BSkyB will next week launch Sky Songs, a streaming music service it hopes with rival iTunes and Spotify in popularity.
The £6.49 or £7.99 per month streaming options will gives users access to four million tracks and allow either 10 or 15 tracks, in MP3 format, to be downloaded and kept each month. Additional song downloads will cost extra.
The service is also seen as Sky’s attempt to try and offer legitimate alternatives to downloading songs from blogs and file sharing sites freely.
“Our music partners bring an outstanding catalogue and unrivalled expertise that complements Sky’s strengths in content distribution. Sky Songs will reach out to consumers who want legitimate digital services offering choice, ease of use and great value,” said Mike Darcey, Sky’s Chief Operating Officer in a press release.
“We want millions of homes using this regularly,” Neil Martin, Sky’s business development director told The Guardian.
“We’re looking at a lot of the things out there, and you need to know a hell of a lot about music, or a hell of a lot about technology. For a mainstream audience, it needs to be pulled back a notch.”
Users will reportedly not have to commit to a year’s contract but can “dip in and out” of the service. Sky Songs goes live next Monday – 19 October.
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