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Xbox Music and iTunes Radio are the latest to bring music to your ears

New services from Xbox Music and iTunes Radio join a crowded field of platforms that stream music. But how do they all compare?

A journalist takes a photo of Apple's new plastic iPhone during a media event held in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. For the first time since introducing the device that has reshaped technology and culture, Apple will offer two distinct versions of its latest iPhones - a cheaper model made of colorful plastic and another one that aims to be "the gold standard of smartphones" with a faster processor, fancier camera and fingerprint scanner for better security. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A journalist takes a photo of Apple's new plastic iPhone during a media event held in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. For the first time since introducing the device that has reshaped technology and culture, Apple will offer two distinct versions of its latest iPhones - a cheaper model made of colorful plastic and another one that aims to be "the gold standard of smartphones" with a faster processor, fancier camera and fingerprint scanner for better security. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)Read moreAP
    by Jonathan Takiff, Daily News Columnist
    Published 

THIS WEEK, two media/technology giants lent their considerable support to the cause of free music streaming.

On Monday, Microsoft expanded its Xbox Music service so that computer users (Macs and PCs) can enjoy free streams of songs and albums on demand, delivered in mere seconds and with big, bold sonic dynamics. Fine print on the website suggests that this giveaway may last for only six months, but by then you'll probably be hooked - and delighted to pay a mere $9.99 a month for access to all those riches (30 million tracks) in the Xbox cloud, and the added ability to store music downloads on your mobile phone.

Yesterday, Apple formally introduced free iTunes Radio streaming, available starting Sept. 18. This Internet-fed, custom radio service treats listeners kindly with limited advertising (one spot every 15 minutes; upgrade to the commercial-free version for $25 a year) and smartly predictive programming based on your iTunes library. The unspoken hope is that you'll click often on the "buy track download" tab.

The music-streaming field is already pretty hot and happening, and wreaking havoc on old-line broadcasters as well as the prerecorded music industry. Unlike video, audio services stream smoothly even over low-speed Internet and mobile-phone connections.

Our companion guide (see chart) will help you navigate your way through it all.

Pandora recently claimed 7.46 percent of the radio-listening audience nationwide, though its relatively small, 900,000-song catalog and newly doubled commercial load is starting to annoy die-hard listeners. At least Pandora has removed monthly limits on free listening!

Spotify has won over 9 million hipsters with its "music wants to be free" ethic, social-media integration and apps like Tune-Wiki (automatic lyrics display). But the operation is losing tens of millions annually because of poor "upselling" of its $10-a-month subscription version (which ain't all that).

Smart-money listeners buy into MOG (for its highest-resolution digital streaming) or Rhapsody (with a semisecret, $5-a-month on-demand streaming deal, polished packaging and near-ubiquitous device compatibility).

Bargain hunters gotta love the free-admission renderings of Rdio, iHeart Radio (owned by broadcast giant Clear Channel), Songza (featuring "mood"-matching stations) and the legally challenged Grooveshark, which dares to give away even the crown jewels of the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Metallica catalogs!

And there are more Internet-streaming services waiting in the winpgs - like Euro-import Pure Connect, tied to the U.K. brand's very sweet hardware, and Beats Music, likely to pop up soon on AT&T smartphones.

Get acclimated to this instant music gratification, and you may never buy a CD again.

Online: ph.ly/Tech