Microsoft has announced plans to close down its Groove Music Pass subscription service. The company is also going to kill off the ability to purchase music from the Windows Store.

Microsoft is partnering with Spotify, and offering a seamless migration from Groove Music to its former competitor. The cull is coming on December 31, and after this date the Groove Music app will no longer offer the option to stream, purchase, and download music.

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It's the time of year that many college students dread, although some secretly love -- back to school. Yes, the university doors are open once again; textbooks are being loaded into backpacks and alarm clocks are being set for ungodly early hours.

When these students aren't studying or going to class, they need to relax. Many of them choose streaming music and video as a way to unwind. Unfortunately, college is quite expensive, so splurging on multiple services is often not possible. To cater to the needs of these cash-strapped students, Hulu and Spotify have joined forces on a new bundle deal that will save them a few dollars.

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If you are a student, you are probably back in school by now. Yeah, going to class can sometimes be a drag, but learning new stuff can be fun too. Heck, it is also a great way to socialize and meet new people. Not to mention, wearing freshly bought clothes and carrying a new backpack can be an exciting experience.

But what if you want to listen to music when you aren't doing school work? Yeah, you can play your favorite jams using your smartphone, but really, a Bluetooth speaker will provide more volume, and probably, better sound too. Today, Bose unveils a new model that should be ideal for students or anyone, really. It is incredibly small at just 1.5 inches high and 3.75 inches wide, making it perfect for tossing it into a backpack. Heck, thanks to the integrated strap, you can easily attach it to your bag too. If you are rough on your gear, do not worry as it is durable -- it has an IPX7 waterproof rating.

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Facebook is said to be offering hundreds of millions of dollars to music publishers and record labels to avoid having to take down user-generated videos that feature copyrighted music.

Bloomberg cites "people familiar with the matter" as saying Facebook's payments will allow for the legal use of songs in uploaded videos. At the moment rights holders can tell Facebook to remove any videos that feature copyrighted music, and the social network is keen to create a frictionless experience for users if at all possible.

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The Apple Music Festival -- formerly known as the iTunes Festival -- has been cancelled. The termination of the festival comes after a decade-long run which has seen performances from artists such as Oasis, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Lady Gaga and Elton John.

Once a month-long event, the Apple Music Festival shrank down to just a 10-nighter in recent years. Apple -- due to launch the iPhone 8 next week -- is unlikely to completely pull out of the music scene, having recently been involved in the sponsorship of shows by Lana Del Rey and Arcade Fire.

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Happy Labor Day, dear BetaNews readers! I hope you are off from work today, spending time with family and barbecuing some food on the grill. If you are working, as some folks have to do on holidays, I salute you. I just got home from a baseball game, where my beloved Mets beat the Phillies. America's pastime is a great way to celebrate today's holiday.

Another great way to celebrate? Listening to some rocking tunes! Whether playing some Lynyrd Skynyrd in the backyard on some speakers, or curled up on the couch with the latest from Lil Uzi Vert on some headphones, music can enhance the experience -- as long as you have some decent equipment, that is. Today, Apple launches a new set of wireless cans from its Beats by Dr. Dre subsidiary. The "Beats Studio3 Wireless," as they are called, look beautiful, but more importantly, they should sound exceptional.

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YouTube-mp3.org -- "the easiest online service for converting videos to mp3" -- is closing down. The ripping site faced action from numerous record labels, but it has now come to an arrangement with the RIAA.

The site is one of many that make it possible to convert YouTube videos into MP3 format, but it has piqued the interest of copyright lawyers. Millions of users meant the site was able to rake in ad revenue -- something the RIAA and record labels were less than happy about. An arrangement with the RIAA means YouTube-MP3 will close, leaving users looking for another site to cater for their YouTube ripping needs.

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Earlier today, Logitech announced a unique new keyboard called "Craft." It is designed to work in harmony with the company's excellent Logitech MX Master 2S mouse, but, of course, you can use it with any pointing device that you choose. Logitech is hoping to dominate your desk with these products not only because they work exceptionally well, but also because they will share an elegance and design style that will transform your work space into something beautiful.

