Look out, Pandora: Microsoft launches free streaming music service for Windows 8 tablets

LOS ANGELES (AP)X-- Buyers of tablets that run Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 8, are in for a pleasant musical surprise: They'll be able to handpick from a selection of millions of songs and stream them for free as long as they put up with an audio ad every 15 minutes.

The new service, called Xbox Music, is not on offer anywhere else at the moment.

Sweden's Spotify, for instance, allows track selection and playback on personal computers for free -- with the occasional audio ad -- but doesn't allow users to pick exactly the song they want on tablets unless they pay $10 a month for a premium subscription. Oakland-based Pandora's popular free online radio service also doesn't let users pick specific tracks.

Although this is a step forward for the music industry, its appeal is limited by the expense of most mobile data plans. Most cost more the more data used, which can make streaming music on cellular networks fairly expensive.

The free version of Xbox Music won't let users download songs and save them for offline playback. That will require paying $10 a month.

The paid subscription is also required if users want to access Xbox Music on the Xbox 360 game console or on smartphones that use Windows Phone. On the game console, an Xbox Live Gold membership, which costs $60 a year, is also required.

On PCs running Windows 8, Xbox Music will match Spotify's offer of free track selection and playback.

In a

demonstration on Friday, Xbox Music General Manager Jerry Johnson showed how one's playlists are saved online and can be accessed when switching between the service on the Xbox 360 game console, a Windows Phone and a Windows 8 tablet.

Each iteration looked similar and had a clean interface with sharply detailed cover art. Xbox Music will be the default music player on all new Windows 8 devices, which will be available upon the launch of the new operating system on Oct. 26.

Current users of the Xbox -- about 66 million worldwide -- will gradually be introduced to the service with a 30-day free trial starting Tuesday.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/business/ci_21777622/look-out-pandora-microsoft-launches-free-streaming-music?source=rss

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