Xbox Music Gets Free Web Streaming and iOS, Android Apps

From DailyTech: Microsoft has announced some very important changes to the Xbox Music service. One of the biggest changes is that Xbox Music now supports streaming at no cost via the web. That allows you to access Xbox Music from any browser and listen to any track from the 30 million song catalog.

Microsoft has also announced apps are now available for Xbox Music for Android and iOS users. The new applications and free web streaming are Microsoft's attempt to give users the ability to access music across all the different devices they interact with on a daily basis and now includes computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and TVs.

“Xbox Music now, more than ever, powers music experiences between Windows 8, Xbox, Windows Phone, and now iOS, Android and the Web,” said Jerry Johnson, general manager of Xbox Music. “We’re also excited to connect artists with their fans on the most anticipated consumer product of the year when Xbox One launches Nov. 22.”

Microsoft also offers the Xbox Music Pass subscription service and it brings the entire catalog of music to Android and iOS users allowing unlimited access to songs and artists. The subscription service is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Currently, there is no offline mode for either smartphone application, but the capability should arrive at a later date.

Microsoft also says that it plans to add Web Playlist functionality to Windows 8.1, which will be released on October 18. That feature will allow Windows 8.1 users to set up their own playlists for streaming music at no cost from the internet.

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