Foster City, Calif. – Sony (NYSE: SNE) on Thursday announced the launch
of its new subscription-based music service, "Music Unlimited powered by
Qriocity," in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. The cloud-based service
offers about six million tracks from all four major record labels, as well as
independents.
U.S. consumers will pay $3.99 per month for a basic service that
includes an ad-free radio station, and the ability to listen to dozens of
personalized channels.
The $9.99 per month premium tier lets users listen to
the service’s entire catalog on-demand, create personal playlists of favorites,
and access premium-tier radio channels updated regularly "with the latest
hits."
Users can synchronize Qriocity with existing music files and
playlists from iTunes and other media players.
The service also studies users’
listening habits, incorporating like/dislike song ratings to tailor what songs
are played on their streaming music channels.
Sony said the service is compatible
with Internet-connected Sony devices including the PlayStation 3, Bravia TVs,
Blu-ray players and home theater systems, and VAIO and other computers, and
will be made available for Sony and third-party, Android-based mobile devices.
Sony
first debuted the Music Unlimited service for Qriocity in December in the U.K.
and Ireland, followed by roll-outs in France, Germany, Italy and Spain in
January.
The service’s back-end is powered by Omnifone and Gracenote.
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