RIM to launch BlackBerry music service? (updated)

While RIM’s BlackBerry market share might be on its way downhill, it’s not too late for RIM to make amends while it still can. In order to capture a larger market beyond the enterprise sector it’s so familiar with, it looks like the company is going to take some drastic measures to appeal to a wider audience. CNET has reported that according to its sources, RIM will be launching a new music service.

Apparently RIM is negotiating contracts with the four major record labels in the US with at least one of them already onboard and two more close to finalizing the deal. There’s no word on how the service is going to work, but it’s said to run on top of BlackBerry Messenger (we’re not sure what CNET’s sources mean by that but I’m assuming that it will be highly integrated with the messaging service). All shall be revealed in a few weeks, as the BlackBerry music service should have launched by then – assuming the tipsters are correct. What do you think of these rumors? Does RIM need a music service to capture its audience or should music be least of its concern?

Update (08/24): the rumor is true after all. More details.

George Wong
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: bb, BBM, BlackBerry, Music, music service, research in motion, RIM