Why Microsoft's Groove Music App Is The Forgotten Mp3 Player You Still Need!

Windows 10’s Groove Music app may have lost its companion Groove Music Pass (go.pcworld.com/ grmp) service, but it still has a reason to live: so it can take care of your MP3 files.

- Mark Hachman

Windows 10’s Groove Music app may have lost its companion Groove Music Pass (go.pcworld.com/ grmp) service, but it still has a reason to live: so it can take care of your MP3 files. As cloud services turn away from persistent music storage in favor of streaming, you may need it more than ever.

Microsoft officially killed its Groove Music Pass service as the ball dropped on December 31 (go.pcworld.com/ki11), shifting users over to Spotify. It’s a recognition that streaming services are the future, and that customers just don’t want to buy songs or albums.

But none of these services have everything. Bands like AC/DC and the Beatles held out for years. Artists negotiate exclusive deals on streaming services like Tidal. And for fan communities who pass around bootlegs of their favorite performances, like the Grateful Dead or Rush, chances are you’ll never, ever, find these performances on a licensed music service.

WHY MP3 COLLECTORS SHOULD WORRY

That’s why a generation of MP3 collectors is rightly worried about the fate of their precious live tracks and remixes. Spotify will play them, but only from local sources (more on that later). Amazon has quietly announced plans to shutter Amazon Music Storage (go. pcworld.com/amms), its service for uploading private MP3s to the cloud. (This won’t affect Amazon’s Music Unlimited Service, or any MP3s you’ve purchased through Amazon.)