Five ways to put your music in the cloud
Learn five ways to stream your music collection over the internet.
A few weeks ago, I predicted that, along with the iPad, Apple would also debut a version of iTunes that would upload your music collection to the Web and let you stream it back down to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Well, it turns out I was wrong (for now, anyway).
Fortunately, if you're someone whose music collection outstrips the storage capacity of your iPhone, iPod Touch, Android phone, Netbook, iPad, or whatever, there are a number of tools you can use to get your music collection online and beam it to whatever device you find handy.
Be forewarned: not all of the following methods will stream music to a mobile device. Some will bridge the gap between your home computer and work computer; some will store actual copies of your music; some will simply sling songs from your home computer; and some offer just an approximation of your music collection.
Pros:
- No limit to the size of your library
- Add libraries of friends (up to 30)
- Recognizes playlists
- Works with UPnP devices such as Xbox, Roku, Sonos
Cons:
- Doesn't work with DRM music
- Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later,
- Requires your host system to always be on
- You can't transfer music
Pros:
- Free Airband app for iPhone/Touch and Android
- 2GB free, paid accounts up to 200GB
- Transfers playlists
- iTunes
- like Web interface for streaming and organizing your music
- Compatible with several desktop Internet radios, including Logitech Squeezebox
- Tune Up feature allows you to edit track info and album art online
- LockerSync feature automatically updates cloud with any new music you've added to your library
Cons:
- Beyond 2GB, you're paying $4.95/month for 50GB, all the way up to 200GB for $12.95/month
- Free accounts are ad-supported
- You can't transfer music
- Doesn't work with DRM music
The online megastore's Cloud Drive online storage service starts with a free 5GB base plan that can be increased to 20GB, 50GB, 100GB, 200GB, 500GB, and 1,000GB, priced at $1 per gigabyte, per year (so that a 100GB plan costs $100 per year). For a limited time, customers who purchase an album from Amazon's MP3 store are automatically upgraded to a 20GB trial account for one year. Read CNET's full review.
Pros:
- 5GB free
- Amazon music purchases automatically backed up
- Files are downloadable
- Taps into iTunes and also uploads playlists
- Works with Android and free to stream on any PC
Cons:
- Audiophile formats not supported (WAV, FLAC, Ogg)
- Need a paid account to upload more than 5GB
- Only specific media formats can be uploaded (documents, videos, photos, and music)
- Doesn't work with DRM music,
- No iOS app
MSpot is one of many solutions that has cropped up as a solution for on-the-go listening. The company offers a music cloud service that lets you upload up to 2GB of music for free and access it from any Wi-Fi-capable computer or Android device. (More information on the service here).
Pros:
- Free 2GB plan
- Android app
- Attractive web-based player
- Intelligent desktop app
- Sort collection by ID3, create playlists, rate songs
Cons:
- No iOS pp
- Storage plans are relatively pricey
- Your library can't be shared with other users
Pros:
- Completely free
- Huge community of music fans
- Emphasis on music discovery
- Apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, and Android
- Compatible with Xbox 360, Sonos, and Logitech Squeezebox
- Updates new music automatically
- Keeps track of song plays for running tally of your listening habits
- Creates personalized radio station based on songs you like
- Compatible with DRM music
- Available internationally
Cons:
- Does not have capability to stream specific songs on demand, but you can browse the artists in your collection and start listening to a randomly selected track. Maybe you'll get lucky.
- More of a complement to your music library than a replacement
- Doesn't upload playlists
Disclaimer: Last.fm is a property of CNET's parent company CBS Interactive.