So Groove ... why not LIVE Music and LIVE Video?

[anon(5383410)]

I highly doubt any of you thought Zune was a good name, and it ended up being one of the best software offerings from MS over the last 20 years. That should offer some perspective on how important a name really is.

Then again they may have shelved it because sadly many people associated the name with the failed iPod alternative so I guess the name is worth SOMETHING. I'll just shut the door on the way out.

 

[Guils]

Groove can work if it has the right start. But so far, that icon and the current layout are ruining everything.

The old headphone icon was okay. Everyone can get what it is for. But this tech vynil trying to be the "G" does not fit, I doubt my grandmother would see it on taskbar and know it's a music app.

And the w8.1 layout was so so so better, I always thought how it was a really friendly and ease music player. I hope they will make some UI changes until the end.

 

[themadpoet1]

Groove is a terrible name IMO. It's almost like the original Windows 8 Xbox Music Player on the PC (remember the grey background and ruinous store interface that hid your own collection over it's lousy advertising) should have been called Groove. I'd rather stick with the Xbox branding over "Groove". Who wants to listen to rock/metal music on a music player called Groove? *The brand name just isn't that cool*. I personally think they should have took a chance and brought back the Zune branding. It was very popular with the fans and it only really failed because the ipod was so powerful back then. Now that the smartphone is dominant and it's more about the apps, it's time to bring back the Zune application.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

I like the name. I don't love it, but I like it. And I only listen to rock. I only listen to metal. None of that repetitive, whiny, high pitched pop. Groove works for me, it certainly sounds better than Apple Music or Spotify or Tidal. The icon needs some serious work though.

 

[TheCudder]

"Live" is also still associated to XBOX ---- XBOX Live

 

[stevemind]

Sounds good to me lol.........the content matters more than the name.

 

[Cody Patterson]

Honestly naming it Groove is a mistake. Microsoft really sucks at naming things. No consistency with their marketing which reall sucks for the end user. All the need to do is call it "Music" that would be a great name for the app on their own OS. I'm sure there is no patenet for naming apps eithing their own ecosystem that can restrict them from that. Groove sounds like groove shark which automatically takes away from the fact that actually Microsoft made it, also groove is not what I do when I play music. I hate the term groovy ad do most people my age. We already have made ot clear that Microsoft wont win u til they win over the average teen well u til they get their marketing team fired and replaced with people who actually know what the younger generation would like ten they will Continue to have problems. It is ver disappointing and surprising how many people are actually in support of this horrible name change. Xbox music was a bad name, groove is even worse. Either call it Microsoft Music, Windows Music, plain old "Music" or something music related that ties into Microsoft as a company.

 

[dawindbag]

Exactly, LIVE Music carries connotations of music streaming and radio service, which is exactly why I would have immediately deleted it from my phone, not knowing what it really was.

I want a music player that can play the music on my SD card. I do not stream music, as I do not wish to blow my data that way. I rarely get access to Wi-Fi, except when using my phone as a hotspot. LIVE would have been unacceptable for me, because it gives the WRONG connotation for me. A lot of people feel as I do. It needs to be a name that can mean music from anywhere, on any platform, for anyone. I think Groove accomplishes that just fine.

I understand the argument and I think Groove has the exact same problem. It looks like bloatware for a streaming service (which it essentially is). The only things that won't look like bloatware on a new phone are a generic "Music" app and maybe Windows Music or Microsoft Music. I advocate for calling the app simply Music on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, and attaching the LIVE branding (or Groove) to the streaming service embedded in it that encompasses on-demand streaming, OneDrive music locker service and Radio.

The Music app plays your local stuff and the LIVE service is all the premium cloud based stuff. On other platforms the LIVE service is the entirety of the offering since they won't be looking for a local music player.

 

[Slovenix]

At first I was shocked then I read about it's meaning and I liked it and now I love it.

It's really refreshing after all that Google & Apple this and that something Music, even "One" and Xbox which never made sense as I see it as a gaming console, just like every one else around me. Plus not even Microsoft brand is very popular which makes some people not to use it at all. For example I always searched for alternatives on Android as "Google Play Music" just didn't feel that cool for some random reason. Same goes for Xbox Music on Windows Phone.

So yeah.. Groove on.

Ps. If you look at it's Icon you'll see a vinyl player shaped as a "G"

 

[rhapdog]

The Music app plays your local stuff and the LIVE service is all the premium cloud based stuff. On other platforms the LIVE service is the entirety of the offering since they won't be looking for a local music player.

I think all that you're saying is just over complicating matters and would cause further confusion for a lot of people. Many people get confused easily.

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
– Albert Einstein

 

[Jazmac]

 

[Jazmac]

Sadly this applies to pretty much anything Microsoft does these days, lipstick on a pig.

Microsoft not working for you? Let me ask, what doesn't work for you? Specifics.

