“Music is an important area for Microsoft. We’re looking at launching a music streaming service imminently. It will be a similar principle to Spotify but we are still examining how the business model will work,” said Peter Bale of MSN. Spotify users can stream music for free in exchange for listening to around a minute of advertising every half hour but for £9.99 a month, the ads will be turned off. It is thought Microsoft’s offering will be ad-supported too as well as having a paid-for premium service. he service would be operated and owned by Microsoft, while being promoted through MSN and other parts of the Microsoft network. He also hinted the service could be tied in with Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console, but would not be drawn on the details of how a partnership would work. The service is expected to bolster the appeal of Zune, Microsoft’s music player. 

Source:→ Telegraph