Imagine a music streaming service that’s free with ads, or comes uninterrupted for a monthly premium. That sounds remarkably like Spotify, the service that’s taken off like wildfire in several European countries.
But it also sounds very much like the service Microsoft is set to open, and which will arrive by the end of the month, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN, told the newspaper:
“Music is an important area for Microsoft. We are looking at launching a music streaming service imminently.”
“It will be a similar principle to Spotify but we are still examining how the business model will work.”
Spotify is free for those who tolerate the ads, while those who want to do without can pay £9.99 a month (around $15). Anyone wanting to download a track they hear can do so through the company’s download partner, 7 Digital.
Bale dropped hints that Microsoft’s service could tie in with the Xbox, which the company is eager to promote as an entertainment hub, and it could also help increase the popularity of the Zune music player, a high def version of which is due in the US.
As to how it will all work, Bale didn’t seem to know for certain, which might seem a little odd, given that the service is due to launch, at least in the UK, before the end of the month. He said:
“We are looking at how other similar businesses have structured their business models and trying to figure out what will work best for both consumer and Microsoft.”
