MICROSOFT HEARS THE MUSIC: Can Microsoft compete with Apple and Google in the digital music realm? So far, the company has faltered in its attempt to build a competitor for the iPod and iTunes with its now-defunct Zune music players and service, but hopes to turn that around through its brands Windows and the Xbox. The company will announce a service today called Xbox Music offering access to a global catalog of 30 million songs, according to the N.Y. Times. The streaming service will let consumers listen free to any song on computers and tablets running the latest version of its Windows software, as well as on the Xbox console, targeting the likes of Spotify and Pandora. The company will start shipping Windows 8 on Oct. 26, as well as new iterations of its Windows Phone operating system and a tablet device called Surface, the first Microsoft-designed computer. It will package Xbox Music with Windows 8 and its mobile operating system, which could spark antitrust concerns about using that software to gain a foothold in new markets. Like Spotify, Xbox Music will offer a $10-a-month ad-free service that includes many other features, like the ability to listen to music on smartphones and the Xbox 360 game console. The company intends to transform the Xbox from a game device into an all-purpose hub for video and other forms of entertainment. Xbox Music will first appear on that device when Microsoft begins updating its software over the Internet starting tomorrow. (10/15a)