Microsoft’s unlimited music service, Zune, is now gracing PCs, Xboxes, and Windows Phones across Canada. It’s just too bad that we haven’t seen any new Windows Phone hardware in Canada pretty much since launch around this time last year. On top of spreading internationally, Zune’s subscription fee has been knocked down from $15 to $10/month, which is on par with what most music services are charging these days. The caveat here is that Microsoft is axing the 10 free monthly MP3 downloads. If you’re a diehard, don’t worry, you can grandfather in your downloads, so long as you keep paying up.
Although Microsoft has buried their portable music player, the streaming music service lives on in Windows Phone and Microsoft’s various other products. From what I’ve heard, the Zune Pass is actually pretty slick, though I’ve never signed up for it myself. I can vouch for the Zune desktop software, in any case- it’s smooth, visually rich, and practical for keeping your music collection in order.
The official Zune Pass rollout to Canada starts October 3, available for sign-up from the Zune Canada website.
P.S.: Hold out until the 0:36 mark in this video for a good laugh. Unless you’re a Zune fan.
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