Windows_MusicDeals_Homepage

Apple may have a tight grip on the digital music purchasing market, but Microsoft is upping its game with a new app that offers users incredibly good deals on albums every week.

Phone_MusicDeals_HomepageThe Microsoft Music Deals app for Windows and Windows Phone allows users to pick up selected brand new albums for 99 cents, and “classic” albums for $1.99. This week, the company is offering users Slipknot’s new “.5” for just a buck, for those people who actually enjoy Slipknot. Those of us who have more … vintage music tastes would probably prefer Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” or Phil Collins’s “No Jacket Required” for $2.

According to the company’s blog post, each new Tuesday will bring a new slate of 101 heavily discounted albums to the app for people to choose from. Once users purchase an album, it will be added to their Xbox Music account so they can access it anywhere that app is available.

In addition, people will be able to download the albums (as DRM-free MP3s) for use on other devices. It’s a clear play by Microsoft to try and draw interest in Xbox Music, and it’s hard to say how well that’ll work. Still, the app will provide even greater visibility for deals that the company may have offered anyway but gotten lost in the shuffle.

[This story has been updated to clarify where users can access the music sold through the app.]

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