RIM eyes up a Blackberry music service

CANADIAN MOBILE PHONE OUTFIT Research in Motion (RIM) is in talks with four major record labels to start a Blackberry music service.

The company has struck a deal with at least one of the four - Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Music - according to Cnet. A test version of the service could go live within the next few weeks.

RIM told The INQUIRER, "BBM is a dynamic social platform and one of the largest mobile social networks in the world with over 45 Million BBM users. However, I'm unable to comment on this specific report as RIM's standard policy is to decline comment on rumours and speculation."

It is unclear exactly how the service will work with the Blackberry messaging service (BBM), which is the main reason that the handsets are popular with young people. The service will be announced by the time Labour Day comes in the US on 5 September, according to Reuters.

Details are thin on the ground but we suspect the service will be similar to the popular Spotify, with users being able to stream music to mobile devices. The service is likely to offer both free and paid subscriptions, we reckon.

It is unclear whether the service will be available on RIM's Playbook tablet, which only has access to BBM when paired with a Blackberry handset.

RIM launched its latest handset, the Bold 9900 recently, which was supposed to be available from the beginning of Summer. The firm must be hoping that it, along with the new lure of the music service will get its sales back in shape after a shaky start to the year that saw poor results and the layoff of 2,000 employees.

Music continues to be an attractive element for consumers with rival phone maker HTC recently buying a major stake in Beats Electronics. This move could reignite RIM's smartphone campaign, if it gains traction. µ