How to use Google Music in Canada

For those of you who have followed me over the few years I've written for Android phones, you know I love 2 things:  Google Services and Cloud Options.

Google Music is the best of both worlds, PLUS it alleviates my pet peeve of an SD card.  I hate them.  So, being able to stream my music from the cloud saves me having to pick WHICH music I want on my phone or not.

Problem is, Google Music is only for the US currently... so how can we take advantage of it here in Canada?
Well, the big issue would be at first being able to get yourself signed into the program.  Once you're in, they no longer care that you're in Canada... just gotta get in first.  Then install the software on your computer, then the phone.

Set it up on your Google Services
So here's the steps:
[UPDATE:  Please first set up your Google Wallet account with an American address... it now checks that as well - see +Sivan Rehan's steps on the "How to get All Access" article]

  • Use a proxy-site to block your IP.
    • There's a few out there, I learned about many of them working at the high schools from the students.  For me browsertunnel.com worked the best.  Keep it ready.
  • Using the proxy-site go to https://play.google.com/music/
    • log in using your Gmail account, it may ask you a few questions about starting up... but effectively now you've got the service added.
  • You can now leave the proxy-site

Essentially that's how you get it to your Google services.  Now that it's attached, you can go back into the site and download the "Music Manager" software for your computer.

Set it up on your Computer

  • Go back into music:  https://play.google.com/music/
  • Click on the "upload music" button on the far right



  • Then click on the Download Music Manager


This will then download "musicmanagerinstall.exe" (if you're on Windows... there's also a Mac and Linux option available too).  You'll have set up the music manager by telling it where your files are [iTunes (bleh), Music Library, etc...]

Once you have the locations in... you can then go ahead and click OK.

and WAIT...

For me it was something like about 2 weeks for a full upload (I had 7,000+ files).  This might be quicker now that they have 'music match' active, but I haven't seen it go on my account yet.

So, you've got the files uploaded to the cloud, now to play them.  You could play them via the web (like I do while I at work), or you could...

Set up Google Music on your Device (Phone / Tablet)

If your computer doesn't already have it preloaded, you'll have to download it via the Play store.  Now, I'm unsure if it's allowed to be downloaded in Canada yet via the store.

If you click the link and it's not allowable to be installed, you'll have to side load the application file (apk).  Let me know if you need to know how to do that.  Below I have a folder of applications that aren't available in Canada that you can also side load.

Once it's on your phone it'll ask you which Google Account to associate with.  Ensure you pick the right one!

I'll post some more tips and tricks for Google Music later on, but for now enjoy the service!

Comments

  1. If you run into issues where your account won't remember you have Google Music active on your account, go into the site using the Proxy server again and download some of the "free" music if it's still available or listen to some of the "shared with me" music. This can help cement that you have Google Music on your Google account. :)

    Took me about 3 days (on and off) to upload my 7000 songs.

    The Google Music app can be downloaded via Google Play in Canada for devices that support it.

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    Replies
    1. The option of posting under a Google account do not work properly. It seems to be tied to blogger, but doesn't even let you sign in. :/

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    2. Hmmm, not sure. Works for me just fine. Maybe your right about it being tied to Blogger. That's confusing. I'll look in to it.

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  2. I think they got wise. It wouldn't work for me using browser tunnel so i tried a VPN which got me into the music site but they needed an american credit card in order to prove where i was from my Canadian one wasn't accepted

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    Replies
    1. that would suck... hrm...

      anybody else get it working?

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    2. Didn't work for me either. Canadian credit card. :(

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    3. I have the same issue. Can't get in with a Canadian card...

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    4. I downloaded the Music Manager software through Softonic. When I tried to sign in, it told me to also sign in through the website, which took me back to the credit card entry screen. Doesn't seem like I can get around that.

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    5. i must be doing somethign wrong as I just don't get that message when I've tried it.

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    6. I found a way to at least get the installer. I'm still trying to get music linked to my account, but it's a pretty good start. I went to the g. music site using the proxy above, hit the upload music thing, then (i'm using google chrome here, other browsers do this too though) I hit f12 to open up code console, used the inspect button until the page was highlighted, clicked, and deleted the node in the console. Then you can scroll and click in the page in the background without inputting an american credit card. I'm playing around with this before google music actually comes to Canada!

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  3. just wanted to confirm... just tried it out on a couple of accounts... no issues... just went straight into it.

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  4. Weird how others are still being asked for a credit card... I've tried 3 accounts in the past little while and it didn't ask for a credit card for any (one of my google apps accounts, my logitech revue's gmail account, and one i just made up).

    none of them asked for any payment info, just went straight into the web player.

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  5. For those who are having trouble with the credit card info just change your billing address on your registered card to a dummy one located in the US. This worked for me.

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  6. It's funny-- I can't even get to the credit card info step.

    While logged in to Google Play under the browsertunnel proxy, the java link to "Upload Music" doesn't work. I bypassed it by downloading the Music Manager software from Softronic but I get to a step within that software that requires me to also be logged into Google Play from within my browser. But links to download something

    However, any attempt I make to reach the Google Play Music section while I'm not behind the proxy simply brings me back to the /music/unsupportedcountry dialogue page. I've tried logging out of Chrome and all Google software on my computer, and doing it all from Firefox, but I still get the unsupported country page.

