PlayStation and streaming music company Spotify last week announced that Sony’s Music Unlimited will soon be replaced by a new app called PlayStation Music. The app will be powered by Spotify, who Sony recently partnered with, and both companies describe the new service as a “best-in-class digital music experience” for PlayStation Network.
When it launches, the service will be available to 41 markets around the world, and will be initially available for the PS3, PS4, and Xperia smartphones and tablets. On the PS4, users will be able to stream Spotify music while playing games, though this feature was not announced for PS3.
“We know how important music is to our community of gamers, and this partnership combines the best in music with the best in gaming,” said Eric Lempel, VP of Sony Network Entertainment. “PlayStation Network users will enjoy the convenience of linking your accounts to Spotify, making it easy to sign-up with your existing ID and subscribe to Spotify’s Premium service.”
Spotify is currently available as a free, ad-supported streaming service on desktop and mobile. A $10/month subscription is also available, which kills ads, allows offline play, and more. Users will be able to listen to songs while they play their games. Those who already have Spotify accounts can listen to their playlists as well as those selected by the service.
Sony also didn’t say if PlayStation Music will be available on PlayStation Vita, and there will also be some PlayStation Music exclusive features but Sony says that details will be announced later.
“Music is a core component of the entertainment offering that consumers expect from Sony, and our goal with PlayStation Music is to provide the most compelling music experiences to the millions of PlayStation Network users around the world,” said Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House.
Music Unlimited will close on March 29, 2015 in the 19 countries the service is currently available. Nearly all of these countries will have access to PlayStation Music when that service launches. From February 28 to March 29, Music Unlimited users with active subscriptions will receive up to 30 days of free access.
