experience as a customer.
The Spotify app is rubbish, for example refusing to believe that you have an internet connection, or offering the same functionality on the Android or PC desktop version. But I think it’s a bit of an Amazon syndrome. I basically disapprove, but it’s sooo convenient.
EDIT late addition – of course, it’s useless for streaming.
YTM just seems to be faster to use all round. For example, adding a track to a playlist took forever in GPM; virtually instant now.
And by “cloud service” I mean having a backup of your files on Dropbox, Google Drive, Livedrive or similar. Can’t play then from there without more faff, just makes sure you don’t lose them.
I’m still patiently waiting for the usual suspect to come on here and say “buy a Fiio”. When he finally does, he’s going to get a big round of applause like the Fonz walking on set.
Serious question. What’s a Fiio?
I think it’s very thin flaky pastry. The idea must be that you inscribe the code for your music on a rolled-out sheet, fill it with chopped nuts and honey, fold it up and bake it. Then when you pop it up in your mouth your head explodes with a symphony of sound. (Get it wrong and it’s a cacophony, which is why you need to be a master baker to produce sweet spurts of sonic joy).
So it’s basically a sonic croissant. I can’t be doing with them at all. Pockets of air in flakes. As for consomme, the least said the best. It is not soup. Unsalted butter is the work of the Satan. I’m very fond of our Gallic friends, but when it comes to a breakfast fight between Continental and Full English, you know where to place your bet. No contest. Cruel odds, even.
What’s your policy on electric camembert, Monsieur Rob?
I’m afraid I’m Gong intolerant these days, Sal mon ami. I think my Gong flirtations were part of a middle aged male menopause that also resulted in a pony tail and vegetarianism. Jazz and meat saved my life.
Don’t say you’re post-menopausal, man! We are the same age, give or take a week. How do you think that makes me feel? I’m not ready to be old yet (though my body most certainly is).
I just got it out the way early, man. I feel a lot better post middle aged hippie crisis menopause. Got back into bacon sarnies, ginsters pasties and lifting weights again. Early 50s is cool, baby. Older but not old, with enough youth juice to add to the wisdom mind con carne. Silver foxery ahoy. Chakras set to stun. Let’s rock, Sal. OW! BABY! YEAH!!!
I have about 35k tracks on Google Play and the transfer to YT Music seemed to go OK. The YT interface isn’t particularly great but the fact that it works on Sonos is a real plus.
A mixed blessing then? Thanks for the feedback.
I have whatever the original free gigabytage was, 30? and it’s been going for 36 hours with no sign of finishing.
Sorry, I’m back at work today and trawling through emails – only 273 to go.
Anyway, is this where I get to say “Buy a Fiio”?
It is? Good.
I read that the Fiio M6 is the best of the budget models to go for. But it doesn’t support YouTube music and my ears aren’t that great anyway. Unless the sound is really superlative, I may just stay with my little Nokia 216 and research a smartphone that has good sound quality, good camera, dual sim and SD card slot – something to replace my Samsung galaxy J6
The LG G8s ThinQ Is supposed to be the best sounding phone at the moment. LG are good at this. A few of their previous phones have had well implemented DACs.
Alternatively buy a cheaper phone and spend the excess on a portable external DAC such as an Audioquest Dragonfly Red or Cobalt. It all depends on two things, how well do you want your music to be reproduced and your budget.
That actually doesn’t look too far out of my price range – thanks. I’ll do some research.
300 Euros for an LG G8S ThinQ that is comparable to the pricier Samsung S10. I am quite tempted.
LG have a really good reputation amongst the more sensible audiophile community for being very acceptable sonically. You always have the option to add an external DAC at a later date if you want to upgrade without ditching the phone.
When researching last night, it really depended on the search terms as to what comes up – LG didn’t appear at all until I put in ‘2020 music smartphone’ when it came up top on several sites on the front page.
Some reviews are a bit sniffy about its face and hand recognition software, but those are only gimmicks for me. As my current phone doesn’t even have a functioning microphone, I’m quite relaxed about such things. I would like to have dual sims AND SD card, as I have three SIM cards, but that is not essential.
