Microsoft acquires little-known startup Zikera, developer of the app Groove Music

Microsoft confirmed that it acquired the little-known startup Zikera, the developer of the app Groove music.

The startup, headquartered in Montreal, Canada, had been around since 2009. developing a set of music recommendation tools based on machine learning. 

The acquisition comes a few months after Microsoft changed the name of its music service from Xbox Music to Groove Music, so the question is whether the acquisition had anything to do with the startup's technology or just everything to do with its rights over the Groove Music name. 

Although there are no details as to when the deal happened, both Microsoft and ZIkera have only just acknowledged it. The startup wrote on Medium: 

Our journey started back in the days of the iPod. While it was a thing of beauty, we still struggled to choose what to play from our beloved music collection. From that instant, we envisioned a music player so intelligent that learns our tastes and habits in order to play the right music at the right time.……

In light of this acquisition, Groove is no longer available for download, but current users may continue to use the app. Please note, however, that we are not submitting any more updates.

(Andrea Leonelli)