How To Using Windows 8’S Xbox Music

Xbox Music is the novel music app inwards Windows 8; it’s likewise accessible from Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game console in addition to Windows 7/8 phones. In this article, writer Michael Miller shows you lot how to purpose Xbox Music to create out your ain music collection in addition to to brain to in addition to purchase novel music online.

Every recent version of Windows has included closed to form of music histrion application, such every bit Windows Media Player. Windows goes 1 footstep further, however, inwards including both a music histrion app in addition to a music download/subscription service.
Windows 8’s music player/service is called Xbox Music. (Microsoft is manifestly playing off their successful Xbox videogame brand.) Xbox Music is both a media histrion for music stored on your PC or network in addition to an online service for purchasing, downloading, in addition to fifty-fifty streaming music tracks. It’s a full-screen (Metro or Modern-style) app you lot tin purpose if for pretty much all your music-related activities inwards Windows 8.

Understanding Xbox Music

Windows 8’s Xbox Music isn’t simply 1 thing. It’s a music player, it’s a music store, it’s a streaming music service – inwards short, a cardinal hub for all (or at to the lowest degree most) of your music-related activities. You purpose the Xbox Music app to play music stored on your PC or network, to purchase in addition to download novel music, in addition to (if you lot select to subscribe) to current millions of tracks to your estimator over the Internet.
On the PC platform, Xbox Music is available exclusively if you’re running Windows 8; if you lot induce got a Windows vii or Windows Vista computer, you’re out of luck. However, Xbox Music is likewise available to anyone using an Xbox 360 videogame console or Windows 7/8 smartphone. The service plant similarly on all devices.
On a Windows 8 PC, you lot launch Xbox Music from the Start screen; simply click or tap the Music tile. The principal covert is divided into 4 sections that you lot tin click to catch additional content:

• My Music. This is your ain personal music library, those files stored on your PC or shared over your network. This includes tracks you’ve ripped from your ain CDs or downloaded from the spider web – non simply from the Xbox Music Store. Your newest music is featured on the principal screen; click or tap an album encompass to play that album. To catch your entire music collection, click or tap the My Music header. Or, if you lot desire to brain randomly, click or tap the Play All Music tile.
• Now Playing. This is where you lot brain to music now. The currently selected rail is shown inwards the principal tile; tap or click to intermission or resume playback. You tin likewise opt to play music from a specific artist, play a playlist, or start a novel Radio session– locomote inwards the holler of an creative somebody in addition to the Xbox Music assembles a “station” of similar music.
• All Music. The tiles inwards this department are of artists that Xbox Music thinks you lot mightiness live on interested – or, to a greater extent than likely, those artists beingness promoted this week. Tap or click the All Music header to locomote inwards the Xbox Music store, where you lot tin search for or browse for music past times category.
• Top Music. This department hosts the most pop music on the Xbox Music service – form of. You run into the top albums in addition to creative somebody inwards the tiles on the principal screen, but when you lot tap or click the Top Music header, you’re simply taken (once again) to the Xbox Music store. 

 The Windows 8 Xbox Music app

That basic navigation out of the way, let’s hold back at how you lot tin purpose Xbox Music to perform specific tasks.

Using Xbox Music to Play Your Own Music

All the music you’ve purchased in addition to downloaded online, every bit good every bit music you’ve ripped from your ain CDs, is stored inwards the Music library on your computer’s difficult drive. To play whatever of these tracks, simply launch the Xbox Music app in addition to therefore click or tap the My Music heading.
You right away run into all the music stored on your computer. There are a disclose of ways to display in addition to play your music.

Viewing your personal music library amongst the Xbox Music app

The default catch displays all your music past times the appointment you lot added I – that is, the newest albums or tracks are listed first. To display your music inwards a dissimilar order, tap or click the Arranged By control. You tin therefore opt to display your music inwards alphabetical (A to Z) order, or past times artist, loose year, or genre. Click the appropriate link inwards the left column to display albums, artists, songs, playlists, or Radio stations. (Xbox Music’s Radio automatically creates online “stations” designed to appeal to fans of a exceptional artist, past times assembling tracks based on the creative somebody you lot select.)
To play an album, track, or list, simply click or tap it. Xbox Music right away displays a large tile for that item. You tin right away select to play the album or track, add together the item to your right away playing listing or to a novel playlist, display to a greater extent than data close the artist, or create a Smart DJ station based on this artist.

 Playing a rail inwards the Xbox Music app

Playback controls are displayed inwards the Options bar at the bottom of the screen. (If/when the Options bar disappears, simply right-click covert to redisplay it.) From hither you lot tin intermission or resume playback, become to the side past times side or previous track, or fifty-fifty select to “shuffle” the tracks inwards random order.

