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Wednesday, 1st April 2015
In Japan Entertainment News,
PlayStation to get Spotify, Sony's music service to be replaced
Sony has announced that music streaming service Spotify will be launched on the PlayStation, replacing the company's own Music Unlimited platform.
With the aim to move the games console further into the entertainment field, Spotify will be coming to both PlayStation 3 and 4 next Monday (April 6th), expanding the music service to 41 countries rather than the 19 that were signed up with Music Unlimited. As part of the big move, a new app has been introduced for large television screens to enable Spotify.
Customers who do not already have an account with Spotify can register on the console itself, and existing customers can log in via the PlayStation app. It is important to note that Music Unlimited subscribers will not automatically be switched over, while those that subscribe on other Sony devices will still need to get the Spotify app.
Furthermore, the service has been adapted for PlayStation, with the ability to listen to music when playing games or the opportunity to pause a game when changing volume or playlists.
Spotify currently has 60 million active users all over the world, 15 million of which are paid subscribers. The service is free with advertisements, but while these users usually cannot choose specific songs on mobiles, they can do so on the PlayStation just like they can on computers. There is an otherwise monthly fee for those wanting to go premium with no ads.
This comes just two weeks after Sony launched PlayStation Vue, an online television service that offers over 50 channels in the vein of Netflix and Amazon prime. Sony is wanting to establish the PlayStation as an entertainment hub rather than a console just for playing video games, very much like what Microsoft did with its recent Xbox One.
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