Sony Entertainment Network’s COO Shawn Layden in a presentation confirmed that Music Unlimited would expand to iOS in the “next few weeks.” With TechRadar attending, he argued that Sony wanted to be on “as many devices” as there might be people interested in the service. He saw no conflict of interest, noting that the PS3, PS Vita, and other devices were using services competing with Sony equivalents like Netflix.
“We accept that people want what they want, and we are in a position to offer this,” Layden said, adding that Sony wasn’t about to pull out of the iTunes Store.
While a surprise to some, Sony has been developing iOS apps for awhile and in multiple cases has posted both Android and iOS versions at once. Most of its Android exclusives are titles that demand specific hardware, such as PlayStation Suite-approved phones like the Xperia Play.
The company will likely need the expansion, as it’s competing with equivalent radio and on-demand music services such as MOG, Rdio, Slacker, and Spotify. Sony’s primary standouts are its two tiers of paid access, which either leave it as personalized Internet radio or as a full cloud option.
