Music shouldn’t be locked away locally. We’re slowly improving by stepping away from DRM and other rather aggressive content restriction policies, but there’s still a long way to go.

Arguably one of the “better” ways to enjoy music is from the cloud; something many people on YouTube, Last.fm and Spotify understand.

But not just in terms of music discovery or online radio tidbits. Uploading your own music to the clouds is at least as viable as enjoying it offline. Even if you continue to use iTunes locally, a cloud-based music library allows you to enjoy your own music wherever you are, regardless of the device you’re currently sporting.

Mougg

Mougg fits the bill. This nifty online tool will be your media player in the clouds. Anyone signing up “” without much of a hassle, I might add “” gets 1 GB free storage. That makes for approximately 200 to 250 MP3′s. Admittedly, many users might require more, but it’s a handsome amount to carry around with you all the time, and should be enough to host your (currently) most favorite songs.

The online media player, shown above, is kind to the eye and easy to use. You can browse your cloud library counterpart, skipping, seeking and shuffling songs to your heart’s desire. Mougg was able to keep its streaming on par with my connection speed, which makes for fast buffering. Only right-mouse functionality seemed to be lacking.

After supplying an email address and custom password, you’re set to go “” no confirmation required. Select Upload Music in the left sidebar to get (part of) your music library online. Mougg allows you to select music from your computer, MP3 or M4A, but only around 50 items at a time. On the plus side, the music controls on the bottom left get you enjoying your music as soon as the first song finishes uploading.

In advanced controls, Mougg makes your music library instantly searchable, showing results as you type. It also offers playlist functionality, which is something that simply can’t be said for all online music players. To fill a playlist, simply drag the songs onto the playlist name. However, these songs have to be added one by one, as shift-click doesn’t seem to work.

Mobile Integration

Mougg is also trying to make a truly portable entrance, with mobile streaming applications. One such app, for the Android OS, exists already, and can be seen below. It integrates well with the website; looks slick and is easy to use. After logging in with your Mougg credentials, you can start streaming right away.

A similar application for the iPhone is said to be on the way. Besides being able to stream music, like the Android app currently does, the iPhone application will also be able to play music locally, offline.

Search for Mougg on the Android Market to download the application, or use your phone to scan the QR code above.

Have you ever thought about freeing your music? Let us know your opinion in the comments below!