Microsoft scraps Xbox Music replacing it with Groove

After months of speculation that started when the Windows 10 beta versions saw the disappearance of Xbox references from the music player, Microsoft has unveiled a new service called Groove that will replace Xbox Music on Windows 10 machines. 

This is a major development for Microsoft’s music strategy. It also signals that whilst the Xbox brand was essential at a time when Microsoft had lost its ‘cool’ and was unable to position itself as a desirable entertainment company, Microsoft is now confident that the launch of Windows 10 will enable the company to regain some of its shine and appeal to consumers who are interested in entertainment but are not gamers, thus broadening the scope of the service.

The argument is supported by the fact that Microsoft has also pulled the name Xbox Video, which will be called Movies & TV on Windows 10. 

Users will be able to choose between a light and dark theme when using the new Groove app on Windows 10, and the application will allow users to upload MP3s directly to Microsoft OneDrive, creating a locker service similar to the one offered by Amazon and Google. Groove will continue to offer a premium-only streaming experience that will cost $99 per year or $9.99 per month. 

The branding change will possibly confuse some of the users upgrading from Windows 7 or 8, and there is no word as to whether Microsoft plans on changing the names of the apps on older operating systems as well. 

Microsoft’s reach is huge, and Windows 10 will for the first time be distributed as a free update to a good portion of Windows users, which means that Groove could get a fair share of exposure as people explore the system’s new features.

 

(Andrea Leonelli)