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    Xbox Music service announced, coming to Xbox, Windows Phone, and Windows 8

    Xbox Music service announced, coming to Xbox, Windows Phone, and Windows 8

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    We heard that Microsoft was planning to unveil its "Woodstock" Xbox Music service at E3 this week, and the company has revealed details on its plans today. Yusuf Mehdi says Microsoft will release Xbox Music on Xbox, Windows 8, and Windows Phones. Microsoft didn't mention exactly when we can expect to see Xbox Music, but the company demonstrated what it will look like in a demo video played on the big screen.

    The Metro interface is present throughout, and there's a clear social element with a friends list visible. Microsoft is keeping the Zune Smart DJ feature as part of Xbox Music, and a library of over 30 million tracks will be available. The rebranding of Microsoft's Zune services to Xbox is part of a bigger effort to position Xbox as the company's primary entertainment platform.

    Although Microsoft only mentioned support for Xbox, Windows Phone, and Windows 8, the company says Xbox Music is designed to give you access to your music collection from "any screen." We previously heard that Xbox Music will be accessible on a variety of other devices, including iOS, Android, and through web browsers. Microsoft isn't discussing any third-party offerings but song downloads, music subscriptions, artist-based radio, and cross-screen clients will be available later this year when Xbox Music launches.


    Xbox Music pictures

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