Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace music store lets users purchase music or sign up for Zune Pass subscriptions on a Zune media player, Xbox 360, Windows PC, or an upcoming Windows Phone 7 device. This week the company announced several major changes to the service:
- All purchased songs will now be available as DRM-free MP3 files instead of WMA
- The Zune Marketplace is expanding to new countries
- There are more indie artists in the store
Zune Marketplace will be available in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and other countries this fall, with prices for a Zune Pass subscription set at 9.99 Euros or 8.99 pounds in the UK. The US price is still $14.99, and US Zune Pass users can keep 10 MP3s they download each month — something that isn’t available to European users at this point.
The PC Zune software will also serve as the synchronization client for Windows Phone 7, ending the reign of the Windows Mobile Device Center. The update also supports instant streaming of HD videos on a PC.
via Gizmodo