BBM Music, a mobile music streaming service exclusive to Blackberry users, has officially gone into closed beta, RIM has announced.
As its name would suggest, the service works over Blackberry’s proprietary messaging platform, which can be used to share songs and playlists amongst other BBM Music subscribers. A subscription will cost $5 per month and include access to 50 songs at any given time. Twenty-five of those songs can be swapped out per month and users can gain access to more music via friends who opt to share it with them. Thus, the more socially connected you are via BBM Music, the more music you can listen to.
Think of it like Spotify or Rdio, but with less music and more of a focus on sharing, at least among Blackberry owners, to whom the service is limited. It’s that social aspect that RIM is emphasizing as what sets this offering apart from established players.
Like Spotify and Rdio, BBM Music lets users sync songs locally for offline listening. If they want to actually own the tracks, they have the option to purchase them as MP3’s through Amazon.
As far as streaming music apps go, Blackberry users already have a handful to choose from, including Pandora, Last.fm and Rdio. Spotify, which just launched in the U.S. last month, is said to be working on their own app for the platform.
BBM Music is available as a closed beta to BBM 6 users in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom.
