Xbox Music breaking out of consoles to challenge Spotify

The Xbox is about to put the choon in, er, choonsole. Xbox Music is breaking out of the games console to become a music-streaming Spotify rival.

Music.Xbox.com will be a streaming website rather than an app, and will challenge Spotify and other streaming services such as Rdio, Bloom.fm and Apple's forthcoming streaming service.

Currently, Xbox streaming is limited to pumping choons from the Xbox 360, Windows 8 computers and Windows Phone phones. But once it goes online, you'll be able to listen anywhere you have an Internet pipe, even on Apple and Android phones and tablets. There's no word yet of Apple or Android apps though. Microsoft promises more details next week.

I'd argue that one of the reasons Spotify has become so successful is that it isn't tied to any device. It works on any computer and on any phone or tablet, and syncs across all the devices you own. But manufacturers seem determined to try and tie you into getting your music from a service linked to your device, like Nokia Music or HP Connected Music or what-have-you.

Yet the only company to have any success with that model is Apple, and only because of the ubiquity of the iPod and iTunes over the last decade. I mean, who wants to get their music from HP?

Microsoft recently unveiled its next-generation console, the Xbox One. It launches later in the year, but has already come under fire for restrictive policies on second-hand games that led to an embarrassing change of plan.

Do you want to get your music through your console? How do you listen to music these days? Sing me a song in the comments or on our always tuneful Facebook page.