April 9, 2011 41 Comments

Amazon Cloud Drive- Get Better Please

Dear Amazon Cloud Drive Makers-

You stink. I just bought an album and opted to put it in your cloud drive, which I figured would act a bit like Dropbox. In fact, I thought, “Hey, I am a heavy user of Amazon, so maybe I’ll start using this Cloud Drive.” But no. I’m not so sure. Here’s where I am:

I'm the sucker

So, I decide that I’d like to move these files to a USB drive so I can play them somewhere else. But no. Here’s what I get when I go to download these files off my cloud drive:

You can only move 1 file at a time

This is just stupid. They’re my files. I paid for them. This drive is supposed to be helpful to me. It’s not. And why can’t Amazon Cloud Drive accommodate a simple transaction that has been around for decades? Because they don’t want to accommodate it. It’s not a technical reason.

So now, I’m moving one file at a time, files I paid for, from a stupid “free” service that doesn’t work anything like more prominent services like Dropbox. That’s stupid.

Please get better Amazon.

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  • http://hannahsharvest.com Hannah Marcotti

    That made me laugh out loud. Thank you!

  • http://glencampbell.name/ Glen Campbell

    That’s odd; I had no trouble at all downloading all of my files at once.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      On the cloud drive screen? Or the player?

      • http://glencampbell.name/ Glen Campbell

        Looks like the player. At least, it says Your Cloud Drive Music > Songs. Just click the checkbox for the songs and hit download.

        I guess there’s another interface for non-music? I haven’t been able to find that one.

      • http://glencampbell.name/ Glen Campbell

        Looks like the player. At least, it says Your Cloud Drive Music > Songs. Just click the checkbox for the songs and hit download.

        I guess there’s another interface for non-music? I haven’t been able to find that one.

      • http://glencampbell.name/ Glen Campbell

        Looks like the player. At least, it says Your Cloud Drive Music > Songs. Just click the checkbox for the songs and hit download.

        I guess there’s another interface for non-music? I haven’t been able to find that one.

  • http://glencampbell.name/ Glen Campbell

    That’s odd; I had no trouble at all downloading all of my files at once.

  • http://twitter.com/DustinFisher Dustin Fisher

    For some reason you can’t download multiple files through the Amazon Cloud Drive, but you can download as many songs as you want at a time through the Amazon Cloud Player. Use that and you will be able to do what you want to.

  • http://fryinginvein.com HubertGAM

    Why are you trying to download them to a USB device? Isn’t that missing the point of the cloud drive? The Amazon Cloud Drive allows you to use your files on any computer without needing to have the files on your computer.

    If you just want to have the Cloud Drive as a backup, then you should continue to download the files to your computer. Then upload them to your computer when the download is finished. I don’t prefer this option for my music library. I like Amazon Cloud Drive just fine, outside of the disregard for privacy.

    The only thing I would add to Amazon Cloud Drive is a desktop player that is a bit more robust in features and an official smartphone that uses the Cloud Drive exclusively.

    To end this, I find this post a little… whiny. I expect a higher level of communication from you, Mr. Brogan.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      Definitely whiny. Know why? Because I expected a quality level of service similar to the other cloud drive offerings out there, and I find this one lacking.

      I can’t store things in the cloud drive and play them in my car. That’s the use case right there.

      But my point is, it’s files. Files can be moved. That’s a basic. In linux, it’s a simple command they teach you the first week of training. To think that Amazon somehow doesn’t want me to move more than one file at a time is ludicrous. It’s totally and utterly silly.

      Why make me jump through hoops for files I paid for, and that you (amazon) are trying to keep tabs on? Make it EASY and then you can get more data out of me.

      As for what you expect and don’t expect, expectations are funny things. They’re a lot like opinions.

  • http://fryinginvein.com HubertGAM

    Why are you trying to download them to a USB device? Isn’t that missing the point of the cloud drive? The Amazon Cloud Drive allows you to use your files on any computer without needing to have the files on your computer.

