As of today, Microsoft never has to mention Zune again.
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Zune users will now have their subscriptions morphed into Groove Music Pass subscriptions, a service that is also unlikely to fare well in competition with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.
Microsoft over the weekend wrote the final chapter in the book of Zune, making good on its promise to retire a streaming music subscription service long past its prime. Microsoft announced the termination date a couple months ago.
For a time, the service also came with an incentive of 10 free songs a month, which could be kept even after a user’s subscription ended.
Zune players just never managed to fight off the iPod, and with smartphones taking on the role of music player in addition to everything else, it didn’t take long for Microsoft’s player to become surplus to requirements.
The end of Zune is the latest mark of the lessening popularity for downloading content for MP3 players, as more people turn to streaming music instead.
Microsoft launched its Zune portable player and music service in 2006 as a response to Apple’s successful iPod and iTunes that had already cycled through a few generations. The music component was then rebranded as Groove Music last July.
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The death of Zune has felt like a never-ending story, with the brand name far outlasting the hardware, and the online services sticking around long after Microsoft had any strategic use for them.
