Microsoft is making a bigger push than ever before the make itself a top contender for music streaming. The company is taking aim at Spotify with its latest free streaming site music.xbox.com, which begins offering its extensive library of 30 million songs.
Last October, Microsoft launched the Xbox Music service for Windows 8 computers and tablets, followed by the Xbox 360 and Windows phones. Now the system not only lets users listen to the tracks for free, but it allows them to spend $9.99 a month for a similar service to Spotify's Premium subscription for the same price. Xbox Music Pass subscribers will listen to ad-free music on the go on iOS and Android devices for as long as he or she keep up the payments, according to USA Today.
Next month, Xbox Music will continue its growth with a special music enhancement feature within the Windows 8.1 update, expected for an Oct. 18 arrival. With this update, any Internet Explorer web page with music-related content will be used to help create a playlist or radio station of that band or artist's work. For example, were someone to search for One Direction, not only would they see the group's Wikipedia page and the band's home page, they would also see options to listen to songs and add those songs to their Xbox Music collection.
The hope is that this service will get an edge over Spotify as a result of its functionality on the upcoming Xbox One, due out Nov. 22 in the U.S. and Canada.
"Microsoft is clearly positioning Xbox One as an overall entertainment device, the content hub of the living room, and the music service is likely to be a key piece in that vision," said ABI Research senior analyst Aapo Markkanen. "A lot will ultimately depend on how well the new Xbox sells. Delivering a smooth integration with the console is the main differentiator for this service, considering how many other options consumers all around the world start to have for their digital music."
