Microsoft prepping music streaming service, Xbox tie-in possible

Speaking to the Telegraph, Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN, announced that Microsoft will launch a streaming music service "imminently" -- by the end of July, according to the Telegraph. Bale said the service will perform similarly to Spotify, a streaming music service which offers both an ad-supported listening option as well as a premium subscription with no ads (similar to Pandora in the US), though Microsoft has yet to reveal the business model of its service. Bale added that Microsoft is considering extending the service to the Xbox 360, though he divulged no concrete details.

Having already announced support for another music streaming service on Xbox, Last.fm, it's surprising to hear this announcement so soon after E3. It's not surprising, however, to think Microsoft would prefer to see its own service on the Xbox 360 as well. After all, the company has seen sizable success in renting movies and selling television shows on Xbox Live Marketplace, making music the next logical step.

With Microsoft set to unveil the Zune HD this fall, we wouldn't be surprised to see the new music service tying into the new Zune Video marketplace as well.

[Via Xboxic]

Reader Comments (28)

Wonder if Sony Music will play ball.

I have the sneaking suspicion that they might not.

There is waaay to much money to be made for Sony to pass it up, if they had a choice. Which I doubt.

I don't think you can say "I don't want you to play my music". Radio stations play whatever the hell they feel like. As long as you pay the royalties.

Internet streaming is no different.

@MystileArmor,

That may be true, but find me a single Sony movie on the xbox live video marketplace. Which if memory serves is the #2 online video purchasing source, behind iTunes. If Sony can afford to keep their movies off XBLVM, why not their music too?

@AoE, what about MGM? Sony owns them or part of them, right?

Sony owns Columbia. I'm not so sure about MGM.

The PS3 has a web browser which can watch videos on YouTube and access websites like Facebook and whatnot. I don't remember if the Xbox 360 has a web browser or not, because if not, then it would make sense why Microsoft would talk about Twitter and whatnot on the 360.

Having looked through Wiki and their respective websites, Columbia is wholly owned by Sony whereas MGM is partially owned by Sony.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mgm

I'm surprised that Spotify hasn't been mentioned before now with regards to the 360. It would probably work quite well but it's not available in the US at all so Microsoft will dismiss it out of hand no doubt.

Ah yeah, this is true, like they did with SkyTV.

This is a lil baffling after announcing Last.FM for the 360. oh well, the more the merrier.

Yeah, well, this won't be as good as the one from Google - oh, wait, that's right, there's NOTHING from Google like this.

I have to laugh, anybody thinking a bunch of search geeks are going to take on & defeat the Redmond crowd. Notgonnahappen.

Idiot.

The fuck are you talking about?

Just wait until Google Wave and Google's operative system ^^

Off-Top aside, Google might be the fastest evolving company ever, given how within ten years they went from nothing to the giants they are now. In fact, they've just announced Chrome OS. One it inevitably become more popular than both Linux and Mac OS combined, they'll definitely get busy with a streaming service :D

^^idiot

Jakka, the Chrome OS -is- Linux, but they are going to use a new windowing system.

Where is the podcast Richard???

that's the least of Microsofts problems. Sony have launched a free VIDEO streaming service, and they are messing around with AUDIO only streaming services.

Sony's free Vidzone (with 15k music videos to choose from, all in VERY decent quality) makes all of Microsofts payfor offerings laughable.

Good luck trying to watch a video while playing a game.

The fact that you said "music videos" and "decent" in the same sentence made me lol.

@Mark,

Wake me when it's proper movies and television episodes. Free music videos? Whoopty-doo, you can get those all over the internet, and also on xbox live (they've been doing the artist of the month thing since early 2006).

Wake me when it's proper movies and television episodes. Free music videos? Whoopty-doo, you can get those all over the internet.

Yeah, because you totally can't get proper movies and television episodes all over the internet.

LOL, keep up Microsoft, Sony offer free VIDEO streaming with Vidzone, and you are offering PAY-FOR AUDIO...

Instant Fail

eeeeeeeeeeee reading fail. Where does MS talk about charging for their service? They liken it to another service that has two listening models, ad-based and subscription based. In your efforts to be the perfect fanboy you... well, i guess you succeeded since you're talking nonsense, capitalizing things strangely, etc.

Just concentrate on getting us some decent non-fps games.

The Zune is a good piece of hardware,it's the software and music organization that I hated about it.

Attn MS: Get LaLa

Microsoft prepping music streaming service, Xbox tie-in possible

Reader Comments (28)

Posted: Jul 13th 2009 5:36PM skyzbig said

Posted: Jul 13th 2009 5:45PM RobS the 3rd said

Posted: Jul 13th 2009 7:22PM MystileArmor said

Posted: Jul 13th 2009 8:27PM AoE said

Posted: Jul 13th 2009 9:29PM Dance Mofo said

Posted: Jul 14th 2009 1:48AM mahouneko said

Posted: Jul 14th 2009 1:52AM mahouneko said

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Posted: Jul 13th 2009 7:31PM MystileArmor said

Posted: Jul 13th 2009 8:10PM Anthology said

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