Microsoft today announced that its new Xbox Music music service will launch tomorrow. The cross-platform service promises to be the first all-in-one music service, offering everything from streaming, a subscription service, and the ability to download songs. It will first be available on the Microsoft Xbox with availability on Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets and PCs and on Windows Phone 8 smartphones to follow on October 26th.
“The launch of Xbox Music is a milestone in simplifying digital music on every type of device and on a global scale,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “We’re breaking down the walls that fracture your music experiences today to ensure that music is better and integrated across the screens that you care about most — your tablet, PC, phone and TV.”
Xbox Music will offer the following services:
- Free streaming music on Windows 8 and Windows RT with access to tens of millions of songs. Includes the ability to created unlimited number of playlists. The number of streaming hours will be limited to 10 hours/month after 6 months on the free service.
- Xbox Music Pass. Unlimited access to ad-free, unlimited playback of any track in our subscription catalog across all supported devices as well as unlimited access to videos on Xbox 360. Cost is US$9.99 per month.
- Xbox Music Store: MP3 marketplace offering single tracks and entire albums on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices.
- Smart DJ with instant mixes based on favourite artists.
- Cloud Storage to be offered in 2013 will allow users to add own music to the Xbox Music cloud catalog.
- Social features to be added in the coming year to let users share music experiences.
Windows Phone and Windows 7 users will be able to continue using the Zune Music service. They will be able to carry over their subscription when switching to newer devices.
Free streaming will be available in 15 markets initially while the Xbox Music Pass will be offered in 22 markets (including Canada). Microsoft will extend the services to new regions throughout the coming year.
Read more: Microsoft