The launch of BBM Music comes at a transitional time for RIM. Its recently unveiled line-up of smartphones running the BlackBerry 7 operating system received a lukewarm response; with the handsets widely seen as little more than a stopgap before the launch of smartphones running its next generation operating system (provided by RIM's acquisition of QNX) sometime in 2012.

BBM Music's social integration plays to RIM's strengths in the youth market - RIM counts more than 45m BBM users. But the enforced nature of RIM's social integration may be an innovation too far. Integrating on-demand music services with social networks is nothing new, but other services haven't forced users to share or rewarded users for sharing music and recruiting friends to determine the level of music they can access.

On paper, BBM Music could help RIM retain customers attracted to music services available on other smartphones (Spotify is not yet available for BlackBerry), and the service is cheaper than competing offers from the likes of Rdio, Spotify and Deezer (which cost around $9.99 per month). However the limitations imposed by RIM could still be too strict and difficult to comprehend. It is likely that users could view the $4.99 charge as prohibitive for just 50 tracks, without realising the potential to extend the catalogue by accessing friends' music. The potential overlap among friends' choices could limit the attractiveness of the service. The result is that the limited and potentially confusing offer will not attract new BlackBerry users, and is likely to struggle to convert existing BBM users, many of whom are teenagers, to paying for music.

Integration with the Amazon MP3 Store is a plus for the online retailer which has been aggressive in expanding its music store. However, IHS Screen Digest does not expect RIM's service to be adopted by a wide audience so any benefit to Amazon may be limited. It is unclear whether RIM will partner other providers in markets where Amazon's store is not available. There was no mention of UK-based online music provider 7Digital which had previously provided music stores for RIM (including music store for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet).

BBM Music's best chance for success could be if access was bundled with the initial cost of a BlackBerry handset (or operator's contract), effectively hiding the cost from the user -RIM's offer is innovative, but offering it "free" could well be the best way to differentiate from competing services. However, even this is not a gaurentee of success. Bundled music subscription services from handset manufacturers have not always had the best track record. Nokia's Comes With Music (later rebranded Ovi Music Unlimited) struggled in many markets as it suffered from a confusing marketing strategy, poor device line-up and lack of consumer interest;  a fate which could well await the current iteration of BBM Music.