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MOG FreePlay brings 11 million songs to the web gratis, makes you work for free tunes

Free? Yeah, we all like free, but when it comes to streaming music, there's always a catch. This time it's a FreePlay "tank," which lets you stream any of MOG's 11 million songs from the web without subscription fees -- well, at least until that looming gauge hits empty. The system adds a rather unique social media twist, filling tanks to different levels based on virtual interactions. And MOG's CEO says many users should never hit empty -- there are a variety of ways to earn free music, such as "interacting with advertisers in meaningful ways." Like Spotify, MOG's ultimate goal is to convert freeloaders to paid subscribers, and forking over $5 (Basic) or $10 (Primo) per month does have its benefits, including hardware integration and mobile access -- both of which won't work with the free version. Now that we have several free streaming options, it ultimately comes down to availability -- having access to 11 million tracks could be great, but only if you can play the songs you want to listen to. So, do you MOG? And no, we also have no idea what that means, but you can check it out when the site goes live tomorrow morning at 9AM ET.


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MOG Launches Free On-Demand Music Listening Service

Instant Access to MOG's Entire Catalog for the Ultimate Music Listening Experience

Berkeley, CA - September 14, 2011 – MOG®, today announced a free, ad-supported version of its award-winning on-demand music service, which will go live on MOG.com as of 9:00am EST/ 6:00am PDT on Thursday, September 15. Music lovers can access MOG's entire catalog of over 11 million songs, nearly everything you'd find in popular music download stores, for free, making it the easiest way to enjoy instant access to music with no installable client application and no credit card needed. The free version will be ad-free for the first 60 days so fans can get a taste of the service without any distractions.
Free listeners on MOG receive a virtual "gas tank" full of music visibly integrated into the service. The refillable tank, called FreePlay, is built upon sophisticated game mechanics that enable users to earn free music in perpetuity, simply by listening, sharing with friends and exploring MOG. The FreePlay tank showcases how much free music a user has along with "earn music" and "upgrade" links that provide listeners the opportunity to earn more music, or upgrade to MOG Primo, a subscription plan that includes unlimited, ad-free music, and access to MOG via mobile devices, consumer electronic and streaming entertainment devices, and soon, the car.
"Our obsessed subscribers, and reviewers alike, tell us we've built the best way to listen to and discover music, and we're so excited that we can now provide people with free access," said David Hyman, CEO and Founder of MOG.
Earning Free Music
Listeners earn more music by participating in activities that demonstrate engagement and drive virality. Creating and sharing playlists and exploring the site will earn users more free music. Users can also refer friends to listen free on MOG to fill their virtual music tank.
"Your social influence is a key component," adds Hyman. "Tastemakers and influencers can easily get a lifetime of free on-demand music. These models have worked extremely well for other online businesses, and it's exciting to apply them to the music sector for the first time."
Soon after launch, MOG will expand ways for users to earn more free music including interacting with advertisers in meaningful ways like watching a movie trailer.
In-house Ad Sales Team
MOG brings a unique advantage to the ad supported music market. The company is also the provider of the MOG Music Network (MMN), the largest music focused advertising network online consisting of over 1500 music sites, reaching over 59 million people each month, according to ComScore. MMN operates ad sales offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Detroit, developing integrated, multi-platform marketing programs for more than 100 leading consumer brands in the U.S. The MMN ad sales team will expand these programs to include sponsorship opportunities within MOG's new free music service.
Leveraging HTML5

MOG's free service takes advantage of its recently unveiled HTML5 web application, which comes out of beta today, featuring a slick new interface and advanced features such as integration with Facebook for personalized recommendations. Users who sign in with Facebook Connect will instantly see music recommendations based on both personal listening habits and the artist "likes" of a listener and their friends on Facebook. Other notable features include a blazingly fast, easy to use new interface, drag-and-drop functionality for identifying favorites and creating playlists, redesigned artist pages, improved search capability, and revolutionary radio that offers artist-derived stations without the restrictions or limitations imposed by other online radio services. Playing music does not require a desktop client, so logging in is a seamless experience and users can enjoy MOG's vast catalog with just one click.

Pricing
MOG's free service is web only. Listeners can upgrade to one of the following subscription plans:
• MOG Basic, $4.99 per month: Access to MOG on online via MOG's web players or desktop client for Mac OS and through CE devices including Boxee, Roku, LG Internet connected TVs & Blu-ray players.

• MOG Primo, $9.99 per month: Access to MOG through mobile devices (iPhone, iPod touch and Android), online via MOG's web players or desktop client for Mac OS) via Sonos and through all Basic platforms (Boxee, Roku, LG Internet connected TVs & Blu-ray players).