Who owns several giant platforms across multiple screens? Microsoft does! And who might be storming the burning keep and launching a streaming and download service? Microsoft! There are rumors swirling about Microsoft launching something new, the question comes down to what the hell are they thinking? Let’s do some scenarios: they launch a Zune branded streaming service on top of Zune Pass and the Zune store. If that is the case, then I am a happy camper.
Run the odds of that happening? Zero. The only team in audio/visual that does not have a thumb firmly up their ass is the Zune team. This sounds like a different project. If it is, I am going to send brownies to the Zune team. The Zune platform and hardware are brilliant: sleek designs, great UIs, and solid industrial tech behind the players. Now take a (probably) half baked streaming service and divest it from the brand and what do you have? Diddly-shit.
My idea: take the service, brand it Zune, and give consumers a third way to buy music: Zune Pass, Al a Carte, and the streaming model like Spotify. All of sudden Zune is the strongest and most flexible store on the internet. In one swoop. Please please MSFT make this Zune.
