A new chapter
Sony announced the launch of of its Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity Android app yesterday. This is significant as it marks the entry of another major player - after Amazon, Google and Apple, into the mobile device cloud music space, although Sony will be hoping it marks a new chapter in its cloud services operations after the PSN hacking debacle earlier this year.
Furthermore, like Apple, Sony has licensing agreements with all four major music labels including, of course, Sony Music Entertainment. Additionally the app has the ‘killer function' of allowing users to scan and match their music collections. In other words you don't have to physically upload your music to Sony's cloud, it will just detect what you have and replicate it.
Apple will be offering this service via its iTunes Match product later this year, but it's expected to be initially restricted to the US as Apple negotiates deals with the labels in other countries. While it's not explicitly stated in the press release, the launch and pricing of the app and service in the U.S., France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand implies this is a multi-national thing. Amazon and Google don't currently offer scan-and-match.
"‘Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity' offers extensive breadth of content, easy music discovery and personalization through a synchronized music experience across a variety of compatible home entertainment and portable devices," said Kazuo Hirai, Sony executive deputy president. "‘Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity' for Android is the next evolution of the service which enhances the value proposition for our customers."
We downloaded the app but you need to have signed up for at least a 30-day free trial to be able to log into it. The basic service costs £3.99 per month (and €3.99, and $3.99, sigh), while the premium subscription costs a tenner a month. Here are the respective features and a picky.
Features of Basic and Premium Monthly Subscription Plans
|
Premium (£9.99, €9.99, $9.99, AU$12.99, NZ$13.99) |
Basic (£3.99, €3.99, $3.99, AU$4.99, NZ$5.99) |
|
|
Multi Device Compatibility Enjoy millions of songs on a variety of home entertainment and mobile devices |
Y |
Y |
|
Basic Channels Enjoy music on dozens of personalized, ad-free music channels categorized by genre, era as well as mood through SensMe technology |
Y |
Y |
|
Music Sync Scan and match your existing music files and playlists on your PC to the service for playback on compatible devices at anytime |
Y |
Y |
|
Personalization Service learns your preferences by incorporating your "like/dislike" song ratings, analyzing your scanned and matched music and more to play songs tailored to your taste |
Y |
Y |
|
Create and Edit Playlists Create your own playlists which are automatically synchronized and accessible across all compatible devices |
Y |
|
|
Unlimited On-Demand Playback Search and play the entire music catalogue for your territory without restrictions |
Y |
|
|
Add to My Library Add to My Library for easy access to old favorites and new discoveries |
Y |
|
|
Premium Channels Additional premium channels such as Global Top 100, Hot Songs and more |
Y |
|
|
30 Day Free Trial |
Y |
