BlackBerry is closing BBM Music, which was launched in August 2011 as a “social and viral” music discovery service to complement its BBM messaging network.

According to reports, the company has informed users that the service will be discontinued as of 2 June 2013. The company highlighted Rdio as an alternative once BBM Music stops functioning, with a free 30-day trial available.

Last year, Thorsten Heins, CEO of the company, said that he would look to partnerships for content and services that are “not central to the BlackBerry value proposition”, as the company aimed to cut its costs in the face of falling demand for its smartphones.

Despite acquisitions intended to bolster its value added services portfolio, Heins noted that transforming this into a profitable operation would be “extremely difficult” – and it now looks as if BBM Music has been a casualty.