The rumor has been proven true: Xbox Music is here. Launching tomorrow for Xbox 360 and on Oct 26 for other Windows devices, Xbox Music aims to give its users access to their music anywhere, whether it be on an Xbox console, a phone, a tablet, or a desktop or notebook PC. At the get-go, Microsoft will be focusing on its own products first, but Android and iOS versions will come later, giving Microsoft some nice market penetration.
For owners of a Windows 8-equipped device, music streaming will be made available for free – at least, up to 10 hours per month. Otherwise, a subscription will be needed, and that applies to anyone else as well. With the $9.99/mo subscription, you’ll be able to download music for offline listening.
While Microsoft’s Zune platform left a bit to be desired, the company looks to be doing things right with Xbox Music. The ability to use the same service across any of your Windows devices, and soon Android and iOS, is very tempting. This assumes the selection matches, although with 30 million tracks at the ready, chances are the service has what you’re looking for.
A major beef I had with Zune was that Canadians and many others were locked out of the service. It looks like things will be different with Xbox Music, as the press release states that it’ll eventually roll-out to 22 regions, and quite frankly, it has to. To date, no company seems to have matched Apple’s reach with its iTunes service, and it’s always baffled me. It’s not as though those who live in the US are the only music lovers, so there have been huge opportunities missed for Microsoft and others.