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Digital
MOG launches free service – prepping for Facebook Music perhaps?
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 15 September 2011
US streaming company MOG is about to launch a freemium service, despite its top man David Hyman previously saying that free streaming platforms – like Spotify’s free option – are not commercially viable.
That said, according to Billboard, MOG’s FreePlay won’t be a direct copy of its European rival’s free service. While there will be a limit as to how many tracks users will be able to listen to for free, said users will be able to increase their listening allowance by performing various tasks, such as watching a promo video or engaging with a brand in another way.
It’s easy to think that MOG’s move into freemium is a response to the arrival of Spotify Stateside, though insiders say that the new add-on service is as much about preparing for the opportunities Facebook Music will offer browser-based digital music set ups. As previously reported, the soon to launch Facebook Music won’t be a music provider in itself, rather it will offer access to existing music platforms via the Facebook interface.
According to Billboard, Hyman recently remarked regarding his new FreePlay service: “One could imagine that if a Facebook platform were to launch soon after the launch of this, one could envision that this was built very much with that in mind”.