14 DAY TRIAL // It’s been a month since Grooveshark announced that its app would support Chromecast and that it could be found in the dedicated stores, and now the app is gone.
If you’re baffled by the Houdini act, you’re not alone. It looks, however, that the RIAA is to blame for it all since it claims that Grooveshark’s service infringes on the copyrights of its artists.
Of course, the music streaming service is not exactly a stranger to various legal issues due to copyright claims. The service has had its app removed from Google’s Play store several times already.
Google has cited its Terms of Service when it took down the app, saying the company was guilty of some violations. While they didn’t come out to say it, everyone thought that this was the fault of recording labels.
Things seemed to be looking up a month ago, when Grooveshark announced its app with Chromecast support for Android devices. The joy was short-lived, however.
“After a jointly approved press release from Grooveshark, we were notified by Google [that] our app was suspended for Terms of Service of compliance. This was a surprise, as we believe we’ve done more than is required to comply as we fostered this compatibility,” Grooveshark told The Next Web.
The company says that the Recording Industry Association of America is behind the suspension, most likely due to a complaint about the service infringing on artists’ copyright.
“We found this interesting as Google (YouTube) is also engaged in a lawsuit over the same points,” Grooveshark said.
The app is still available on Grooveshark's site
The music streaming service has been trying to fix things and has offered to provide any proof needed of its extensive licensing and its commitment to strict compliance with all applicable laws, including DMCA notices.
Google, however, seems to be pretty hard pressed by the recording industry. Grooveshark doesn’t even appear in the autocomplete feature despite being one of the most sought-after services of its kind.
The question remains, however, as to why doesn’t the RIAA simply send Grooveshark some takedown notices for whatever tracks they consider to be in infringement of the copyrights of its artists rather than go after the service’s apps.
Just because people don’t have a mobile app to use doesn’t really mean much and won’t have a big impact since Grooveshark users have already grown accustomed to having to use the browser to get their tracks.
Furthermore, the Grooveshark Android app can still be downloaded from the company’s site, complete with the Chromecast compatibility. You’ll just have to make sure that your device allows installation of apps from sources other than the Play Store, a feature that can be usually found in the Security section of your Android.