Well, that didn’t take long. Invites to Google’s big music-related event only went out this past Friday, but the folks over at TecnoDroidVe have already gained access to Google’s new music store on an Inspire 4G and took a few screenshots for the rest of us to pore over.
There’s no word on how they managed to gain access in the first place (Google Translate tells me it was because of “tricks and beginner’s luck”), but the screenshots they managed to grab look pretty legitimate.
First things first, the Music Store seems to be nestled within the Android Market application instead of working from its own app. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise though, since the rest of Google has been offering movies for rental from within the Market app for months now.
TecnoDroidVe also makes it clear that the parts of the backend don’t actually work yet. Perusing through tracks and even playing samples reportedly work without a hitch, but everything fell apart when they attempted to purchase a song. Fortunately, the rest of the store seems to have undergone some last minute polish, including the addition of a “Free Song of the Day.”
Track prices seem to run the standard gamut between $.99 and $1.29, but here’s hoping that Google’s music catalog is rich enough to help it gain some much-needed early traction. CNet reported on Friday that Google has inked a licensing deal with Universal Music Group, but hasn’t had the same success with Sony Music or Warner Music Entertainment. Without those key partnerships, Google’s music store may not have the kind of musical pull necessary to draw new customers, but we’ll see for sure on Wednesday.
