Microsoft may be considering to rebrand Xbox Music, as the latest Phone Companion app update for Windows 10, refers the music streaming service as “Groove”. However, the company’s plan still a big mystery, as there is already a startup that makes a Groove music player for Windows and iOS devices, but surprisingly not for Android.
The information at this time is very thin, the mention of Groove in the Phone Companion app could easily suggest that Microsoft could be rebranding Xbox Music to Groove, but it also could indicate that the company is purchasing the app, or even something bigger.
The Phone Companion app also refers the Xbox Music Pass as Groove Music Pass. You can see this reference in the screenshot above, “you can use the Groove app to listen to your entire collection on your PC or phone”, and “for access to millions of songs, unlimited streaming on all your devices, and no ads, check out Groove Music Pass.” And there is a “Groove Music Pass” that direct users to the Xbox Music Pass homepage.
Perhaps, the most interesting piece of information is that it seems that the software giant is getting rid of the Xbox Music branding, after the company’s various attempts throughout the years to make the Xbox brand part of entertainment, it has never really catch on.
In addition, Microsoft already owns the name “Groove”, as such it’s likely that company will reuse the name as it did with the “Surface” name.
If the software giant chooses to rebrand, it’ll be interesting to see how everything works out, as a company called Zekira already makes a music player under the “Groove” name, and if Microsoft doesn’t buy them out, there could be a potential legal conflict between the two companies.
Source Thurrott
