Microsoft is readying Xbox music service for launch along side Windows 8 according to The Verge sources. Microsoft announced Xbox Music service in June during their E3 press event. The xbox music service will replace the existing Zune services, this also means Microsoft is retiring Zune branding and moving to the most successful and widely recognized Xbox branding.
The interesting bit of the report is that Xbox Music streaming service will be offered as free with an ad-supported model for those who don’t want to pay initially and want to test the service similar to Spotify model. There will be subscription plans as well similar to what Zune service offers. The details are not clear about the subscription plans, but Zune service charged $10/ month or $100/ month.
Xbox Music although the name suggests Xbox gaming console, it is not limited to the Xbox but will be available on Windows Phone and Windows 8 as well. Another good part is that it will also be available on rival platforms Android and iOS, but the apps for the same won’t be available at the launch, Microsoft might add these apps at a later date. With the number of Android and iOS devices out there it only makes sense if they release apps for these devices as early as possible.
The service will also have integration with SkyDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage solution, allowing users to store their music collection on cloud using SkyDrive. SkyDrive has been already available across multiple device platforms.
According to the report Microsoft is also planning to release a dashboard for Xbox console to support the new music service. The music and video apps for Windows 8 are updated at the time of the Windows 8 launch, that is October 26th to fully support the Xbox music.
Via The Verge
