Finally giving up

[LiveToSeeTheFuture]

Feeling like crap because I finally decided no not renew my Zune Music Pass for the first time since I got it with my Zune device years ago. After enjoying the service and the Zune software so much, the transition to WP8, Win8.1, and Xbox Music has been nothing short of a complete and utter letdown. None of the cloud features work well, the player software (aside from usability gaps) is missing countless basic features, easy discovery is shot, sync is a nightmare. I could go on, but I've finally realized that it's time to stop being angry and upset and just let go.

I'll use Zune on my PCs to listen to my library, MediaMonkey to organize my files and metadata and to sync to my WP8, SyncBack to move files between PCs on my home network when I buy new music, and Pandora or Spotify on my Win8.1 and WP8 when I'm looking for something new. It's a mishmash, but at least I know it'll work.

I'm nervous ahead of the Xbox One launch. I never expected MS to so completely screw up and ignore a prominent product like Xbox Music. I hope they don't do the same with the console.

Anyway... <sadface/>

 

[luk3ja]

I'll never understand why they ditched the zune program on windows, if they wanted to make it green and change it to Xbox music all they had to change was the name and the colours, they could have left everything else how it was

 

[xconomicron]

I doubt anyone would argue against this. I feel the same way. Zune = epitome of everything good in music listening, organization, and usefulness.

It's a shame MS failed to realize this.

 

[RTGent]

Well, music is one of my life's passions; the Music Pass nurtures it like nothing else (I still have the original plan) and is a priority for me. The strategy/compromise I've made is to stay with Zune software on my desktop and still use it to manage all my music, and to access, stream, and download many more times the music I'd otherwise be able to have on my home audio setup, and on my 3 Zune players (2 of which are in my plan) and phone to play anywhere I go. The phone compromise is that I still use a 7.5 Samsung Focus that works flawlessly. I am not as phone-centric as I used to be, and this helps me not need the latest Lumia. The Focus still gives me 35.9gb of storage which I still can't improve on with any WP8 device. If and when a 64gb 1020 becomes available, I will give it a try because 35.9gb is not enough either, but not until then. I've also compromised with my Surface RT because I don't like the way that works -or not- with my collection. I use it to stream the wonderful marketplace and I've loaded only my owned music on an SD card and play that. Too bad it didn't work for you.

 

[madthoughts]

I'm in love with Google Music, and I keep hoping Google throws some developers at WP8 soon.

I didn't realize Media Monkey could help sync with my WP8 device, so I'm going to check that out soon.

 

[hs k]

Even Musicbee works flawlessly, you just have to enable it in the preferences dialog.

That being off the topic, I hope the new standalone app improves on the bugs rather than creating more of them.

I have to yet try out Zune software (I never owned the player &#55357;&#56864, but shouldn't it have at least Mtp capability or at least a plugin?

 

[donebrasko]

Well, music is one of my life's passions; the Music Pass nurtures it like nothing else (I still have the original plan) and is a priority for me. The strategy/compromise I've made is to stay with Zune software on my desktop and still use it to manage all my music, and to access, stream, and download many more times the music I'd otherwise be able to have on my home audio setup, and on my 3 Zune players (2 of which are in my plan) and phone to play anywhere I go. The phone compromise is that I still use a 7.5 Samsung Focus that works flawlessly. I am not as phone-centric as I used to be, and this helps me not need the latest Lumia. The Focus still gives me 35.9gb of storage which I still can't improve on with any WP8 device. If and when a 64gb 1020 becomes available, I will give it a try because 35.9gb is not enough either, but not until then. I've also compromised with my Surface RT because I don't like the way that works -or not- with my collection. I use it to stream the wonderful marketplace and I've loaded only my owned music on an SD card and play that. Too bad it didn't work for you.

Rtgent I have almost the exact same setup. I use the focus as my "player/downloader" and my 928 as my phone/streamer. I now have a 520 with the plans of letting it replace my focus. Should I even bother switching everything over? I am afraid using Xbox music without Zune but then again I dont want to be caught off guard and M decides to cut Zune completely and I lose everything.

Now I have used tunebite on all of my music so I have all music that has been downloaded. About 5 or 6 years worth.

Should I just keep using the focus?

 

[RTGent]

Donebrasko, I presume you mean the 1520. I've been tempted to get this because it's the first WP8 that could exceed my Focus capacity, but for the moment, it's just too big. (A phablet would tempt me more if I didn't already have the RT.) I'd still prefer the 1020's camera and size -although the 1520 camera is also excellent, and I may pursue a 64gb-1020 import option. But the 1520 option has moved me to update my knowledge of WP8 and the Xbox software, and open my mind to upgrading. But, I'm not "switching everything" until I'm confident that those two platforms can work as nicely and reliably as my current setup, or nearly so. I'm thinking that I may limit risk by setting up a trial on my laptop (which is no longer on my current plan), perhaps with a new trial Xbox Music account, and a trial 1020 or 1520, and see how that setup performs. So, I'd suggest that you keep using the Focus (certainly not closing-off a retreat option) until you learn and like the lumia solution. Until then, your current dual solution is sounding attractive.

I am not afraid of the Microsoft completely-cutting possibility, so I'll still explore and experiment patiently. I can see them eventually cutting most or all support of Zune, but not functionality. I still use Office 2007, as ever; although the support lifecycle for that has largely lapsed, I'll still get security updates through 2017. Zune launched in 2011, so I'm guessing that 2021 is its drop date and may start worrying in 2018. (I do note that Zune does not show in Microsoft's Support Lifecycle Index; I may start worrying about that sooner.)
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EDIT: Pardon me, Donebrasko (Lumia literacy is my first challenge): I note this morning, as I begin to get up to speed, that there is a 520 model. Most of what I said still applies.

 

[donebrasko]

Yeah I was told that you can't download Xbox songs to the SD card so I'm selling the 520 for 50