If I was in the market for a new phone it would be the one I’d opt for purely for it’s auditory abilities. Stick a large capacity sim card in it add Spotify and that’s music and podcasts more or less sorted without unnecessary faffing about.
SD card not SIM card. I’m 64 you know.
We still need you, PS – and the meaning shone through, anyway.
I’ve gone and bought an LG, PS. Very nice it is too. Even something as simple as having a functioning microphone means I can videocall my Mum on WhatsApp (your voice is so much clearer, Sal!), as well as tune my guitar with GuitarTuna and Shazam the racket coming from the Bluetooth speaker in the park.
Ooo. Have you plugged in some headphones yet? I’d be most interested to read what you make of it’s sonic capabilities with music.
I have indeed – commented below about Hooky’s basslines. Now listening to The Beatles – One
Qualifier – my ears aren’t great, my headphones are earbuds (supplied with the LG, actual in-ear ones with fabric covered cable!) and most of my collection is bog-standard mp3.
I might test out Steve McQueen later – that’s usually a good test. Other suggestions welcome.
I’ll tell you something – the sonic qualities of Beatles songs follow a logarithmic curve from the beginning. I Want To Hold Your Hand, Help and Yesterday sound remarkable – I hadn’t listened to them for years. You can throw the ELO-ish Hello Goodbye – overladen trash.
“Kitchen Sink, boys?”
“Yes please, Mr Martin, sir!”
If you really want to test it and yourself try Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus. Kitchen sinks. Not arf.
Thanks, ps – it’s rattling through my brain right now, like a hyperactive child. There are some rather pleasant synth chords hidden behind the thrusting throbbing jumpy bits, and there’s a quite easy rhythm to it. I dare sat after a few hundred listens it might become quite a relaxing mood piece – apart from it being broken into quite short segments.
The Dragonfly red makes a big difference to the sound of my iPhone XR through my headphones.
Have you tried hooking up your phone via the Dragonfly to your amp?
Just curious.
I’m interested. My phone can be renewed in a few weeks and I’m deffo phone/big card guy. I’ll look at an LE . Spotty too much as it annoys me. I use an app called Pulsar+ which is ok but I’d like to have something on the pc managing the library and WiFi sync to the card. I think MediaMonkey does this but I haven’t tried it yet. Anyone?
I’m using Tidal at the moment. £3 for three months. Sound is excellent which is when all is said and done the most important thing next to the actual music.
have you tried/seen this?
https://www.ibroadcast.com/home/#main
No, burr thanks for the tip. It looks too good to be true, so I googled through to page 2 in search of a review. The first site I came to was the following. They seem like a nice bunch of guys, with a similar approach to us. Oh….
I’ve added iBroadcast, and am adding my songs. So far, it’s sending Hooky’s bass in Temptation nicely into my lugholes.Lots to play around with, though the playlists are a bit cumbersome at the moment.
Looks like Google have been listening and intend to address some of the YTM shortcomings:
Ars Technica: Google says it’s working hard to address YouTube Music complaints.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/08/google-says-its-working-hard-to-address-youtube-music-complaints/
Thanks, @bogl, I wait with bated breath.
It’s interesting seeing such angst over a problem I just don’t have or understand. I just have stuff on the iPod and the phone. My only knowledge of Google play is irritation that I can’t remove it from my phone. Have I been missing some brilliant thing?
No, it isn’t/wasn’t brilliant – horses for courses – whatever makes you happy.
But the user interface was what I liked (soooo much better than iTunes when I had to use that for my old iPod, which I found terribly clunky and restrictive) – being able to tinker with genre and playlists, etc, and having that available on multiple devices.
That’s being taken away, at present, with the move to YouTube. The very definition of a first world problem, but music is music.
Just an observation. If you have Sonos and use Sonos playlists (ie where you can combine music from different streaming services and your own music library) you will presumably have to replace the Google Play items with their YouTube Music equivalent once you’ve done the transfer. A bit of a pain.
I had to sign up to YT Music before I could authorise it for Sonos. Anybody know if you can cancel after the free period without losing your uploads, or will I have to pay for yet another music streaming service?
I still love my FiiO M7… just saying.