Google launches All Access music-streaming service in the US: $9.99 monthly fee

And now, one of the most anticipated I/O announcements. As rumored, Google has been working toward the launch of its own music-streaming service, and the official unveiling came today. Dubbed Google Play Music All Access, the product has a strong focus on personalized recommendations via the so-called Explore feature. As with Spotify and other services, All Access will let you start a radio station while listening to a particular track, and in-depth tweaking controls allow you to nix songs that don't suit your fancy. Another feature demoed onstage is Listen Now, which highlights new releases and content Google thinks you'll enjoy.

As anticipated, All Access will require a monthly fee. A subscription costs $9.99 in the US, and all users will get a 30-day free trial. The service is launching stateside today, and if you sign up before June 30th, you'll get $2 off the monthly fee. We'll be taking All Access for a test drive as soon as possible -- check back for our initial impressions.

Source: Engadget

Spotify now streaming to premium customers on TiVo Premiere boxes but no radio

Spotify is continuing its bid for electronic ubiquity, today announcing yet another device its streaming tunes will be available on: TiVo Premiere. The Premiere series of set top boxes from TiVo come in a variety of flavors, but it sounds like the service should work on any of the line -- of course, you need to be a paying Premium Spotify member to actually use the service, just like Spotify's mobile variations. There's a snappy TV-centric UI, optimized for use with TiVo's controller, and a full screen mode should you choose a more minimalist approach to your music consumption. And hey, now that Lars Ulrich is on board, you can have an all Metallica jam session, right from your living room entertainment center. Hot dog. TiVo reps tell us that the Spotify app doesn't contain the radio functionality found in other iterations of the software, and resultantly, the Spotify for TiVo app is premium member-exclusive.

[Source: Engadget]

Pandora Radio now fully live in Australia and New Zealand, complete with iOS and Android apps

Folks that call Australia and New Zealand home aren't exactly strangers to the internet-based radio goods Pandora has to offer -- however, these have been very limited to the public, with the tunes only being available on the desktop and on a trial basis. As of today, though, things are about to change for those living in Oz and Kiwiland, as Pandora announced via blog post that its new-era radio stations are now "fully live" in both countries, making this the first time the service has been available in its entirety outside of the US. Naturally, this means users in Australia and New Zealand can also start enjoying the Pandora Radio Android and iOS applications, both of which are up for download now from Google Play and the App Store, respectively.

[Source: Engadget]