Microsoft is retiring its Groove Music service and expanding its partnership with Spotify.
The Groove Music service will be discontinued Dec. 31, 2017, after which you will no longer be able to stream, purchase, or download music in the app. You will, however, still be able to play music you already purchased and downloaded or uploaded to OneDrive.
Starting this week, Groove Music Pass users will be able to "easily move all their curated playlists and collections directly into Spotify," Groove Music General Manager Jerry Johnson wrote in a blog post.
"As we continue to listen to what our customers want in their music experience, we know that access to the best streaming service, the largest catalog of music, and a variety of subscriptions is top of the list," Johnson wrote. So "Spotify [will] bring the world's largest music streaming service to our Groove Music Pass customers."
Groove Music users may also be eligible for a 60-day free trial of Spotify Premium; head here to check out the terms of the promotion and other FAQ about the transition.
Windows Insiders will be able to transfer their music to Spotify this week, and everyone else will have the option next week. To do it, launch the Groove Music app on Windows 10 or Xbox One and you'll see a pop-up window from Spotify asking you to log in to an existing account or create a new one. Once you sign in, you'll see an option to move your collection and playlists to Spotify.
"The process of moving your music to your Spotify account will take a few minutes," Johnson promised. You have until "at least" Jan. 31, 2018 to move your Groove Music Pass content to Spotify.
Also be sure to download any tracks you've purchased to your devices before Dec. 31 to ensure you'll still have access to your music following this transition. To download your music, open Groove, go to your music collection, and select Purchased; from there, right-click or press and hold your music files and select "download" from the menu.
If you have a Groove Music Pass subscription that extends beyond Dec. 21, 2017, Microsoft will give you a prorated refund for the difference.