Monday, July 07, 2025, 9:06PM | 
MENU
Advertisement

RIM Reported to Be in Talks for Music Deal

RIM Reported to Be in Talks for Music Deal

Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, is in the process of signing deals with the major record companies to develop a limited digital music service for its subscribers, according to several people briefed on the talks.

The new service, which is expected to be introduced to the market in coming weeks, would allow users of the phones' instant-message service, BlackBerry Messenger, to send songs to other subscribers, according to these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are private and the deals have not all been signed.

Unlike Spotify, Rhapsody and other so-called cloud music services, which let their users stream millions of songs, the new BlackBerry program would allow users to share only about 50 songs with other users, through playlists and other features.

Advertisement

It is expected to cost less than $10 a month, and the charge would be added to the subscriber's monthly phone bill. Record companies will share some of the revenue.

The service is expected to be available to BlackBerry Messenger's 45 million users around the world, the majority of whom are in North America.

Tenille Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Research in Motion, based in Waterloo, Ontario, declined to comment about the music service.

The new music service is expected to provide a boost to Research in Motion. Having effectively created the smartphone market with the BlackBerry, the company's North American market shares have declined substantially since the arrival of Apple's iPhone and phones running Google's Android operating system.

Advertisement

BlackBerry Messenger has become popular with young people because of its price. It usually offers unlimited text messages for a modest fee, even on prepaid phone plans, making it less costly than conventional SMS texting.

The news was first reported by CNET, a technology Web site.

First Published: August 19, 2011, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
Comments Disabled For This Story
Partners
Advertisement
Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at PNC Park on June 27, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1
sports
Paul Zeise: Time to blow it up (again) — Pirates should commit to another full rebuild at this upcoming trade deadline
Pirates team owner Bob Nutting talks with general manager Ben Cherington during spring training Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.
2
sports
Jason Mackey: How misplaced loyalty and a lack of true urgency have put the Pirates in a lousy spot
Pedestrians walk through the rain on the North Shore on Monday, July 7, 2025.
3
news
Storms could bring heavy rain, flooding to Pittsburgh region this week
The “Bible House,” the early headquarters for the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society -- an integral part of the Jehovah’s Witness congregations --was built in what's now Pittsburgh in 1889. It served as the organization's headquarters for nearly 20 years before it was moved to Brooklyn, NY and later to upstate New York.
4
news
Silence and shame: How the Jehovah’s Witnesses sex abuse crisis in Pennsylvania unfolded
Bethel Park at sunrise earlier this year. The community, where Thomas Crooks grew up, was as surprised as the rest of the country when one of its own was involved an attempt to shoot a presidential candidate.
5
news
In Bethel Park, hometown of Trump’s would-be assassin, resilience and disbelief linger
Advertisement
LATEST business
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story