RIM's BBM Music adds Intelligent Shuffle, 'imaginary friend' features

Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) updated its cloud-based BBM Music service giving BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging users new ways to discover and share music. The service costs $4.99 per month and is comparable to similar cloud music initiatives launched by archrivals Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) in 2011.

BBM Music allows users to share songs with BBM contacts.

BBM Music users build personal music profiles featuring 50 of their favorite songs, with the flexibility to swap out as many as 25 songs each month. As BlackBerry Messenger contacts join the user's BBM Music Community, music from each new profile becomes available to other community members, meaning a BlackBerry owner with 25 BBM Music friends could expand their library to as many as 1,300 full-length songs.

The new BBM Music 1.2 update introduces an option allowing users to designate specific tracks as part of a Favorite Songs profile tab displayed to their BBM contacts in the Recent Updates feed. Users may also "favorite" contacts for easier access. In addition, the new Intelligent Shuffle feature lets users shuffle songs according to personalized filters like favorites and contacts as well as genre, artist, release year and the track's popularity within their BBM network.

BBM Music 1.2 also lists a default friend as a contact, enabling new users to immediately begin using the service without building out their BBM contacts network. Existing users will also experience improved performance at startup, easier access to account information and enhanced notifications.

The service features millions of songs from major labels Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Music, as well as indie distributors like The Orchard and IODA.

For more:
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