ALIBABA Group will close its music streaming platform Xiami Music next month, in a move that marks a step back from its ambitions to push into China’s entertainment industry.

“Due to operational adjustments, we will stop the service of Xiami Music,” the online music arm of Alibaba said Tuesday, adding that the closure will occur Feb. 5.

“It’s hard to say goodbye after being with you for 12 years.”

Alibaba acquired the music service in 2013 and invested millions of yuan to compete in China’s online music market.

Its efforts, however, have not paid off and the app currently only has 2 percent of China’s music streaming market, behind KuGou Music, QQ Music, KuWo and NetEase Cloud Music, according to data intelligence company TalkingData.

Xiami’s closure also comes after Chinese regulators announced that they had launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba, which beyond its core e-commerce business also operates in sectors such as financial services, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

However, it does not mark the end to Alibaba’s participation in the online streaming market. In September 2019, Alibaba invested US$700 million in one of Xiami’s competitors, NetEase Cloud Music. (SD-Agencies)