Microsoft has been teasing us for months about its plans for Xbox Music and today the company revealed more details about its replacement for its previous Zune Music service.
In a press release today, Microsoft announced that users of Windows 8 and Windows RT-based tablets and PCs will be able to stream and listen to millions of songs on Xbox Music for free (with ads) when both launch on October 26th. The fine print says that those users will get a "limited" amount of free streaming after six months unless they pay for a full subscription.
The service will also be made available for Xbox 360 owners starting on Tuesday and on Windows Phone 8 devices in the near future. Both will require a $9.99 monthly subscription. In addition to the streaming service, Microsoft will offer an Xbox Music Store for people to purchase and download songs.
The service will also have what Microsoft is calling Smart DJ to help create personal playlists. Microsoft states, "With unlimited skips and a view of the full recommended music stream, Smart DJ puts you in control of your Internet radio experience."
In the near future, Microsoft will also add more social networking features and a cloud storage feature. Microsoft says:
Available in the coming year, a scan-and-match feature will take you beyond the 30 million tracks globally offered through Xbox Music. It will add all the music you own to your Xbox Music cloud catalog, including music acquired through other services. This means you can add almost any content you have to your personal Xbox Music collection, even if it’s not available in the Xbox Music catalog.
Microsoft also hints that Xbox Music will be made "available on other platforms in the coming year." That will include both iOS and Android devices, according to another Microsoft press release.
Source: Microsoft press release