BlackBerry Messenger Music - New Service from RIM

Research in Motion (RIM) announced it would issue a new service that aims to increase market share in the smartphone market. Such a service is BlackBerry Messenger Music Service. RIM recently launched the public beta version of BBM Music in Canada, Britain and the United States, and is expected to be present in 14 countries before the year ends. These services basically designed music rental service with a heavy social component.

According to RIM, up to 50 music files from the user’s personal profile can be shared with their BBM Music Community, and each member can share up to 50 songs from theirs. This means that the more people who join the user’s community, the more songs they can listen to.

“More than 45 million customers already love the social communication benefits delivered through BBM and we are thrilled to be extending the experience into a uniquely social and interactive music service,” said President and co-CEO of Research In Motion Mike Lazaridis. “We have partnered with leading music companies to provide a ‘full track’ music sharing and discovery experience that will provide users with quality music on demand and allow them to connect with friends on a whole new level.

The BBM Music service is not free, however. The company will give a one-month trial period then it will charge a subscription fee of $4.99 per month. The company also said that it is possible for users to buy music from its BlackBerry Music Store. The price includes 50 songs, 25 of which the user can switch out for new songs each month.

BlackBerry, for a longtime known as the businessman's phone of choice, has became more popular among a younger clientele, though notably that demographic still prefers Apple's iPhone or Google's Android.