Microsoft discontinues Groove music in favour of Spotify

Redmond: Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would discontinue its Groove Music Pass subscription service, allowing its existing customers to move their playlists and music collections to Spotify.

The Groove Music app will no longer offer the option to stream, purchase, and download music after Dec. 31, the company said in a blog post.

Microsoft introduced the service in October 2012 as Xbox Music, offering music streaming through subscription or purchase through the Windows Store.

However, the company said it would continue to update the Groove Music app on all Windows devices to support playback and management of owned music.