Google Play Music Finally in India: Here’s How it Works

After a whole lotta weeks of ‘Are We There Yet’, Google has finally launched the Play Music in India. Users will slowly start getting the update to both the Play Music app as well as the Play Store itself, and from each, you can head to the store where you can browse and pay for music you like.

Much Delay About Nothing

We’ve been hearing news about the service’s launch in India since July, but nothing really happened for weeks that followed. The reason for the delay is unclear, but the availability right one day after some big announcements for India’s digital ambitions seems like a factor.

Can Buy, Can’t Stream

At the moment, only buying songs and albums option seems to be available. The premium subscription option, where you pay a fee to keep streaming songs isn’t available yet. We’ll wait for Google’s own blog for further developments.

In case you’ve never purchased anything in Google’s Entertainment section on the Play Store, here’s what you need to do.

How to Buy Music/Albums

Swipe over from the left side of the Google Play Music app and then tap the Shop button. This will take you to the Music section of the Play Store. Here, you’re bound to find a host of local content with the usual segmentation of TOP SONGS, TOP ALBUMS and so on.

If it’s a single song that you want to purchase, then tap on it and then click CONTINUE to complete the payment method. If you have set up a payment method even once for the Play Store, then the same one will work for buying music. If not, then you will be prompted to do so.

The prices for the songs are on similar lines to what you’ll find on the Apple Store. And even though you have purchased these songs, they will still remain DRM protected and can be listened to by using the Play Music app or the web interface, using your login.

Streaming or Buying Music?

In India, Spotify remains elusive while Apple Music has a joining fee to even start streaming songs. Other services like Gaana, Saavn and Wynk have been around and we’ve even done an in-depth comparison. So what do you guys prefer? Paying outright or streaming for free with ad-support?

Let us know in the comments section below.

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