Microsoft’s Groove app has seen some much-needed love from the Windows team in the past few months as it adds long-requested features such as an improved curation experience and UI tweaks across platforms.
Thanks to a tweet from Microsoft’s community manager on the Groove team, Ellen Kilbourne, it seems the company is ready to have even more eyes take a look at the new additions beyond the traditional assembly of subscription wielding members.
According to Kilbourne, those interested in the Groove experience can now take a look at the improved Radio and Explore tabs without having to have a subscription to Groove Music.
https://twitter.com/ellenment/status/756563060580581376
https://twitter.com/ellenment/status/756563302084247552
Previously, the only way to explore Groove Music was to have a subscription to the service, be it a month, three months or yearly. To be clear, the change in policy doesn’t imply a free tier Spotify-like experience. Instead, interested parties will be able to snoop around the newly accessed areas to see what music is offered and how the experience works but will still need a subscription to listen to any of the tracks discovered during their free exploration.
The Windows team, along with Microsoft, are presumably betting that enabling a much broader testing area within Groove Music will entice the curious to join. While Microsoft hasn’t openly advertised Groove Music in any substantial marketing beyond the initial Zune run off commercials, as engineers and developers continue to add feature parity to the apps, the company may feel more confident in the future to splurge on marketing its music streaming service.
