by Kira Grunenberg
Spotify is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the market of streaming music. However, the service isn’t without shortcomings and other electronics giants are looking to give the service a run for its money. Sony will be the newest name to throw its hat in the ring with their own streaming creation, “Music Unlimited.”
Music Unlimited isn’t actually a new challenger, so to speak. Originally, this branch of Sony’s products and services was called Qriocity and was first launched in April 2010 with video-only content. When Qriocity merged with the Sony Entertainment Network, the brand became Music Unlimited. Music steaming came at the end of 2010 for Ireland and the U.K. and the following month in 2011 for the U.S. Other European countries and Australia/New Zealand followed suit in late January 2011 and February 2011 respectively.
When the first Music Unlimited app was released one year later, Sony focused on the Android market and other Sony-based products like the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Bravia televisions, along with Blu-Ray players. The iOS world has been left out until now, (well technically tomorrow the 25th,) when the app will become available for iPhone and iPod Touch users. An iPad version is, somewhat surprisingly, not being released together with its other Apple mobile counterparts, but that should be rectified in the not too distant future, as speculated by Digital Trends.
The expansion to the two iOS devices for the time being is still a good way to give the large iPhone/iPod Touch user base an immediate alternative. Furthermore, with more of Sony’s mobile bases covered, Spotify could start see some tug of war with their subscribers, since music on the go is one of the key uses behind streaming.
Consumer extension is all well and good, but there are still the matters of pricing and selection. In a detail to detail comparison against Spotify, Music Unlimited might be just what Spotify users are looking for, or might not be, depending on how an existing Spotify user manages their account. Prices are monthly.
Music Unlimited
$3.99 Basic Subscription / $9.99 Premium Subscription (No Ads for either)
15 million track catalog – Freely accessible only to Premium Subscribers – Basic Subscribers must have a track in their possession and sync it to access the song individually. With or without syncing, pre-programmed stations covering era, genre, and mood are available to Basic users with no skipping limits and the ability to personalize.
User Access: 14 nations – Canada, U.S., United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
Spotify
Free (with Ads) / $4.99 Unlimited Subscription / $9.99 Premium Subscription
15 million track catalog - Accessible at all levels
User Access: 15 nations - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and U.S.
The fact of the matter is that Music Unlimited isn’t anywhere near unlimited if you’re not springing for the Premium version and want to give a track/album a listen that you aren’t sure you want to purchase yet. With this option available on Spotify for just above the price of Sony’s Basic plan, it’s straightforward numbers. Still, if you’re in Canada, Ireland or Italy, Spotify is nonexistent, so Music Unlimited would be a welcome development for their iPhone/iPod Touch users.
Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1
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