Xbox Music plays tomorrow on 360, Windows 8 booked for launch
Xbox Music, Microsoft's Spotify-like replacement for Zune, debuts on Xbox 360 tomorrow. Engadget reports the service is available via an Xbox Music Pass (formerly Zune Pass) subscription, $9.99 per month/$99 per year for Xbox Live Gold users.
Microsoft also confirmed Xbox Music is coming to Windows 8 PCs and tablets at launch on October 26, on which the service offers unlimited free streaming for the first six months. Xbox Music Pass subscribers don't suffer ads, and can store tracks for offline listening. After six months, streaming becomes time-limited without Xbox Music Pass. Another difference between the Windows 8 and Xbox Live versions is that the latter cannot be run in the background.
The above video showcases some of Xbox Music's features, including unlimited skipping and Smart DJ, the latter creating radio stations based on a particular album, artist, or song you select. It launches tomorrow on Xbox 360 with 30 million global songs (18 million for the US), and users can try it out for zip, nada, and niente via a 30 day free trial. Xbox Music is also coming to Windows 8 phones (with the same model as on Xbox 360) "shortly after" Windows 8 launches and other unannounced platforms "at a later date."