    Anyone else able to replicate this or figure out what I'm doing wrong?

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    Replies
    1. Are you able to sign in using your Google account via the Music Manager app? If not, you haven't successfully registered your account with Google Play yet.

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    2. Nope, I can't-- I get as far as passing 2-step identification in the Music Manager, which then gives me two buttons. One opens a web browser in which I'm supposed to login to Google Play, the other send me back to the beginning of 2-step.

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  7. Doesn't work for me either, its extremely frustrating. I used Tor and when signed in I was asked to setup an American credit card to verify my eligibility. This isn't the issue. The problem is a loading ring appears and start spinning indefinitely after I click "Setup my account".

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  8. For those who didn't get directed to credit card entry page, did you have a credit card set up on your account prior?

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    Replies
    1. I have a credit card set up on my account, and I'm pretty sure that's my issue.

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    2. Please refer to my solution below to solve your problem!

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    3. It didn't work for me until I did the following.

      I deleted all my credit card info from google wallet.

      ...then followed the directions above until I had logged into google music for the first time.

      Then when prompted for a credit card I entered my canadian one...but I listed myself as being from the USA and listed my postal code as 90210.

      After that it worked. I was able to download the music uploader and I have now started uploading my stuff.

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  9. I was asked for a credit card. I have a Amex Gift Card from the US, and registered it to a US address. That worked! I also had a card set up for Google Apps.

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  10. I tried with my mothers new gmail account and I've been ask to provide an american credit card. I think if your GOogle Account is recent, it wont work but since you, Ryan Moore seems to be using existing old Google Accounts for your tests and it worked, I figure it should be the problem.

    I will try with my sister in law account next week and post back on this blog if it worked or not.

    If so, I think these people will have to wait :\

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    Replies
    1. no, i quickly made up an account a total 'fake' on teh spot and followed the steps and it worked for me.

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  11. Well for the past few days I even get Google Music in play store without vpn or proxy although the process are in is dollars and only us credit cards are accepted. I did register long time ago and have had Canadian vanilla card registered under American address for Google wallet purposes but have only 50 cents balance on it. Which in the past allowed me to get free paid songs that normally you wouldn't be able to get cause it would request credit card even though song balance was 0. Last night I did change my Canadian visa to American address same as vanilla master card, which allowed me to buy several albums that are on sale for 2.99 + without proxy with Canadian visa. You can confirm this with my Google+ 3 albums shared.
    Success. Mistake or sign of things to come?. Notice now some apps are more expensive when I compare my visa with Canadian address in cad then other visa with us address in is dollars. Is our dollar stronger again?

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  12. I just got a Nexus 4 and I was excited to use google play.

    I get on to google music, but I am unable to click on 'Upload Music'.
    The scripts are working properly, and I'm logged on to my google account? Does anyone know what my problem is?

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    Replies
    1. to upload you have to download the music manager software on your computer to upload.

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  13. Hello,

    I thought I'd help out since I know how badly I wanted this and now that I got it working, I love it!

    This is for the people who are having issues with google checking for US credit cards for accepting terms.

    Go in to wallet.google.com now select edit your current active credit card. Please note that this credit card DOES NOT have to be a American Card, just as long as it's a valid one.

    Change your information from your current to the provided below.

    Name : Microsoft Corporation
    City : Redmond
    State: Washington
    ZIP Code: 98052

    You credit card number and the 3 digit code and expiry date MUST BE valid information which you can use from your Canadian or what ever country credit card. Now save and go back to play.google.com/music thru the proxy and you should be able to accept.

    After you accept go back to wallet.google.com and delete the credit card, since you don't live at Microsoft =P

    You should now be able to download the Music Manager!


    Enjoy and Cheers.


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    Replies
    1. This worked perfectly, thanks!

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    2. Works like a charm! I used my Austrian Credit Card.

      Thank you very much, rayshinn!

      just one additional question please: after my google-music account was created, I reset the credit-card information from "Microsoft-US-Address" back to my own/real address. (you even adviced in your comment to remove it)

      What if I would leave the credit-card-information to the "Microsoft-US-Address"? Would I be able to by music-content then as well (currently I only use my google-music-account to stream my onw uploaded music-content). From my point of view this will be still legal, won't it?

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    3. It worked for me too, here is the complete address I had to use:

      Microsoft Corporation
      15010 NE 36th Street
      Redmond WA 98052 US
      +1 800-642-7676

      Delete
  14. not working stuck on a loading screen for the past 30+ minutes where I should be entering a CC number...... Sniff sniff, add this to the wallet app that doesnt work for Canadian's :(

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    Replies
    1. same here. restarted 3 times and i get stuck here every time.

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  15. Had similar issues.

    Before you do anything (ie: even connect via the proxy) make sure you update your CC address to a US address, then follow the steps. I even had to uninstall then update the "Play" app to get the upload music to be visible on my device (ie: my US CC address was still set when I re-installed the "Play" app).

    -r

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  16. It was working perfectly before, but after I added a local CC for another payment option, it suddenly detected that I'm not in USA and cannot access all US based services anymore. After deleting the said CC option, and even if using VPN, it still says Google Music is currently not available in your country. Please Help.

    ReplyDelete

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