Milk Music - Samsung's answer to iTunes radio
03-07-14, 11:52 AM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Milk Music - Samsung's answer to iTunes radio
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-576...io-milk-music/
Samsung is taking on Apple's iTunes Radio, as well as Pandora, Spotify and a host of other companies in the competitive streaming music business, but it picked an innocuous name to do it.
Milk Music, launched Friday and available now in the Google Play store, is Samsung's latest foray into a music service, this time a streaming radio offering.
It's free to download and free to listen to, and importantly, unlike iTunes Radio, it doesn't have ads.
But the company is entering a competitive field. Streaming is the music industry's area of greatest growth, but it's full of players, with new ones cropping up regularly. Milk will be going up against companies that have already achieved broad global reach like Spotify, those that have reached a huge audience like Pandora, and those who have a powerful marketing machine like Beats Music. All of which, by the way, you can use regardless of the device you're using.
Milk, at least for now, is only for Samsung Galaxy customers.
And for now it's only available in the US, which was how Apple rolled out iTunes Radio too. "Knowing Samsung, the chances are very high" it will be expanded internationally, said Daren Tsui, vice president of music for Samsung's Media Solutions Center America. Though Samsung is a Korean company, starting the service in the US -- the world's biggest music market -- makes sense.
Milk is a clear followup to iTunes Radio, which launched in September after years of speculation about an Apple radio product. Milk is also a new incarnation of Music Hub, the Samsung app that functioned as its own player and store that Samsung just shut down, an example of Samsung's checkered past with services.
Milk, however, doesn't include the option to purchase tracks you like, though Tsui said that's on the roadmap.
It does have the option of listening offline. You cache some music for uninterrupted listening when you head down to the subway or get stuck in a building with no signal or Wi-Fi.
Samsung is taking on Apple's iTunes Radio, as well as Pandora, Spotify and a host of other companies in the competitive streaming music business, but it picked an innocuous name to do it.
Milk Music, launched Friday and available now in the Google Play store, is Samsung's latest foray into a music service, this time a streaming radio offering.
It's free to download and free to listen to, and importantly, unlike iTunes Radio, it doesn't have ads.
But the company is entering a competitive field. Streaming is the music industry's area of greatest growth, but it's full of players, with new ones cropping up regularly. Milk will be going up against companies that have already achieved broad global reach like Spotify, those that have reached a huge audience like Pandora, and those who have a powerful marketing machine like Beats Music. All of which, by the way, you can use regardless of the device you're using.
Milk, at least for now, is only for Samsung Galaxy customers.
And for now it's only available in the US, which was how Apple rolled out iTunes Radio too. "Knowing Samsung, the chances are very high" it will be expanded internationally, said Daren Tsui, vice president of music for Samsung's Media Solutions Center America. Though Samsung is a Korean company, starting the service in the US -- the world's biggest music market -- makes sense.
Milk is a clear followup to iTunes Radio, which launched in September after years of speculation about an Apple radio product. Milk is also a new incarnation of Music Hub, the Samsung app that functioned as its own player and store that Samsung just shut down, an example of Samsung's checkered past with services.
Milk, however, doesn't include the option to purchase tracks you like, though Tsui said that's on the roadmap.
It does have the option of listening offline. You cache some music for uninterrupted listening when you head down to the subway or get stuck in a building with no signal or Wi-Fi.
03-07-14, 06:45 PM
#2
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Milk Music - Samsung's answer to iTunes radio
I've got the awkwardly named Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. Apparently, the equally awkwardly named Milk Music is only available on Samsung Galaxy phones and not tablets, so I will not have an opportunity to check this out.
