Late to the Party: Microsoft's Xbox Music Launches Tomorrow
Only compatible with Windows devices for now.
Tomorrow, Microsoft will have another go at launching a music service that aims to compete with iTunes, Spotify and a range of other audio services vying for your wallet. That's when Xbox Music launches - and it's being pegged as the one music service that you'll ever need.
The big pitch to consumers is the implication that Xbox Music will tie up all of your music from various devices and make it work wholesale. Reads the opening paragraph of Microsoft's press release; "Whether it’s music you’ve purchased on your smartphone, a music app on your tablet, listening to songs through the living room TV or turning to Internet radio on your PC at work, the music you love is scattered across different services. Enjoying music today requires too much work."
It's solution? Xbox Music! So, a service that allows you to enjoy music you've already bought, to use on any kind of device you own?
Well... not exactly. It is, in Microsoft's words, "the first all-in-one music service that gives you the freedom to stream custom-created playlists for free, subscribe to all the music you want or download-to-own your favourite songs."
To stream music content, you'll need a compatible device - which strictly means Windows 8 tablets and computers. Streaming will be free on such devices for six months, after which there will be limits imposed on those who do not pay a subscription. Xbox 360 users will also need to pay a premium for the Xbox Music Pass. "Additional platforms" may be supported later, according to the press release.
Xbox Music will also use cloud features, in a similar way to Apple's own iCloud. An iTunes Match-style feature, called Scan and Match, will be available later in the year. Social networking features and a Smart DJ artist-based radio system will also be included in the service.
While Xbox Music will no doubt please owners of Microsoft devices, it's a far cry from the "one music service to rule them all" as its press release suggests. Enjoying music today may require too much work - but launching yet another service with its own set of rules and limitations might not be the right solution.
The big pitch to consumers is the implication that Xbox Music will tie up all of your music from various devices and make it work wholesale. Reads the opening paragraph of Microsoft's press release; "Whether it’s music you’ve purchased on your smartphone, a music app on your tablet, listening to songs through the living room TV or turning to Internet radio on your PC at work, the music you love is scattered across different services. Enjoying music today requires too much work."
It's solution? Xbox Music! So, a service that allows you to enjoy music you've already bought, to use on any kind of device you own?
Well... not exactly. It is, in Microsoft's words, "the first all-in-one music service that gives you the freedom to stream custom-created playlists for free, subscribe to all the music you want or download-to-own your favourite songs."
To stream music content, you'll need a compatible device - which strictly means Windows 8 tablets and computers. Streaming will be free on such devices for six months, after which there will be limits imposed on those who do not pay a subscription. Xbox 360 users will also need to pay a premium for the Xbox Music Pass. "Additional platforms" may be supported later, according to the press release.
Xbox Music will also use cloud features, in a similar way to Apple's own iCloud. An iTunes Match-style feature, called Scan and Match, will be available later in the year. Social networking features and a Smart DJ artist-based radio system will also be included in the service.
While Xbox Music will no doubt please owners of Microsoft devices, it's a far cry from the "one music service to rule them all" as its press release suggests. Enjoying music today may require too much work - but launching yet another service with its own set of rules and limitations might not be the right solution.
Companies:
Microsoft
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Comments
PaulRayment 15 Oct 2012 10:25
1/2
That Microsoft can still get this so wrong either exposes them as amazingly egotistical or truly inept..Or both.
I like the idea of playing tunes through my TV. My laptop has s**t speakers and I don't have a HIFI. It sounds even better with Smart Glass.
BUT for this price I can run Spotify. Sure, it doesn't run on Xbox but it runs on my iPad, Android Phone and PC at home and at work. All my friends use it so I can share stuff and see what they're listening to.
All MS has going for it with this is that you can it through your Xbox and that really won't be enough - especially when they have no Android or iOS app.
I like the idea of playing tunes through my TV. My laptop has s**t speakers and I don't have a HIFI. It sounds even better with Smart Glass.
BUT for this price I can run Spotify. Sure, it doesn't run on Xbox but it runs on my iPad, Android Phone and PC at home and at work. All my friends use it so I can share stuff and see what they're listening to.
All MS has going for it with this is that you can it through your Xbox and that really won't be enough - especially when they have no Android or iOS app.
@coxy 15 Oct 2012 10:29
2/2
@PaulRayment I actually used to use (the Xbox Music premium subscription formally known as) Zune Pass on my Xbox console, Windows PC and Windows Phone - and it was a great experience. I actually prefer it to Spotify... which I'm now using in Premium mode, since I've moved to a region where Zune's not available.
If Xbox Music is available in Norway from tomorrow, I might switch back to the product range.
If Xbox Music is available in Norway from tomorrow, I might switch back to the product range.