Microsoft Launches Streaming Music Service to Compete with Spotify
By Morelli
Microsoft will launch a music streaming service this month, in an attempt to get some of Spotify’s market share. Spotify allows users to stream music for free with intermittant advertising, and the option purchase downloads. Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN, told The Telegraph:
“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 isn’t available in the US, so if Microsoft uses the service on the Xbox 360 and the forthcoming Zune HD, the software giant can practically guarantee itself a sizeable user base from the beginning.
If Microsoft can offer a service that allows us to choose from hundreds of thousands of tracks, with only occasional 30-second adverts, then what is there to convince Spotify-users to switch?
