JB Hi-Fi Now to soon be a thing of the past

JB Hi-Fi Now to soon be a thing of the past

It’s hard out there for a music streaming service, which is why JB Hi-Fi has announced that its own Spotify competitor, JB Hi-Fi NOW, will be closing down on March 17, 2016.

In an message posted on the JB-Hi-Fi NOW website, the service explained that subscriptions “will remain active up until 17th March following which you will no longer be able to stream music.”

This marks the second digital service that the retailer has shuttered in less than a year, with its JB Hi-Fi NOW Books service shutting down in September last year.

The day the music died

Though it’s offering refunds for paid days beyond the upcoming cutoff period, the service “will no longer be taking any direct payments, new subscriptions or renewals from 17th February 2016.”

The retailer has also assured customers with JB Hi-Fi NOW gift cards that they can either obtain refunds, or trade them in for in-store credit.

As for JB Hi-Fi NOW users’ prized playlists, the retailer vows not to leave its customers in the dark – the service will be providing users with a list of their “favourites, mixes and queue lists to make the transition to a new streaming service easier.”

Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 


He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.