Sony Music Unlimited was just one of several services provided by Sony Network Entertainment International. Sony Corporation, the global parent company you've undoubtedly heard of, has been in business since 1946. Though they had been developing electronics products for decades, they created SNEI to be a division specifically for media network services. Sony Music Unlimited recently closed their doors. Popularly used for Playstation consoles, Spotify has replaced Sony Music Unlimited for music needs. Even though it is no longer available, here are is our past review of their services.

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The Good

Sony as a corporation boasts a strong reputation and long-lasting products. That reputation bodes well for what you'll experience with streaming their music. To begin, the company has a wide music selection of 30 million tracks. They keep their library up-to-date with new releases and play songs at a clear bit rate of 320 kbps. What's more, you don't have to worry about ad interruptions. Because you pay to stream with Sony, they don't have to rely on ads to support a free version. Like many competitors, Sony gives you a chance to personalize your music. With an account, you enjoy:

Handpicking songs to listen to with on-demand listening
Creating personalized playlists
Browsing channels that have been organized by mood, genre, and era
Downloading songs for offline listening

Sony also gives you a taste of their music even before you create an account with them. If you go to Sony's streaming site, music.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com, you can preview 30-second clips of their tracks. This allows new customers to see what type of music and audio quality Sony provides before committing to them. Because Sony isn't supported by ads, you do have to pay for a subscription. But their prices aren't hard to swallow. You can choose between an Access subscription, which costs $4.99 per month, and a Premium account, which costs $9.99 per month. One major different between these subscriptions is the type of device you can stream on. With Access, you can listen on:

PlayStations 3 and 4
PC and Mac

But Premium opens up a much wider world of devices:

PlayStations 3, 4, and Vita
PC and Mac
Xperia
Android
Android Walkman
iPhone and iPod
Xperia and Android tablets
Blu-Ray players

If you're a PlayStation junkie, the beauty of streaming on there is that you can listen to your music while playing video games. Plus, because Sony offers so many products and services, they sometimes give discounts to customers with a PlayStation. Sony does an excellent job working with potential customers. Not only can you listen to 30-second previews of their music library; they also offer anyone a solid 30-day free trial before you commit to a subscription. If you do want the free trial, though, be prepared to provide your payment details just in case you extend into a subscription.

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The Bad

Sony's free trial length might be solid, but unfortunately, they don't offer a permanently free version. Unlike some competitors, you have to pay for a subscription to stream with Sony Music Unlimited. And even though it's nice to listen without ads, it would be even nicer to have a basic package at no cost. Another downside of streaming with Sony is that their website isn't so user-friendly. Its visually appealing look is somewhat deceiving because it's not easy to navigate. True, you can easily preview their track library and create an account. But if you just want information about subscription options but don't have an account, you might spend awhile searching for it. Sony's help pages aren't very accessible either. They sort of limit you to information about commonly asked questions rather than letting you freely ask more specific questions you might run into. Sony Music Unlimited is also a relatively inexperienced competitor. Even though Sony as a corporation has been in business for many decades, they've only been streaming music since 2010. Four years isn't a lot of time to work through technical issues and learn customer preferences, especially when there are other streaming companies out there with more than a decade of experience.

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The Bottom Line

Like with so many other products, Sony aims to please with Sony Music Unlimited. Though customers are expected to pay for a subscription, the company rewards subscribers with excellent perks like on-demand listening, ad-free streaming, and accessibility on a variety of devices. And while the streaming division itself is still very new, it comes with a strong company history. One of Sony's most prized qualities is that it's a global company as well. While some competitors offer on-demand listening, they won't necessarily give you global access along with it. So if you choose to stream with Sony, you'll enjoy convenient benefits from a company with a praiseworthy history. Though Sony Music Unlimited is no longer available, those looking for music outlets, can use Spotify through Playstation.

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Zac Cannon Biloxi, MS

I used Sony Music Unlimited very briefly on my PS3 when it was first released. I did the free trial and loved it. The app was easy to use and it sounded great on my TV.

4 years ago

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Dee Farquharson Washington, DC

This is now "Playstation Music". Very limited. Only accessible on three devices, up to 4000 songs. I never reached the limit but I did get close. They've now linked up with Spotify, but I think most people will just use Spotify instead

6 years ago