It’s difficult to understand what Canadian company Research In Motion is doing lately. On the one hand, RIM seems to be targeted small businesses with projects such as the Small Business Management Center. On the other hand, it seems as though RIM is trying to capture a younger audience as well.

RIM’s business management center made sense, as did the company’s reaching out to a small business niche market, but now news of RIM’s foray into streaming music seems somewhat out of place. Rumor has it that BlackBerry phones will soon include a way for users to stream music through the BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM).

Details Are Unclear

There are some big names in the music industry that any company looking to stream music needs to speak with. Those names include Warner, EMI, Sony, and Universal. According to a number of Internet sources, Research In Motion is currently “in talks” with some or all of these companies. This, no doubt, means that RIM will be releasing its streaming music service sometime within the near future – some rumors point to the next few weeks.

Following in the footsteps of other smartphone companies, RIM hasn’t released any real information about the new music service. The company has acknowledged that it is working on the musical side of things, but RIM reps won’t divulge information about how this service will work – not yet, anyway.

A Good Step for RIM?

Despite the launch of RIM’s latest BlackBerry devices, the company is still suffering sales-wise. The one aspect of BlackBerry that isn’t suffering is its popular messenger service. BBM provides a way for BlackBerry users to communicate with one another through the Internet. Needless to say, this service is immensely popular throughout the world, and it is the preferred messenger service in many countries.

Capitalizing on this service is an intelligent move. Right now, BBM users can use other streaming music tools such as Rhapsody to find music, but BlackBerry doesn’t have a streaming music service of its own. Adding a way for BBM users to directly download music through BBM would be an excellent way to reach out to younger BBM users.

Will this new streaming music service capture the attention of those who do not currently own a BlackBerry? Maybe; but BlackBerry still has a long way to go before its devices live up to the likes of the iPhone or various Android phones.

Availability and Pricing

As mentioned, the actual release date of RIM’s streaming music venture is unclear. However, it’s safe to say that BlackBerry users should keep their eyes peeled for the service over the next few weeks. As far as pricing, this information has not been made clear yet either, though it isn’t a far-fetched assumption to consider that RIM may want to compete with Spotify.

If this is the case, RIM might consider offering users a pay-per-song deal. Then again, the company could go with a monthly or yearly subscription rate. News about RIM’s new music service is sure to surface soon.