14 DAY TRIAL // Unveiled in the second half of June 2010, the Bing Summer Update, introduced a UI redesign, delivered search improvements, but also brought to the table a new focus on entertainment. The refresh which started rolling out on June 22nd, offered users the Bing entertainment vertical, designed to boost the quality of results returned to music, gaming, movies and TV queries. At that time, Microsoft revealed that Bing would also offer users the ability to purchase and download songs from its own music marketplace but also from rival services.
“You can find the latest songs as well as sample the songs right there inline with the Zune Player. We have even taken it a step further letting you purchase those songs right from the results page through Amazon.com, iTunes or Zune. Zune is also now allowing you to buy these songs with cash in addition to points,” revealed Chris Rayner, Bing Entertainment.
With this move, Microsoft is positioning Bing, and particularly the Bing entertainment vertical, as a one-stop destination designed to satisfy all of the customers’ music needs. Microsoft’s search/decision engine offers not only traditional search services, but also the possibility for customers to listen to, and even purchase music online.
“Have you noticed the link that takes you directly to the lyrics of the songs? More than 70 percent of people look for music lyrics online; I know I can recall a time or two where this would have come in handy in the past,” Rayner added. “Now if you are a huge fan and want to listen to the music in person we provide an events tab, which lists out the upcoming concert and event info and there are also tabs that will take you to the latest news, videos, and images of your favorite artist.”