Bye Bye Beats, So Long Zune – Apple, Microsoft Retire Major Digital Music Brands
Two major digital music brands are being retired. Apple is shuttering its Beats Music service and pushing users to Apple Music; and Microsoft is shuttering one of the original digital music services Zune.
Bye Bye Beats
Apple has announced that they are shuttering the Beats music service, effective November 30th.
Beats users were informed that the site would be winding up in a post on Beats Music support website, which said that remaining subscriptions would be canceled and that existing users could move their playlists and music to Apple's own in-house music service.
Apple closed the deal to acquire the Beats Music Service for $3.2 billion in August 2014, laying the groundwork for their music service, which launched earlier this year.
So Long Zune
Bad news for the few remaining users of Microsoft's Zune music service as the company has announced plans to discontinue the product.
The Zune Music Service initially debuted with Microsoft's Zune mp3 player as a response to the success of rival Apple's iPod mp3 player and the iTunes music store, but apart from a few loyal adherents, the device and service failed to find much traction with consumers.
While Microsft's Zune Mp3 player was discontinued in 2011, the music service continued in various incarnations, most recently as a mobile phone app that connected to the Zune Marketplace that offered music, podcasts, TV shows, movies, music videos, and mobile applications.
However, the company announced this month that the Zune Marketplace was also coming to an end, and that all of its digital download and streaming services would be moved to their primary consumer entertainment focus, the Xbox Live/Windows 10 Platform.
Existing Zune Music Pass subscribers will be transitioned to the company's Groove Music Pass service.
via Celebrity Access
