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Microsoft axing Zune Marketplace rentals and sales, recommends Xbox Video and Music
Coinciding with the impending abandonment of Microsoft Points, the ability to rent and purchase media from Zune Marketplace will also be hitting retirement come August 22nd. A recently-posted FAQ on the Xbox website details the changes, directing current users to hurry up and use their remaining points as they'll be worthless come that EOL date. For future service Microsoft is unsurprisingly pointing users to Xbox Music and Video, noting that the latter will also be accessible on Xbox One, Windows Phone 8 and browsers "later this year." Unlimited streaming will be accessible through the Xbox Music Pass as you'd expect, and your existing media will continue to function as normal. Better yet, OG Zune Music Pass subscribers will still be able to stream tunes and obtain their 10 free downloads per month. Consider it another inevitable nail in the Zune brand's coffin, while it lives on through Xbox.
Zune Music Pass comes to the Land Down Under, you'll soon hear the thunder
Yes, we're talking about Australia. Microsoft's Zune Music Pass is now available from coast to coast for 11.99 AUD (about $12.14) per month or 119.90 AUD (about $121.38) for a full year, with 14-day trials available for a cool 0.00 AUD. You'll have access to 11 million tracks from your Windows Phone, desktop Zune client or the web -- with Xbox 360 support on the way. So let the beer flow, but don't chunder.
Microsoft announces new $10 Zune Music Pass, expands service to Canada
It may not enjoy quite the same level of buzz that the likes of Spotify, Rdio and MOG have been basking in lately, but Microsoft's Zune service is still kicking, and the company's now working to make it a bit more appealing and more widely available. For folks in the US, the big change today is a new $10 per month Zune Music Pass, which is identical to the existing $15 service with the notable exception that you no longer get to keep ten free MP3s each month (that $15 option remains available to existing subscribers, though). Elsewhere, Microsoft has also now finally brought the Zune Marketplace and Zune Pass to Canada -- it opens up on October 3rd, with the Zune Pass running the same $10/month (or $100 for a year of service). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
