Sony will be shutting down its streaming music service Music Unlimited to give way to its new venture with Spotify that is intended to reach smartphones, tablets and consoles.
Spotify will exclusively become Sony's partner for the latest PlayStation Music service that will make its debut in the spring across 41 countries. Meanwhile, Music Unlimited will be closing on March 29 after being made available in 19 countries.
Sony customers who pay for Spotify by means of PlayStation Music will be granted access to the streaming service using various devices. These users can browse through a catalogue of over 30 million tracks, create and check out other users' playlists, and stream music as they play games.
"As a gamer and PlayStation 4 user myself, I'm super excited to be able to soundtrack my FIFA 15 Arsenal matches later this spring," Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek shared following the announcement of their collaboration.
Sony reportedly decided to ink a partnership deal with Spotify because of disappointing outcomes from Music Unlimited, which was first launched in 2010. By the beginning of 2012, one million active users were subscribed to the music service. Despite the fact that it was incorporated into PlayStation consoles, reports indicated that the music service failed to hit expectations.
As such, Spotify will now take on the responsibility of reaching out towards Sony's active users of PlayStation Network, which is estimated to reach at least 64 million individuals. Customers will be required to pay up for a monthly subscription to have access to music streaming, which they can easily carry out through PSN wallets.
Moreover, there have been no details as to whether all Sony devices will be integrated with the ad-supported version of Spotify that is free of charge or whether the deal will simply provide a limited free trial of the premium version before informing users that they have to start paying in order to continue enjoying the service.
"This partnership represents the best in music and the best in gaming coming together, which will benefit the vibrant and passionate communities of both Spotify and PlayStation Network," Sony Computer Entertainment boss Andrew House stated.