    If you just want to have the Cloud Drive as a backup, then you should continue to download the files to your computer. Then upload them to your computer when the download is finished. I don’t prefer this option for my music library. I like Amazon Cloud Drive just fine, outside of the disregard for privacy.

    The only thing I would add to Amazon Cloud Drive is a desktop player that is a bit more robust in features and an official smartphone that uses the Cloud Drive exclusively.

    To end this, I find this post a little… whiny. I expect a higher level of communication from you, Mr. Brogan.

  • MarkS

    You confused a music streaming/storage service with Dropbox? Wow.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      Storage. You said it in your description. Storage. I didn’t confuse a thing. I am arguing about a feature, or lack therein. Wow back. : )

  • http://twitter.com/serendipitousP Pamela Howell

    nice playlist, despite the cloud-y weather. good listenin, and here’s to hoping amazon sees the error of their plays…

  • http://deaneogden.com Deane Ogden

    @HubertGAM —Why is Chris Brogan the only one not allowed to vent frustration at something he finds… frustrating?

    I appreciate your candor, Chris. Sometimes things don’t do what we hope they would—doesn’t matter if it is promise-heavy/feature-light or operator error—and we are all human and we get annoyed. Thanks for being well-rounded enough to show all sides of your “human business”. That is, after all, what makes it so effectively *human*, I’m sure.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      The thing is, my annoyance is as a business person, too. If I’m Amazon, why am I developing and putting out products that lack basic features? I personally don’t care how they do what they do. As a professional, I feel like I should whine. : )

  • http://twitter.com/ditesco Francisco Perez

    Very timely post. I saw your earlier tweet about this and was very curious to see what the problem was. I guess Amazon should get their act together as it appears that such problem is very basic. I would love to hear what they have to say about it here.

  • http://twitter.com/ditesco Francisco Perez

    Very timely post. I saw your earlier tweet about this and was very curious to see what the problem was. I guess Amazon should get their act together as it appears that such problem is very basic. I would love to hear what they have to say about it here.

  • http://mattreport.com Matt Medeiros

    I think they will get it right eventually. I think Amazon is one of the most underrated businesses going right now.

    Maybe they are just going with the Godin Ship It model…

  • http://blog.beethomas.com Brian

    Makes me wonder if they’ve got ads on the cloud drive or if they think you’ll buy more if only you stay there longer, stuck, trying to download all of your files. Thanks for the warning Chris.

  • http://blog.beethomas.com Brian

    Makes me wonder if they’ve got ads on the cloud drive or if they think you’ll buy more if only you stay there longer, stuck, trying to download all of your files. Thanks for the warning Chris.

  • Greg Smith MD

    Chris,

    Completely agree. Thought this would be a fun and useful addition to iTunes, but it has been nothing but a very slow, very frustrating hassle. Will stick with iTunes. It works, it’s easy, and it syncs reliably across all my devices.

    Greg

  • Greg Smith MD

    Chris,

    Completely agree. Thought this would be a fun and useful addition to iTunes, but it has been nothing but a very slow, very frustrating hassle. Will stick with iTunes. It works, it’s easy, and it syncs reliably across all my devices.

    Greg

  • http://flatratebiz.com Genuine Chris Johnson

    I had no trouble downloading everything from a browser- and make sure you buy “ravens” by holly ann. She’s a local PDX artist making amazingly good stuff. Fiona Apple meets Regina Spector

  • http://www.accidentalseeker.com/ Karen Talavera

    Wow Chris you might have a bit of egg on your face this time – hate to say it – but I just bought music the first time from Amazon (normally I just do iTunes), used the Cloud Drive and had no problems downloading everything at once. I never saw the pop-up message you showed in your post. Maybe it was a momentary Amazon glitch, or maybe due to your OS or something, but it worked fine for me just 2 days ago.

    I totally understand tech frustration and wanting to rant, but I’m a little surprised you would blast something so hard without at least checking around with a few other people or attempting a few retries. A lot of people read your blog and believe verbatim everything you write/say, so please take that into consideration.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      Do you see the screen capture? I didn’t make that up. It didn’t say temporary error. It said does not support.

