The BlackBerry Messenger Music service that was rumoured last week? Well it’s real and the the closed beta of BBM Music begins today. When the service opens for real later this year it’ll be available for a monthly subscripton of $4.99 but it’s a very different proposition to Spotify which has yet to rock up on a RIM device.
BBM Music will let you choose 50 tracks from a library of 10 million songs (including tracks from the four major labels) that best describe your musical tastes. You’ll then be able to share them with other BBM Music users.
Each friend you add will give allow you to listen to another 50 tracks so if you’ve got 20 friends on the service you’ll be able to play 1000 songs for the same $4.99 fee. It’s a strange set up but thankfully you won’t be stuck with the first 50 tracks you pick forever…
You’ll be able to switch out up to 25 tracks from your stash of 50 each month to keep your selection fresh. The BBM Music beta will let users comments on friends’ song selections, create playlists of their own tracks and tracks shared by others and see a timeline of what they and their friendship group have been sharing.
The service will work through a new BBM Music app which is compatible with BlackBerry OS5, BlackBerry OS 6 and BlackBerry OS 7 devices. The BlackBerry PlayBook with its QNX OS can’t join in yet. As with Spotify, BBM Music is all about streaming but has an offline mode to cache tracks to listen to when you’re without a data connection.
As well as the eventual subscription fees, RIM plans to make money from BBM Music by giving users the chance to buy tracks they like directly from the app. The BBM Music service beta is open in the UK, Canada and the US today.
BBM Music is an intriguing proposition but we can’t help but feel a little bit sceptical. Is the model too fiddly compared to the admittedly more expensive all-you-can-eat options offered by Spotify? Hit the comments to let us know what you think.
Out now | £free | BBM Music
