Zune Marketplace goes partially live in Canada

Late last week we brought you the news that it was likely that Zune Marketplace, the commercial side of Zune, would be coming to Canada.

Zunited, a Zune-enthusiast blog, discovered that while running a developer version of the Zune client, they could access features that hinted towards Marketplace availability in the country. Later, the author managed to actually purchase a song.

This is his take on the matter:

It seems as if Microsoft has finally gone through the proper channels, cut through the red tape and decided to start competing in a country other than the United States. The fact that a purchase was actually made means that Zune music Marketplace is undoubtedly coming to Canada. Exact timelines are still unknown, but it is coming.

We are slightly less certain than Zunited, but agree with its overall take that it appears that Microsoft has been working to expand its musical relationships to include Canada. The move makes sense, not only as it will help grow the Zune brand (provided that it is not folded into Xbox), but also that it will make Windows Phone much more interesting up North.

Both Zune and Windows Phone are brands that are, now, recognized as being quality, but have lackluster market share numbers. Microsoft needs to bring Zune to Canada, and a dozen other countries. There has been extensive talk that the Zune brand, sullied as it was due to hardware issues early in its life, will be killed off, and its components shoved into Xbox. There is some merit to the idea, but Zune, with the advent of Windows Phone, should remain its own show, in the opinion of TNWmicrosoft.