Google Play Music All Access spreads internationally amid Verizon bundle rumors
Google Play Music All Access has launched internationally, hitting the UK, France, Australia, Portugal and more as the streaming Spotify rival arrives in a total of twelve countries. Launched in the US back in May, Music All Access kicks off with a discounted trial which rewards early-adopters with cheaper ongoing subscription fees. Meanwhile, there are new rumors about a potential bundling deal with at least one major US carrier.
The full list of countries now supported by Music All Access is Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States. In the US, it's priced at $9.99 per month, with a 30 day trial to get users hooked, while in the UK and Europe it will start at £6.99/€6.99 if you sign up within the next 30 days.
If the deal is true to form, we'd expect the normal subscription fee to be £9.99/€9.99 after that period. That matches up with what Spotify charges for its "Premium" service tier, required if users want to stream music to their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
Meanwhile, those in the US might be getting a free way to access Music All Access, with reports that Google and Verizon are in talks about bundling the streaming service with select plans. The whispers, Billboard reports, suggest Verizon would push the Spotify alternative to its millions of subscribers, increasing both mobile data use and Google's membership roster.
According to sources familiar with the deal, though, the current hiccup preventing the deal from being finalized is over who, exactly, will pay for the monthly subscription. "Verizon doesn't want to pick up the full tab" the source claims, while "Google is arguing that its service will help Verizon attract new customers. Meanwhile, rights holders are eager to get the deal done so the market can grow."
Among the proposed solutions is a shared payment deal, where all would contribute, or a "minimum guarantee" where Verizon would commit to a certain number of its subscribers signing up. Other possibilities include extra carrier marketing for Music All Access, or content rights owners conceding to lower royalties.