Zune Is Officially Dead (Yes, It Still Existed. Sort Of)
The few existing free Zune Music Pass subscriptions will be converted to $10-a-month Groove Music Pass subscriptions (formerly Xbox Music). In the “Zune retirement FAQ” on its support page, Microsoft wrote:
As of November 15, 2015, Zune services will be retired. You will no longer be able to stream or download content to your device from the Zune music service. However, Zune devices will still function as music players and any MP3 content that you own on the Zune device will remain there. You’ll also be able to transfer music to and from your Zune player.
You can read the full FAQ here.
See Wired’s story for an insightful assessment of the situation. Among other things, Wired writes: “Copyrighted music you’ve downloaded with Zune may not play with Groove if the licenses didn’t renew, which is a very real possibility. And it’s worth noting that although your Zune will continue playing all of your old music, anything you stream or download from Groove won’t play on your Zune.”
For those who are ready to surrender their Zunes, Wired continues: “Connect your Zune to your computer and import everything into iTunes. You can also head to your “My Music” folder and add files to iTunes from here (usually found here: C > Users > MyName > Music or C > Documents and Settings > MyName > My Documents > My Music). Only the music you paid for or used music credits to obtain will be allowed in, of course. Android and other devices are a bit messier, but essentially the same process.”
RIP, Zune.