Microsoft is admitting it can’t play with the big boys in the digital music realm and is retiring Groove Music (formerly Xbox music) to partner with streaming giant Spotify.
The Groove music app will continue to work and play the music you’ve downloaded, but after the end of the year, it will no longer be able to stream, purchase, or download music.
Those who paid for the Premium Groove Music pass will be able to move their playlists and collections directly to Spotify starting on October 9, and may also qualify for a 60-day trial of Spotify’s Premium service.
If you’ve purchased any music from Microsoft, you’ll need to download it before the end of the year. Here’s how.
Open the Groove Music App.
Go to My Music and select Filter.
Choose Purchased from the drop-down menu.
Right-click on a song or album and choose Download.
If you’ve paid for the Groove Music Pass, you can use your subscription until December 31. After that, Microsoft will give you a prorated refund or a Microsoft gift card. If you choose the gift card option, you’ll receive 120% of what you are owned. Subscriptions will not automatically transfer to Spotify.
While Microsoft says it will continue to support Groove Music as a player for your purchased music, it’s unclear if they’ll work on developing another default music player for Windows 10, or in this day of streaming services, give up on the idea.
For more info about the transition, click here.
Another milestone by MS……always looking out for the consumer…..FAIL….