Microsoft Launches Xbox Music Service

Microsoft stepped into the music service category with a new music platform.

Microsoft's Xbox Music service brings streaming, subscription and music store to Xbox 360 and Windows 8 PCs, tablets and phones with cloud-based storage.

Microsoft is out to make its presence felt with this renewed venture and will take on other music services such as iTunes, Amazon, Pandora or Spotify. The Xbox Music comes as two different services.

The first Xbox Music Pass is a streaming service which replaces its failed Zune Music Pass and comes with both a freemium tier and a $11.99 per month plan. The second service is the Music Store like any other digital music stores.

While the Freemium plan provides the user with unlimited streaming to Windows 8 PCs or tablets, $11.99 subscription allows one to download songs and use the service on your Xbox and Windows Phone.

Xbox Music will be available on Xbox 360 video game console by Tuesday and users can avail a free 30-day trial of Xbox Music Pass. Users with Windows 8 and Windows RT computers will get an ad-supported streaming Xbox Music from Oct. 26.

Despite the company's constant efforts to regain its share of the music market, Apple continues to dominate it with nearly 64 percent of digital music sales in the second quarter of 2012.

According to market research firm NPD Group, Apple sells 29 percent (nearly one-third) of all music, digital or physical. Amazon comes second with 16 percent of the digital market, Microsoft and others including Google Play, only commands a market shares of 5 percent or lower.

Xbox Music will be made available in 22 countries and Microsoft expects to integrate the service to Apple iOS and Google Android devices by next year.