Microsoft Groove Is Xbox Music In New Wineskin

It looks like Microsoft have decided to shelve the Xbox Music branding where its music and video apps for Windows 10 is concerned, having given it a rebrand to call it simply as “Groove”. What is Microsoft’s reason behind this new moniker? Well, it has been said that “Groove describes what people feel and do with music.”

All in all, Groove is touted to be similar to Xbox Music by and large, although Microsoft intends to update it regularly in the months to come. It will launch with Windows 10 some time later this month, where the Groove app will play nice in both light and dark themes, alongside features which can be found at the moment in the Windows 10 preview.

There will be no free streaming version of Groove available, which is consistent with Microsoft’s decision to stop free music streaming in 2014. Rather, Groove intends to support the ability to upload music to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service, so that one can then later listen to those tunes without having to fork out a single cent via various devices that are connected to the Windows platform, including mobile devices, Xbox consoles, as well as even Android or iPhone handsets. Groove will come with a monthly subscription fee of $9.99, or you can opt for a more affordable $99 annual fee if you think it is worth it. [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Audio
Tags: groove, Microsoft, Xbox Music