After a month-long beta phase, broadcast radio colossus iHeartMedia has released two new subscription-based music services, taking aim at popular paid services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora.
The two services, called iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access will cost subscribers $5 and $10 per month, respectively, and can already be accessed on desktop, iOS, and Android, and devices like Apple TV and Samsung Smart TV, with Google Home and Sonos integration slated to begin shortly.
On the surface, iHeartRadio Plus looks a lot like the similarly priced Pandora Plus service, allowing iHeartRadio listeners to replay tracks from live and custom artist radio stations, as well as skip unlimited songs. But the service goes beyond that of the internet radio giant in that it also allows users to search and play any song on-demand, as well as to save songs to a playlist for later playback.
iHeart Radio All Access — which borrows back-end support from fellow streaming service Napster — takes this functionality a step further, allowing subscribers to manage unlimited playlists, as well as listen to their favorite songs offline.
It may seem like the radio giant is a bit late to the streaming party, but with over 250 million monthly listeners through its 858 radio stations, the company should have no problem getting the word out. Plus, the firm sits on one of the largest untapped markets in music: 85 percent of iHeartRadio listeners do not currently subscribe to a music service, according to the company.
As such, the company is extremely excited about the potential its new streaming services have in the marketplace.
“In the beta phase alone, we have already seen an incredible response from our users and have experienced our best month of listening since our official launch of iHeartRadio in 2011,” said company president Darren Davis in a press release. “iHeartMedia is the only media company that has the assets, platform, and reach to drive massive consumer awareness and successfully introduce two new subscription services, built around real radio, so rapidly.”
Those interested in sampling the new wares can do so for free for a month; The company is currently offering a 30-day free trial for both services on its website.
