Google Play Music is a music streaming service that launched a free version on June 23rd, as a way to compete with Apple’s streaming service, Apple Music, to be released on June 30th. Like some of the other streaming services, Google has two different versions. The new free service allows you to listen to up to 50,000 songs at no cost but it is supported by ads. The “All Access” version of the service is $9.99 a month and allows unlimited streaming of the 30 million songs in the Google library. They currently offer support for 65 countries. However, if you were in a country that was not supported, you could still listen to Google Play Music (referred to as GPM) anywhere with a VPN.
| Rank | VPN Service | Price | Visit | Server Locations | No Logs | Browser Extensions | Smart DNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | $6.67 |  | 160 |  | | |
| 2 |  | $3.49 | | 87 | | | |
| 3 |  | $2.19 | | 95 | | | |
| 4 |  | $3.99 | | 73 | | ||
| 5 |  | $1.99 | | 58 | |
Even though Google opened the pay version of their service three years ago, they decided to launch an ad supported free version as well. The timing of this move was clearly deliberate, in an attempt to compete with their biggest competitor. Though Google comes late to the market in the growing field of free music streaming services, they believe they can do it better. That said, companies like Spotify and Pandora may be offering some of the same services that Google will.
Google Play Music will allow you to store and stream up to 50,000 songs from your own collection. They also provide experts that create hand-crafted music stations for you so you don’t have to. If you want specific things, they offer stations based on decade, mood, genre, or activity. Additionally, you could search by artist, title, or song to create a station of similar music. Here is a list of activities that have crafted radio stations. Enjoy those and other great features with Google Play Music.
- Waking Up Happy
- Boosting Your Energy
- Entering Beast Mode
- Working Out
- Driving
- Having Fun at Work
- Having Friends Over
- Unwinding
- Bedtime
- Brand New Music
It is clear with all of these options, Google wants to provide the soundtrack for your life. It has been said that music makes life better. Whether you are driving, relaxing, working out, or even getting ready to play your favorite video game, it is great to have music to listen to that fits the mood or situation. Even if you happen to like listening to 80s music, Google Play Music has got you covered.
If you are traveling to a country outside of the supported range, you would be geo-blocked. Geo-blocking is a technology that recognizes where a user is located based on IP address, that is why you would need a good VPN service. A VPN will allow you to connect from anywhere there is internet access. Why should you have to be without your music?
Another good reason to use a VPN relates to security. VPNs encrypt your data to protect it from people with nefarious goals. With so many reports of people getting hacked, security is a big concern. The two questions you need to answer are “Why take a chance with any of your data?” and “Which VPN would you choose?”
Fortunately, we have some recommendations that should make things easy. All of our choices have custom clients, so getting started is as easy as selecting a country, and pushing a button. If you are worried about security, we recommend ExpressvPN They offer a no log VPN service as well as a kill switch feature that stops your VPN connection any time the internet drops. This feature helps to protect your privacy while the VPN connection is reset.
If you just want to be sure you have access to your music, the ExpressvPN MediaStreamer is a great option. It is a Smart DNS feature that will unblock any geographical restrictions, without having the speed loss of encryption. Both services are available to all ExpressvPN members.
Without further delay, here is a closer look at the best VPNs for Google Play Music:
1. ExpressVPN
Get 3 months free with 12 months of our #1 rated VPN
If you are worried about having issues getting things set up on your favorite devices, ExpressVPN can put your mind at ease. Along with extensive video setup guides, they offer several other resources as well. Those include a troubleshooting section and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section. You can send an email, file a support ticket, or speak with someone directly through the live chat feature available on their website as part of their 24/7 customer support. That will help ensure you get the best possible results and have a great user experience.
Of course, you can find sports fans all over the world. Because different events interest different people, you can expect strong regional support where the event takes place. What you can not always expect, however, is to be able to watch it if you are outside the area. The idea is to connect to a VPN server from ExpressVPN. As long as you connect to one in the area of the sporting event, you will be able to watch the local broadcast. Just make sure you have an account for one of the streaming options for the event.
You have likely heard of ExpressVPN as their reputation precedes the quality of the service. From a worldwide network of servers to extra features like MediaStreamer, ExpressVPN tops the competition. We use the service in our office and while traveling. From privacy protection to gaming, and streaming, their network provides excellent performance. Give the service a thorough test during the 30-day money-back guarantee. You can sign up for 12 months and get 3 months free, a 49% discount with our ExpressVPN deal.
2. NordVPN
While NordVPN isn’t the oldest player in the VPN community, they have certainly made a splash in the space. They are very popular, and the company took its name from the Nordic ideals of trust, confidence, and innovation. Since their founding in 2012, you can not visit any type of media without seeing an advertisement of some sort. They mention that they have 12 million users worldwide. Given that, you are in great hands if you choose NordVPN. They manage a large network to help meet your goals for using a VPN.
If you are a fan of a top-level sports team and happen to be in the city where they play, you already know that the broadcasters will stop you from seeing them online. That is usually because of licensing rights and they call them blackouts. Of course, you can watch them on TV, but some do not have TVs anymore. The solution to the problem is to connect to a VPN by using NordVPN. In this case, you simply need to select a server that is not in the market area. Then, you can watch your favorite team play.
3. Private Internet Access
Sports is still one of the biggest draws of TV watchers. More often than not, viewers want to watch their favorite events at the scheduled time. Unfortunately, you may not always be able to view your favorite sport because of licensing rights from other countries. By connecting to a VPN server from Private Internet Access, however, you can watch your favorite no matter where it is. All you would have to do is select the country where the sport is, have access to the channel for watching and enjoy them.
An advantage of using a VPN server from Private Internet Access if you are a gamer is to help protect you from Distributive Denial of Service attacks. For those that are not aware, they can quickly cause problems when you are gaming. Since it shuts down access to your favorite games, playing them becomes difficult. Private Internet Access will help stop those types of attacks from happening to you. That way, you can enjoy the games you want to, whether you are playing casually or competitively.
4. IPVanish
Sports fans around the world often like to support their hometown team. If you are in some of those cities, however, you may be limited to what you can watch online. For those that want to watch their team online, you can’t do that due to licensing restrictions. Fortunately, there is a way around that problem. By connecting to a VPN from IPVanish, you only need to connect to a server in another city. That causes the blocking software to see you as “out-of-market” so you can watch your team on your favorite device.
When you are trying to protect your privacy, making sure your different apps and websites have unique passwords is crucial. However, many users struggle with that. Luckily, you get access to a password generator provided by IPVanish. Of course, that will help you come up with a secure and unique password. Whether you want to come up with one or hundreds, you can create passwords that are up to 64 characters long, and you can choose the quality strength. Additionally, you can omit similar characters and copy your new passwords to a clipboard.
5. PrivadoVPN
An advantage of using a VPN provider like PrivadoVPN has to do with DDoS (Distributive Denial of Service) attacks. Those are attacks that can quickly stop gaming or prevent you from logging in to your favorite game. To prevent that from happening, you need to connect to a VPN. That will help by changing your IP address. Whether you play casually or competitively, connecting to a VPN will help you in both aspects.
Unlike some providers, PrivadoVPN gives you great protocol protection. They offer IKEv2, a next-generation encryption protocol that is especially useful for mobile devices, and OpenVPN, the gold standard of encryption protocols. Both of these will provide you with the best combination of speed and protection available in the community. That way, you can browse confidently, keep yourself safe, and not have to worry about others seeing your internet traffic.
