Microsoft has announced a music streaming service for Windows 8 tablets, aimed straight at Spotify's jugular.
Known as Xbox Music, the Redford-based company's new initiative will be offered in both free and paid versions. With the free version, users can choose which songs they want to stream as long as they agree to one ad every 15 minutes. One concession of the free service is the inability to download songs for online playback.
The premium subscription costs $9.95 per month and opens up the service's connectivity to Windows smart phones and Xbox 360s. Xbox Music users must also be subscribed to Xbox Live Gold in order to take advantage of the streaming service. Subscribed users will have access to a unified playlist can be accessed from the Xbox 360, Windows Smartphone, and Windows 8 tablet
The Wall Street Journal writes, "The new music service is part of a much broader effort to convince consumers and investors that after dominating the personal computer era, Microsoft still has mojo enough to avoid the fate other once-dominant companies suffered when they failed to change as fast as their environment."
A free 30-day trial of Xbox Music begins on October 16, but the service will officially luanch on October 26 with the release of Windows 8 tablet devices.
On the PC, Windows 8 will cost $14.99 for those who bought a Windows computer on June 2, 2012 or after. Those interested can visit this site to register for a promo code now. The promotion ends on January 31, 2013. If you are not eligible for the code, you will still be able to purchase a discounted version of the OS for $39 between the previously mentioned dates.