Of course, a mouse and keyboard alone do not complete an elegant desktop experience, so the company is also introducing a new 2.0 desktop speaker system. Called MX Sound, the speakers don't only connect with a 3.5mm audio port, but they feature Bluetooth too. Actually, you can pair two Bluetooth devices at once. There is even a headphone jack on the rear. To lend to the overall beautiful design, there is no branding on the front of the speakers, allowing them to blend into your desk. The controls on the front even have proximity detection, so they will only light up when your hand gets close.

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They say everyone has a book in them. Using this theory, everyone should have a song, too. But, it’s not as easy to create a track from scratch. You can lay down a beat, but you really need a keyboard to control input and also some basic composition understanding, such as how to create a chord.

An easier way is to, well, borrow from other people. Effectively that’s how a DJ will learn his trade. They take songs created by other bands and add their own components or simply mix together for one continuous track. Obviously, it goes without saying that you need permission if you use their songs commercially, but having the right tool helps too.

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Microsoft's Groove Music Pass is an exceptional streaming music service. If you spend a lot of time on Windows 10, it is the best music experience on the platform. The app is well designed, and it fits in with the overall Windows 10 motif. It can even be used on Xbox One. Groove offers a really good selection of tunes too -- right up there with its competitors.

Believe it it not, Microsoft's service is cross-platform, also working natively on Android and iOS. The mobile apps are decent, but not fantastic. Fans of macOS and Linux-based desktop operating systems, such as Ubuntu and Chrome OS, can also use the service thanks to the brilliant web-based player. If this all sounds good to you, I have some great news. As part of a Labor Day promotion, Microsoft is offering an insane seven months of the service for the price of just one month. Yes, really.

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It has long been expected that the Spotify app would make its way to Xbox One, and evidence supporting this has been mounting for some time. Now a video by Major Nelson -- or Larry Hryb, if you prefer -- confirms the existence of the app.

Earlier in the week, eagle-eyed Xbox One users noticed Hryb was using the app. Later, a screenshot of Microsoft's ExpertZone website showed further evidence in the form of a (now-deleted) page referencing "Spotify goes Platinum" and a note that "Spotify is coming to Windows 10 and Xbox."

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The arrival of offline mode to YouTube Music may not seem like news, but the reality is that the "mixtape" option that was available was very limited. Now YouTube has made it possible to download playlists, songs and albums for offline listening.

As before, you need to be a YouTube Red member to take advantage of the feature, and the update means that users now have far more control over their offline listening rather than relying on YouTube to select tracks based on listening history.

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Let's get one thing out of the way: I hate earphones. I always have. This is not an irrational hatred, I've always liked the idea of in-ear buds -- I've just never been able to use them. The problem, it seems, lies with my right ear. To my knowledge it is a perfectly normally-formed ear, but it is singularly incompatible with earphones -- while the left will grip the bud nicely, the right vomits it out in next to no time.

So, I have long shied away from earphones, opting instead for either fully enclosed headphones, or the clip-on variety. At least that was the case until I tried the AUKEY EP-B40 Latitude Wireless Earbuds. While certainly not from a big name in the world of audio technology, they get off to a great start by featuring ear hooks that succeed in keeping the damned things in my ears -- win!

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YouTube's head of music, Lyor Cohen, has confirmed that Google Play Music and YouTube Red are going to merge. Speaking in New York at the New Music Seminar conference, Cohen said that a new streaming service would be created.

Rumors of the merger have been circulating for some time, and the move will see Google consolidating its services into something rather more manageable -- both for the company and for users.

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Summer is in full force, meaning many of you are hanging out with friends and family outside. Nothing beats having a good time outdoors with loved ones -- especially when listening to good music.

While playing your favorite tunes through your smartphone's speaker is passable, it doesn't make for a good party. That's why a Bluetooth speaker is a wise investment. Short on funds? Don't worry. We here at BetaNews are giving one away -- the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM (Blue/Red). Not only is the wireless speaker waterproof, but it actually floats on its own!

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