Microsoft has announced it is shuttering the Groove music streaming service and download store formerly known as Xbox Music.
The company will cease offering streaming subscriptions and music purchases on December 31 this year.
If you’ve already paid up for a year, the remaining balance will be refunded.
In a blog post on Monday, Microsoft said the Groove Music app will continue to support playback of user-owned files from OneDrive.
In place of streaming, Microsoft is announcing a new partnership with Spotify, enabling Groovers to migrate their playlists over to the market leader.
Related: Spotify Time Capsule will give you all the feels
Windows Insiders will get first dibs on the Windows 10 and Xbox One tool starting this week.
Making full use of the tool will, of course, require Groove subscribers to sign up for a Spotify Premium account.
The company wrote: “As we continue to listen to what our customers want in their music experience we know that access to the best streaming service, the largest catalog of music, and a variety of subscriptions is top of the list.”
“Which is why we’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our partnership with Spotify to bring the world’s largest music streaming service to our Groove Music Pass customers.”
As is somewhat obvious by the shuttering, Groove Music was the forgotten player in the streaming stakes. It’s unlikely to be missed by many Windows 10 users.
Disagree? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter to explain why Groove Music was your streaming service of choice.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
