Not too long ago everyone was pretty excited about the debut of Google Music: then we got Music Beta by Google and, while it wasn’t terrible, it also wasn’t much of a pay-off for years of patience. If you’re not paying much attention to the service’s continued evolution it seems you’re not alone. So, to combat flagging interest, Google has launched Magnifier, a music blog/Music Beta hype machine and provider of some complementary tunes.
Magnifier seems, first and foremost, to be an attempt at putting Google Music back into the minds of a somewhat disinterested public — but it’s also looking to make itself a source of general music information by providing artist and music reviews, history and more. It ties in Google+ accounts as well so those who have transferred their loyalty to Google’s social network may be more likely to get on board with its use.
Google recruited Tim Quirk (whose credits include being the former VP of Rhapsody) to help design Magnifier and his innovative thinking shows. The most interesting aspect of the blog is its integration of Music Beta, something that very well could help reignite the service’s popularity. Magnifier lets you read about, say, its “Song of the Day” then click a button that adds it to your library for (free) listening. Users must have an account to take advantage of this, of course, so if Magnifier catches on we could very well see Music Beta increasing its traffic in the near future.
Google Magnifier only recently launched so there isn’t a ton of content to look through but, if you’re interested in seeing what’s up with the blog then take a click to see it for yourself.
