Sony's Music Unlimited by Qriocity goes live in U.S. today
Sony is expanding its influence in the digital music game as Music Unlimited, powered by Qriocity, goes live in the United States, Australia and New Zealand today.
Music Unlimited was first launched in December in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by France, Germany, Spain and Italy in late January. With today's expansion, that brings the total count to nine countries in two months.
After getting a sneak peek of the Music Unlimited service running on a Sony PlayStation 3 yesterday, Music Unlimited seemed more like a Netflix for music rather than a direct competitor to iTunes. Nevertheless, that's what it will be called and known as, which is probably still fair.
Officially launching at noon EST, Music Unlimited will be available for PS3s, Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray disc players, PCs and Macs. The only problem with the Mac version is that syncing personal library information isn't supported yet, but that should be resolved with a software update later.
Sony Network Entertainment president Tim Schaaff informed me that Sony has plans to expand Music Unlimited coverage at that same rate over the rest of this year. Furthermore, a Music Unlimited app for Android and other mobile platforms is also in development. But home entertainment is the primary focus at the moment.
If you already have a PS3 or other Qriocity account, that will work with Music Unlimited. The apps are free, but subscription plans start at $3.99 for the basic plan, which operates more like a radio station as users can only stream content, and move backwards and forwards. The premium plan costs $9.99 per month, which gives full access to playlist creations and searching the extensive library through a medium of channels, organized by genre, moods, artists and more.
If you're not convinced yet, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial. I plan to do the that with my PS3, so expect a hands-on review in the future.
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