“Research In Motion Ltd. is developing a service that would let subscribers access music on its smartphones, according to people familiar with the matter. The music service is designed to work with RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger, the company’s proprietary instant-message system, according to people who have discussed it with RIM executives,” Ethan Smith reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“These people said that BBM Music, as the service is to be known, could launch as soon as next week,” Smith reports. “Subscribers would get access to around 50 songs at a time, which they could listen to on their phones and share with other subscribers via BlackBerry Messenger.”
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Smith reports, “The price of the new service couldn’t be determined. But people in the music industry said they have been told it will cost significantly less than Spotify AB or Rhapsody, which both charge $10 a month for unlimited access to music on mobile phones. According to people who have discussed the service with RIM executives, the new service isn’t intended to compete directly with Apple Inc.’s iTunes or music service Spotify, which launched recently in the U.S. Instead, the BlackBerry service is supposed to help younger users ‘customize’ their phones and share their songs with friends.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Dumb and dumber continue tossing out sweet nothings while leading RIM’s death march, but at least BlackBerry users will have something with which to drown out RIM’s death rattle.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Mauricio D.” for the heads up.]
Not only stupid, but crazy.
Lipstick on a pig.
So bad but so true…Prepare the funeral
Music restricted to requiae and polkas
No death marches?
Requiae for sure.
But why are you down on polkas?
Another obituary today??? First WebOS now this?? geez!!
A new music service? Oh, how quaint. What’s next, a “genius” that recommends new songs?
What I don’t understand is why is the music delivered through what is essentially a messaging service? Is it RIM’s poor attempt at cloud based music? Wouldn’t it make more sense to deliver it through a music player?
My initial thought was the same, but then I had my next thought:
Since when does RIM do what makes sense?
RIM’s messenger service has a lot of time on it’s hands now that Blackberry sales are nose diving. Using the service to send dirt cheap music out to the texting fools who bought Blackberrys is rather brilliant. It should add a week or two to RIM’s life.
Yes go for it! Spend big!!! 🙂
BBM Music = Baritone Bowel Movement Music
Ten years late, eh!
Blackberry fans always tout RIMs fabulous security. Image the bottleneck if every song has to go through RIMs servers.
A whole 50 songs? Even the Lams a$$ Rokr could do 100. Me thinks this is DOA
Why bother – seriously – why bother.
how sad :,(
Geeze RIM. Why don’t you just hand your money to Apple on a platter.
Can Apple really do this to what used to be pretty smart people….this is like a classroom where no one knows the answer so they just start guessing and yelling out anything… sad … So sad
What have Apple got to do with it? RIM are managing quite well on their own.
Wonder if the Clash – London Calling will be on it?
To late, it has no change !
RIM’s new slogan: The Future is 5 Years Ago!!!
Stop it RIM you’re just embarrassing yourself, like Dad dancing at a wedding reception.
@TimD What are you trying to say? I’m a dad, and I dance at wedding receptions… Even better when I bite down on my bottom lip.
If I were a stock analyst, I would stare at this announcement in stunned disbelief, then pick up the phone and sell and/or short as many shares of RIM as possible. This is one of the most idiotic wastes of money I have ever read.
So, “the BlackBerry service is supposed to help younger users ‘customize’ their phones and share their songs with friends”? News flash, RIM! “Younger users” aren’t interested in your product, and no music service is going to change that. Blackberries are associated with business, work, and corporate email. They are as sexy and hip as… well, as Windows.
If RIM continues to waste money trying to turn themselves into something they’re not, a consumer device maker, they’re just going to hasten the end. RIM should double down on what they’re good at — enterprise devices — and leave the consumer market to Apple and Android.
——RM
I hear their next project involves better round things to put under vehicles to make them go better.