Microsoft to Bring Spotify to Groove Music Pass Customers
blogs.windows.com
blogs.windows.com
Key facts:
- Read their official FAQ [1]
- If you subscribed to 'Groove Music Pass', you will (probably) need to back up music you downloaded using that particular service
- Windows Store-bought music files, or any other 'hard-file-on-disk' music files are unaffected; this announcement concerns a streaming service
- Groove app will remain available as a music player and (local) playlist manager, and will retain the integration with OneDrive to play files that are in your OneDrive
- Your OneDrive storage tier may shrink if right now you are getting more storage because of Groove Music Pass
[1] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4046109/groove-musi...
Per the FAQ, the Windows Store is shutting down its music section entirely as well. You will have until December to download any purchased song files from the Store before it shuts down. The FAQ does state that all purchased songs that have been downloaded will continue to play, and suggests moving them to OneDrive (if you hadn't already) to continue to sync them and make them available on all your devices.
I switched to Spotify because it had the social features I liked from Zune, but I actually had friends using it (esp. via Facebook integration). It had more songs, better cross platform, and a much more stable desktop interface.
Props to Microsoft for taking the dog behind the shed and ending things. If only they had preserved their dignity and just ended it with Zune rather than stringing customers along on what was definitively not the most competitive offering.
"We aren't closing, we are just transitioning our space into a new business and that business will take care of your needs from now on."
They have purchased Swedish companies before..
* Add OneDrive integration to seemlessly play your music with Spotify.
* "Check out this song" Skype integration to share music with each other. Have a Playlist populated from all the songs you've shared with each other.
* "Make your highlights epic" easily add the perfect track to your Rocket League snippets.
* "What was that song?" Bing integration to play directly from search results. Subscribers get the while track, otherwise get a 1m preview.
* "Cortana, drop the base!"
You should email 'em.
Or will I be forced to have a Spotify application now?
I never saw an ad for Groove. For a lot of people, that's just an icon in Windows they'll probably never clicked on. No wonder it failed.
"Let's vertically integrate this new service we have little experience with for profit and as a funnel to our other product lines"
"Let's make a great streaming service that creates enough value for our customer that we remain profitable"
That said, they didn't execute well. Zune Music was too dependent on the Zune. Groove had no selling points outside the ms ecosystem.
> That said, they didn't execute well.
Generalizable to most things Microsoft is involved in.
If they instead spun off a group of engineers and allowed them to create a great streaming service with no restrictions or handcuffs because windows or office or IE or whatever is being pushed this month, and then use the platform as a value added for the service you would get much better result IMHO.
That would mean develop for every mobile OS + windows and osx as a minimum from the start, not as an afterthought. No windows live or whatever it is called now ( linkable if you want), etc. Things Microsoft would never approve.
> That said, they didn't execute well.
This has been the story of any number of MS product lines, unfortunately. Handhelds/smart devices, social media, streaming services, etc.
Microsoft is actually really good at recruiting research talent that spots the next trends emerging before they happen and coming up with compelling ideas/prototypes. They then proceed to trip over themselves during execution and while being first to market, being outcompeted by the second wave and coming in with a mediocre offering by the 3rd or 4th wave.
With Apple Music, I believe, it's available across all your Apple music supported devices.
Apparently it’s on Windows 10 but everyone just installs iTunes or Spotify much like no one gives a shit about Edge and just installs chrome these days.
That says more about the platform than you or their marketing. The whole thing is rotting from the outside in.
Also, would be amazing if it would work both ways - you can play Spotify content in your Groove app because then you don't even need to install anything.
> Will I still be able to play music from OneDrive?
> Yes. Music you own that's uploaded to your OneDrive music folder can still be streamed and downloaded on your devices with the Groove Music app.
[1] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4046109/groove-musi...
If they continue like this we will soon see shutdown notices for Cortana, edge and others. A counterpoint is onedrive. They have excellent iOS and Android apps. The service is good in its own right. Onedrive ain't going anywhere.
TL;DR if you want to compete then compete.
[1](https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/store/p/xmarks/9wzdncrdksp4)
Launching a DRM platform with the name "PlaysForSure" and then repeatedly making content not play for sure isn't really building trust in your company and branding.
The FAQ says:
> If your Pass subscription goes beyond December 31, 2017, we will give you a prorated refund or a Microsoft gift card (see details below).
> Your recurring annual Groove Music Pass will continue through December 31, 2017. If your Pass subscription extends beyond December 31, 2017, then by February 1, 2018, Microsoft will give you a prorated refund from December 31, 2017 onwards (if we are able to issue a refund to your credit card/payment instrument on file). If we are unable to refund your payment instrument on file, Microsoft will provide 120% of that prorated amount in a Microsoft gift card in your Microsoft account to spend at the Microsoft Store.
> If you cancel your annual Groove Music Pass subscription before December 31, 2017, then:
- If you cancelled your subscription within 30 days of the start of your subscription, we'll give you a full refund if we have your credit card/payment instrument information and it supports refunds.
- If we can't refund your payment instrument on file, we'll provide 120% of that amount in Microsoft gift card value. If you cancelled your subscription after 30 days from the start of your subscription, we'll give you a prorated refund (if we can issue a refund to your credit card/payment instrument on file). If we can't refund your payment instrument on file, Microsoft will provide 120% of that prorated amount in Store credit.
- To cancel your Groove Music Pass online, please go to account.microsoft.com/services.
- If you run into problems with cancelling, please contact customer support.
> I'm a monthly Groove Music Pass subscriber. What are my options?
> You can continue your subscription through December 31, 2017. If your subscription extends beyond December 31, 2017, then by February 1, 2018, Microsoft will provide you with a prorated refund from December 31, 2017 onwards (if we can issue a refund to your credit card/payment instrument on file). If your payment instrument on file does not support refunds, Microsoft will provide 120% of that prorated amount in a Microsoft gift card. You can also turn off auto-renew for your monthly Groove Music Pass subscription at any time. If you do, your subscription will finish at the end of your billing cycle.
[1] https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/10/02/micro...
Plus Spotify is leaner, faster and a more streamlined app made by a company which is really focused on winning consumer.
No amazing journey, no abrupt disappearance.