Sony music service targets Apple’s online dominance

SONY CORP yesterday launched a music streaming service in a bid to boost sales of its consumer electronics and break Apple’s dominance of the online music business.

The Japanese company’s Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity is a cloud computing-based digital music service that does not involve downloading tracks like Apple’s iTunes, which started in 2001.

Instead, a subscription gives users access to a catalogue of about 6 million songs, which can be streamed to Sony’s internet-connected devices like the PlayStation 3, personal computers and Bravia TVs. The service can be synchronised with a user’s existing music files, including iTunes, Sony said.