I remember fondly when Zune introduced Zune Pass. I had the same reaction most people did, which was along the lines of “Seriously, you want me renting my music!? I love to flat out own it.” However, Zune stuck to their guns, and even did some pretty nifty advertising to boot.
That little thing, called Zune Pass, which was once seen as DOA has now become part of the baseline for how people judge their music services. They want to be able to have access to as much of a catalog as possible. Plus, with the ability to have a whole marketplace at your disposal it leaves less chance of not having that song you want, at the ready — unless, of course you have obscure or international tracks.
Today, there’s Xbox Music Pass which has become more than just a subscription to a catalog of music. Music Pass allows you to listen to music across a variety of tuners (another shortcoming of Zune Pass). You can listen via Windows PCs, Windows tablets, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Web, iOS, and Android. You also get access (using Xbox 360 and Xbox One) to watch 1000s of music videos.
Let’s not also forget that Xbox Music Pass has a free version for people who use Windows PCs, the Web, and Windows Tablets. Though, frankly, that should also apply to Windows Phone, since that’s where a majority of people are going to be listening to their music, anyway. With the free version, you can stream up to 10 hours worth of music each month and create playlists based upon your favorite artists.
There’s a lot going on with Xbox Music Pass (something to appeal to everyone, free and premium). In a sea of services, including Beats, Google Play, Spotify, Slacker, and others Xbox Music holds its own and definitely deserves a seat at the table.