Yesterday, Microsoft announced one of the most brutal job cuts ever in the industry, which would see more than 18, 000 people lose their job over the next year. The company also announced that it is shutting down many of its divisions including Xbox Entertainment and Nokia MixRadio. The latter, however, is planning to spin off into a standalone music streaming service rather than go into oblivion.
MixRadio’s chief Jyrki Rosenberg has been meeting potential investors who have shown very strong interest in the company. The takeaway from this news, however, is the fact that we might see MixRadio apps arrive on the iOS and Android platform as well.
“The opportunity in this kind of setup is vast, and it’s much greater than what we’ve been able to benefit from today,” said Rosenberg.
However, he declined to comment on the company’s plans to expand beyond Windows Phone.
Even though Microsoft has ditched MixRadio, the app will continue to come pre-loaded on its devices for the time being. Unlike other streaming services, MixRadio is not an on-demand music streaming service. Instead, it contains a collection of themed playlists, curated by the folks behind the service.
With Microsoft ditching MixRadio, the company will have to look beyond its Windows Phone exclusive app if it wants to stay afloat in the highly competitive music streaming industry.
[Via The Guardian]