 

[TechFreak1]

I believe people need to stop and think for a second.

It's not about the name but what the app does and how it functions, people loved Zune (application + service) not for the name but for what it did. When they say bring back Zune, they actually mean bring back what made Zune so damn great.

Only with Microsoft you get a wasted by-product with a transition to a new version... usually you get something better lol.

I just hope they have learned their lesson with xbox music and Groove doesn't end up as by-product of xbox music thus resulting in even lower sub par experience. Don't get me wrong xbox music works fine.. now however before not so much which is why I stuck with MixRadio (which also was substantially cheaper).

 

[wolfgangjr]

It really was so dumb how they dumped the zine software and pushed out nothing but garbage since then. Sadly I think groove will be just as crappie as their post Zune stuff.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[rhapdog]

Sadly this applies to pretty much anything Microsoft does these days, lipstick on a pig.

Microsoft not working for you? Let me ask, what doesn't work for you? Specifics.

Jazmac, I don't think mail2u was trying to bash Microsoft directly. Just a statement saying, "Haters gonna hate" kind of thing. At least, until I see something more direct, I'll give a new user a chance to show colors.

What mail2u said is true, though. There are Microsoft haters out there, and whatever Microsoft does, even if it is great, haters are going to hate. You might as well be putting lipstick on a pig.

 

[jmshub]

In the post that explains why Microsoft chose to rename the music app to Groove ( Here's why Microsoft chose 'Groove' as the new name for Xbox Music | Windows Central ), they explain some confusion that users had understanding that they don't need an Xbox or Xbox account to use the music app. I can understand some people being confused over the naming convention, especially when Xbox wasn't used to describe any other media or streaming or entertainment options within Microsoft.

Groove isn't a bad name, it is a musical word, and it is more creative than a very bland Microsoft Music or something. Only deep Microsoft insiders will recognize that Groove is a recycled name, and they will not confuse a music streaming service with a former office productivity sharing service.

The more important thing here is that if Microsoft is going to stay in the music services arena, they have to get more competitive. When they introduced the Zune Music Pass, it was a screaming deal as there was nothing like it at that time. The ability to stream pretty much whatever you want, whenever you want, downloading tracks or albums for offline playback and free MP3s each month was pretty revolutionary. But music collection matching, cloud storage, and radio station creation and playback are now features that are done better on competing music services.

People gripe about Microsoft being too open to the other platforms, but I don't know if there is a reason for iPhone or Android users to pick Groove over Beats (Apple Music) or Google Music or even Spotify. And there should be. This is one service that Microsoft really should be getting out to all platforms, get as many users as possible, and make their offering better than the competition.

 

[ShaneRay]

...but I don't know if there is a reason for iPhone or Android users to pick Groove over Beats (Apple Music) or Google Music or even Spotify. And there should be. This is one service that Microsoft really should be getting out to all platforms, get as many users as possible, and make their offering better than the competition.

That's the problem right there. There's nothing compelling about the service as it stands now (and, really, has been so for quite some time). Even as someone who made the choice to go all in with Microsoft's ecosystem, Music (and video) offer me nothing over competing services (online or local management)...and that's why I cancelled my subscription last year.

Here's an article from Neowin that sums up how I feel pretty well:

Windows 10's rebranded entertainment apps still aren't good

Better branding is just one item on a very long to-do list.

 

[Jazmac]

This is dumb as ever trying to chase bloggers to decide for the public what is and isn't good. The public decides much of this and Groove will be as good as the rest, if it isn't already.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I think Groove is pretty good.

Beats Google Play Music.
Something like Microsoft Music would be too... dry.

I'm not a fan of Live Music either, I think Xbox Music isn't bad as it was. I liked "Zune" as well.

Groove is indeed better than "Google Play Music". I think that "Live Music" is a goofy name but I thought that "XBox Music" was an absolutely terrible name.

In my biased opinion, Microsoft should've resurrected the Zune name. Especially now that Apple has initiated their 2nd attempt at a social component.... Ping v.2. Zune Social worked well and the whole package back then is still better than what the competition is offering now.

I keep my Zune software installers in a safe place and still install them on tablets and hybrids. It continues to work great (minus the marketplace).

 

[Jazmac]

Groove is indeed better than "Google Play Music". I think that "Live Music" is a goofy name but I thought that "XBox Music" was an absolutely terrible name.

In my biased opinion, Microsoft should've resurrected the Zune name. Especially now that Apple has initiated their 2nd attempt at a social component.... Ping v.2. Zune Social worked well and the whole package back then is still better than what the competition is offering now.

I keep my Zune software installers in a safe place and still install them on tablets and hybrids. It continues to work great (minus the marketplace).

Google music is a non starter. Its only doing it because everyone else is, not because they are committed to it. The way people talk about Zune, I wouldn't be surprised if it got a second look.