In an unexpected turn of event India’s top online retailer Flipkart is shutting down it Flyte digital Music store. The music store will be active till June 17, 2013, after which users will not be able to make purchase of mp3 songs.
In an official mail to all Flyte customers, Flipkart said – “We hope you have enjoyed the music we have made available to you. Unfortunately the Flyte MP3 store will no longer be operational after June 17, 2013. We request you to use your Flyte Wallet balance, if any, by that date. But if for some reason you are unable to do this then not to worry. We will refund the unused Flyte wallet balance to you.
If you would like to purchase any more music before the Flyte MP3 store shuts down, then please do so by June 17, 2013. All the MP3 files that you have purchased from Flyte on or before June 17, 2013 will continue to be available for download in your digital library till August 18, 2013. So do remember to download all your favourite music by then. “
Flyte will fully shut down by Monday, June 17, 2013, after which users will no longer be able to purchase MP3 files. If you have any unused balance left in Flyte Wallet, it will get refunded back to you. Also you have till Sunday, August 18, 2013 to download all your purchased Mp3 songs from your Flyte digital librabry, after that date you will no longer be able to download any of them.
Flipkart Flyte launched in February 2012 was offering DRM free music tracks with pricing starting as low as Rs 6 for single track with multi device playback support in various bit rates including 64kbps, 128kbps and 320kbps. It has a catalog of around 5 million Indian and International sound tracks. Some months ago during its 1st Anniversary celebration, Flipkart offered 1000 DRM-free legal music albums.
Flipkart was one of the best online destination to purchase legal Indian songs. But with the strong competition from online music streaming sites like Saavn, Gaana, Hungama and also recent launch of Apple iTunes store, it was becoming to difficult to convenience people on purchasing music. With piracy still remaining big in the scene, Indian users where downloading songs illegally from sites, removing any need to purchase music online.
Why Flipkart made such a decision. Your thoughts?