How to buy music through the Xbox Music Store for Windows 8, Windows RT, or Windows Phone

In Xbox Music Store and Windows Phone Store, you'll find great songs, albums, podcasts, and more to listen to. Some stuff is free to play, download, or sample, but most items are available for purchase through the Music app in Windows 8 and Windows RT and your Windows Phone.

Note Although you can’t buy music through the Xbox 360 console, you can sync your music to the cloud and then stream it through the console. For more information about how to do this, see Frequently asked questions about syncing music to the cloud.

You can buy music through the Music app on a Windows 8 or Windows RT-based computer or device and through your Windows Phone.

Note You don’t need a Music Pass to buy songs or albums. However, you may need a Music Pass to stream music. For more information, see About Xbox Music Pass.

Windows 8 or Windows RT

1. From the Start screen in Windows 8 or Windows RT, tap or click Music.
2. Select the artist or album you’re interested in. To find a specific artist, tap or click Play an artist and start typing an artist or band’s name in the field labeled Enter artist.
3. Find the album you want, and then select the Buy album icon.

You will be asked to sign in to your Microsoft account and confirm your purchase.

Windows Phone 8

1. On Start, tap Music + Videos.
2. Flick to Xbox and then tap Xbox Music Store.
3. Flick left or right, browse through the available genres, or tap Search and type a song title, album title, or artist name.
4. When you find the music you're looking for, tap it, tap and hold it, tap Buy, and then tap Buy.

Windows Phone 7

1. On Start, tap Music + Videos.
2. Flick to Zune, tap Marketplace, and then tap Music.
3. Flick left or right, browse through the available genres, or tap Search and type a song title, album title, or artist name.
4. When you find the music you're looking for, tap it, and then tap its price. (You can also tap and hold the item, and then tap Buy.)