Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III in US
updated 05:07 pm EDT, Tue July 31, 2012
30-day trial of premium service includes radio, free album
Samsung has brought its Music Hub service to the US, following an initial launch in Europe. Based on technology from recently acquired mSpot, the music service will allow Samsung Galaxy S III users to buy music from its 7digital-based online store and access the content from the cloud, streaming purchases to the handset and a web-based player. A subscription service adding more features is also available.
Music Hub Premium, at a cost of $10 per month, adds a Scan & Match Cloud Locker, where matched songs are added to the personal catalog, and unmatched songs get uploaded to a 100GB storage allocation for future streaming. Playlists are automatically synchronized across all registered devices, as well as purchased music. Personalized radio, programmed stations, genre stations, and recommendations based on a user's habits also cross over to the US version.
As the service is currently limited to the Galaxy S III and computers, Music Hub may have trouble pulling an audience away from the likes of Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play. Samsung will be expanding the service to include other devices, including an iOS version, and is offering a 30-day trial of Music Hub Premium, complete with a free album.
