Xbox Music to offer free song streaming, launching this month?
Hot on the heels of rumours surrounding a planned BBC music streaming service, whispers are now circulating that Microsoft’s own Xbox Music streaming platform could be landing this month, on 26 October to be exact.
Following the business model set down by rival Spotify, Xbox Music is set to offer a free, ad-funded version, as well as an ad-free subscription service.
Tying in nicely to the wider Windows 8 launch, playlists will automatically sync across Windows 8 phones and the desktop OS, stored in the cloud and accessible through Microsoft SkyDrive.
Landing first as an Xbox 360 dashboard app in a forthcoming update, Xbox Music is expected to follow up with both iOS and Android offerings soon after.
Long rumoured to launch, Xbox Music had initially been thought to offer a more “traditional” iTunes style digital downloads service, alongside Spotify style streaming. It’s now uncertain whether these features remain.
For current users of Microsoft’s flailing Zune service, it’s expected that their accounts will be migrated over to the new platform, along with purchases.
