Play Music to take on Spotify with free streaming

Internet behemoth, Google, has unveiled a free, ad-supported version of Google Play Music's streaming service for the US.

It'll be familiar if you've tried these no-charge listening options before. Besides having to deal with occasional commercial interruptions, you'll lose the direct control that you have with a paid subscription (which, by the way, is dropping the All Access label).

Sources you can start a radio-like station based on an artist, album or song, but you won't have on-demand playback, offline support, playlist creation or background listening for YouTube music videos. It's more for ambient tunes than anything else.

According to reports, web listeners can try it today, but the corresponding Android and iOS app updates won't be available until later in the week. Nonetheless, this could be a big deal for Google and your streaming choices.

Play Music's all-you-can-hear paid service typically sits in the shadows of web listeners can try it today, but the corresponding Android and iOS app updates won't be available until later in the week., which uses its free option to reel in customers who'd otherwise never give the company a shot.

Google's move both expands the potential audience and lets you try a major service without committing to a trial or forking over cash.