Microsoft Dumps Groove Music to Partner With Spotify
In a recent announcement, Microsoft has decided to end its Groove Music service and partner with music streaming powerhouse Spotify. The news came out yesterday after Microsoft announced the change.
It was only two years ago that Microsoft rebranded its Xbox Music service to Groove Music. The attempt was done to reach more of their consumers hence raising awareness for the new service. Unfortunately, Groove never really got off the ground as consumers continued to be mostly unaware of the service. Ultimately, this lead Microsoft’s executives to make the switch to the ever-popular Spotify streaming service.
On December 31st, Microsoft will stop selling their Groove Music Pass and any customer subscribed to the service will be refunded their money. However, the transition from Groove to Spotify should be smooth. Microsoft and Spotify have already begun working on a Windows 10 app and an Xbox One app. These were the outlets Groove was on, so the consumer friendliness of switching over should be easy.
Although the end is near for Groove Music, Microsoft will continue to invest money into the app so their customers can still access their music. Microsoft will also begin recommending Windows users to try Spotify to stream music. Spotify will benefit greatly from this, especially with the booming popularity of Apple Music. Microsoft has clearly decided it’s in the company’s best interest to partner with a music streaming service rather than create one of their own.
