Update: BlackBerry wanted you to know that that Alicia Keys had nothing to do with the decision to shut down BBM Music. They feel that our headline (written as a joke) might have confused some people. Here’s a statement from BlackBerry regarding the matter.
We can confirm that Alicia Keys was not involved in the decision to discontinue the BBM Music service. The headline on www.soyacincau.com dated April 4, 2013, “Alicia Keys Says No More Music for You As BlackBerry Shuts Down BBM Music Service” is inaccurate.
After a strategic business review, it was determined that BlackBerry will no longer develop or provide support for BBM Music. The BBM Music service will be discontinued as of June 2. Customers currently subscribed to BBM Music will have access to the RDIO music service for 30 days for free. Customers can visit http://on.rdio.com/bbmmusic for further information.
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BlackBerry has announced that it will be pulling the plug off BBM Music. In an email to BBM Music subscribers, BlackBerry say that the service will play its final tune on June 2, 2013.
BBM Music service will be discontinued as of June 2, 2013*. For paying customers, April is the last month that you will be billed. In May, as your BBM contacts stop using the service, songs in your playlists will begin to turn grey and will no longer be available.
The decision is a logical and inevitable one as BlackBerry look to focus its efforts on initiatives that directly boost sales and financial performance but its funny to think that key to BlackBerry branding and marketing strategy is its “Keep Moving” project with partnerships with artists writers, designers, filmmakers, musicians and athletes, and also the appointment of 14-time Grammy winner, Alicia Keys as the company’s Global Creative Director.
Back in January at the launch of BlackBerry 10, the Z10 and the Q10, BlackBerry said that Alicia Keys “will work closely with app developers, content creators, retailers, carriers and the entertainment community to further shape and enhance the BlackBerry 10 platform, and inspire creative use through its remarkable capabilities and functionality. From music to books, to film, to apps, Keys will lead the charge of enhancing entertainment consumption and distribution, through the power of BlackBerry 10.”
At the same event BlackBerry also announced the “Keep Moving” Project, “which engages BlackBerry users in exclusive and compelling experiences created by inspirational and multi-faceted artists, writers, designers, filmmakers, musicians, and athletes.Renowned film director Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, From Dusk Till Dawn,Sin City), and author Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Stardust, The Sandman) will join Keys as the first three “BlackBerry Partners” leveraging the power of the new platform to create original content and special user engagements. The essence of these creative projects is that they are collaborations between the artist, BlackBerry and BlackBerry users around the world.”
One could argue that the availability of a bespoke music service is complementary of BlackBerry’s “Keep Moving” objective but in this case, the decision to shut down BBM Music raises doubts on BlackBerry’s direction. What does it want to achieve with all this actually?
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