      Did you try more than one file from that screen or VIA the player?

      • http://www.accidentalseeker.com/ Karen Talavera

        Hey Chris, I know you didn’t make up the screen capture – I know you wouldn’t do something like that :) I just meant that maybe the download wasn’t working for you or your specific hardware/software but it does appear to be working for others and has worked multiple times for me. I re-tested my download and it worked again – and this time I tested downloading only a single song from an album AND did a re-test of downloading the entire album. Both single and multi-file downloads completed flawlessly each time.

        I have my Amazon MP3 downloader set to automatically add music to iTunes – could this be a problem with a setting somewhere?

        Clearly there’s a bug or incompatibility somewhere in this process or we’d all be getting the same results.

  • http://www.blistmarketing.com Brandon Yanofsky

    Hey chris, I’m curious if amazon addresses this. Could you inform us if they contact you?

  • Anonymous

    I bought an album as well but I didn’t have any problems downloading all of the songs to my computer at once. I used Amazon’s mp3 Downloader. You know, the one that you would have to use before they introduced this “cloud.”

    It does seem a little clunky though and I had the same complaint that it doesn’t work like dropbox. Oh well, at least it was free (with an album I woulda bought anyways) to try, right?

    • http://livelyupmedia.com Lively Up Media

      To clarify, I downloaded from the cloud player which opened Amazon’s mp3 Downloader.

    • http://livelyupmedia.com Lively Up Media

      To clarify, I downloaded from the cloud player which opened Amazon’s mp3 Downloader.

      • http://www.accidentalseeker.com/ Karen Talavera

        Yes, I did exactly the same and had no problems

  • Yair

    Yeah same here… it let’s me Transfer multiple files and Delete multiple files but not DL them?!?!?!? that indeed SUCKS! it really is a super basic function….

  • http://www.google.com/profiles/jeff.harbert#about Jeff Harbert

    I’m a bit baffled by the Cloud Drive too. The functionality you’re looking for is present in their Cloud Player, but not the Drive. (Even then it’s weird because it gives you a ZIP file to download.) Why have two different interfaces? The Player only shows the Music folder and also includes player controls, but still, why two interfaces? Merging them would help a lot. While they’re at it, I’d like an option of tying it to my S3 account. An added plus would be an app for my desktop that lets me access the Drive outside of a web browser.

    • Yair

      Agree 100%!!
      For me it’s Amazon’s way of twisting the user’s arm to use more applications. Maybe planning to offer these features on paid plans?

  • http://www.google.com/profiles/jeff.harbert#about Jeff Harbert

    I’m a bit baffled by the Cloud Drive too. The functionality you’re looking for is present in their Cloud Player, but not the Drive. (Even then it’s weird because it gives you a ZIP file to download.) Why have two different interfaces? The Player only shows the Music folder and also includes player controls, but still, why two interfaces? Merging them would help a lot. While they’re at it, I’d like an option of tying it to my S3 account. An added plus would be an app for my desktop that lets me access the Drive outside of a web browser.

  • http://bladeronner.com Ron Dawson

    That is disappoining. When I got the email announcement about Cloud Drive I thought it looked great. Haven’t had time to try it out yet. Thanks for the heads up on the lame functionality. I’ll wait a while before testing it. Hopefully AMZN is listening. :)

  • NunyaBizness

    Yep. The download button greys out when you click more than one file. I tried out Gladinet (free version) at work today. It adds a virtual drive mapped to the root of your cloud drive storage space. You can download as many files as you need with that.

  • Tiffany

    There is something better Psonar

  • Tiffany

    There is something better Psonar

  • JoelStransky

    I could not agree more. Compared to dropbox. Cloud Drive is complete crap… still!
    I thought I’d store my child’s life in video and pictures on Amazon because hey, they’re amazon, my files should still be there in 10 years. But it’s an absolute nightmare to upload/rename/manage/sync you name it. I’m giving them a few months to announce an overhaul and then I’m switching.

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