Downloading New Music from the Xbox Music Store

The Windows 8 Xbox Music app likewise enables you lot (actually, encourages you) to purchase to a greater extent than music online. You tin purchase private tracks or consummate albums from Microsoft’s Xbox Music Store.
(One of my beefs amongst the Xbox Music app every bit it right away exists is that it pretty much defaults to the shop mode; you lot induce got to function at playing your ain music.)
The Xbox Music Store is Microsoft’s challenger to Apple’s iTunes Store. Microsoft offers to a greater extent than than eighteen 1 K k tracks, which is pretty good. All downloads are inwards 256kbps MP3 format.
Both the All Music in addition to Top Music sections of the principal Xbox Music covert link to purchasing opportunities. Click or tap an private tile to purchase that item. Click or tap either the All Music or Top Music headers to catch to a greater extent than items for purchase.
What you lot run into side past times side is a collection of featured albums. You tin browse these featured albums past times genre past times clicking or tapping the appropriate genre along the side of the screen. Switch betwixt Featured, New Releases, in addition to Top (bestsellers) past times clicking the downward arrow nether the New Music header. Or click the Search (magnifying glass) icon to search Xbox Music for specific items.

 Browsing music for sale inwards the Xbox Music Store

When you lot honour an item you lot desire to buy, click or tap it. You right away run into a tile for that item; you lot tin therefore opt to catch creative somebody details, play a preview of selected tracks, or purchase the album.
If you lot determine to laid a purchase, you’re prompted for your password in addition to therefore shown the Confirm Purchase screen. If you lot haven’t yet entered a credit carte number, you’re prompted to create so. Once your credit carte information is entered, confirm your purchase in addition to hold back for the tracks to download to the Music library on your PC.

Streaming Music from the Xbox Music Pass Service

Downloading music is erstwhile schoolhouse these days; streaming music is where it’s at. To that end, Microsoft offers its ain streaming music service tied into the Xbox Music app. The service is called Xbox Music Pass, in addition to its available inwards both costless in addition to paid versions.
Xbox Music Pass streams its music using the Windows Media Audio (WMA) codec, encoded at 192kbps. That’s non bad, but it doesn’t sound quite every bit skillful every bit what you lot instruct from competing services. (Spotify Premium, inwards comparison, streams at 320kbps inwards the Ogg Vorbis format.)
One of the drawbacks of the costless version of Xbox Music Pass is the ads. These aren’t your basic run-of-the-mill sound advertisements, but rather full-screen video ads. (Quite annoying, inwards my opinion.) The costless service likewise limits you lot to 10 hours of music a calendar month – afterward the start half-dozen months, anyway.
Xbox Music Pass Premium doesn’t induce got these restrictions. Pay your $9.99/month (or $99.90/year) in addition to you lot instruct rid of the ads in addition to instruct unlimited music streaming. One subscription applies across all your compatible devices – Windows 8 PC, Windows 8/RT tablet, Windows 7/8 phone, or Xbox 360 game console. (Actually, a unmarried description is skillful for upwardly to 5 devices – in addition to if you lot desire to purpose it amongst your Xbox 360, you lot demand an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription first.)
Whether you’re using the costless or paid versions, streaming music via the Xbox Music app is a snap. When you lot select an album or track, simply tap or click Play or Play Album. This starts the streaming, inwards existent time.
You likewise instruct real-time streaming when you lot select the Start Radio choice at whatever point. An Xbox Music Radio station is constructed from tracks stored inwards Microsoft’s digital library in addition to streamed alive to your PC or other device.
Even better, you lot tin download music from the Xbox Music Pass service to your PC for offline listening. Click or tap Add To > My Music in addition to the rail or album is downloaded to your estimator for playback when you’re non connected to the Internet. It’s likewise “matched” inwards the cloud for playback from your other devices.
How does Xbox Music Pass compare to Spotify in addition to similar streaming music services? The cross-device compatibility is nice, the choice is good, in addition to the sound character is okay. Pricing is comparable, in addition to the choice of downloading tracks for offline purpose is a plus. If you lot induce got a Windows 8 PC – or an Xbox 360 console or Windows vii or 8 smartphone – it’s sure worth considering.

What Xbox Music Doesn’t Do

So Xbox Music is skillful for playing digital music stored on your computer, downloading novel music, in addition to fifty-fifty streaming music from the Xbox Music Pass service. What’s it not skillful for?
Unfortunately, the Xbox Music app does non play physical CDs. Nor does it allow you lot rip those CDs to digital files, or strength out your digital files to CDs. For these tasks, you’ll demand a dissimilar music histrion – such every bit Windows Media Player, which soundless exists inwards Windows 8 (albeit relegated to the virtual wasteland of the Windows Desktop).
For everything else, however, the Windows 8 Xbox Music app – in addition to the accompanying Xbox Music Store in addition to Xbox Music Pass service – offering a ton of options for both casual in addition to serious music lovers. You should give it a try.