Samsung Folds Milk Music As Pandora Preps New On-Demand Service

Samsung has recently revealed that it is terminating its free streaming radio service for the U.S. market called Milk Music. The South Korean tech company’s announcement comes at a time when Pandora is rumored to be working on an on-demand music service that is slated for release soon.

According to PC Mag, Samsung has officially confirmed that Milk Music will end in late September, just two years after introducing it to the American market in March 2014. At the time of its release, the South Korea-headquartered company even touted the service as “the next big thing in music.”

On Friday, Samsung announced on its online newsroom that Milk Music’s service in the United States will come to a full stop on Sept. 22, citing its decision to focus its efforts in a different model as the main reason for this move.

“We have made the strategic decision to invest in a partner model focused on seamlessly integrating the best music services available today into our family of Galaxy devices. We believe that working with partners will accelerate innovation, enhance device sales and provide amazing new experiences for our customers,” a part of Samsung’s official statement reads.

Milk Music has a lot to offer as a free music streaming app. It gives users access to over 13 million songs from over 200 music stations. It also gives users the ability to customize their playlists. For $4 per month, the premium version provides users with an advertising-free experience.

While Samsung is still silent about specific details of its next move, Milk Music’s rival Pandora is already dropping hints that it is stepping up its radio-only service to include an on-demand option.

After purchasing Rdio last year, Pandora is reportedly preparing for the release of an on-demand music service that would make it a competent rival of Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music, among others, as per Slash Gear.

The Wall Street Journal revealed on Friday that Pandora is actually in the process of signing licensing deals with major record labels, and it is expected to launch its new service next month.