Microsoft has thrown in the towel for its music streaming service. The company has announced that it will be winding down operations for Groove Music, with customers being unable to stream, purchase, or download music by 31 December 2017.
Spotify is set to replace Groove Music once the transition period is over, which isn’t particularly surprising. The streaming service has been working closely with Microsoft to make Windows and Xbox apps. This also means that it is in the position to allow users to import their playlists and purchases to the replacement service.
Those already subscribed to Groove Music will receive pro-rated refunds. Although it would have been nice if Microsoft instead converted it into a Spotify subscription. That said, Groove Music customers will still be treated to a two-month trial of Spotify Premium.
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Come January 2018, Groove Music will only exist as a regular media player. Which means it isn’t actually going away; just that it will be yet another extension of Windows Media Player.
[Source: Microsoft]
