Sorry, Gleeks: Smule To Shut Down Glee Karaoke By The End Of This Month

Today, the pioneering music app developer Smule has got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that it has just updated its Guitar! app with a number of improvements. And the bad news is that it has decided to shut down its Glee Karaoke app. Smule has just announced in a blog post that Glee Karaoke, which was released as simply Glee in April 2010 and rebranded the following September, is set to go offline on Aug. 31. In the post, the company included a link to a relevant FAQ page, in which the answer to the question "Why are you shutting down Glee?" reads in part:

We have loved watching the Glee community grow, and we wanted it to grow even more. Unfortunately, we realized that at the core, Glee is limited - the songbook includes only songs from Glee in the versions from the show. We wanted to open up the world of singing beyond the doors of McKinley High.

As the signature cover song of "Glee" advises, "Don't Stop Believin'" — or don't stop singin' into your iDevices, for that matter. Admittedly, Smule is shutting down Glee Karaoke in order to focus on Sing! Karaoke. If you can't see the video embedded above, please click here. Launched by Smule about a year ago, Sing! Karaoke is built upon the core features of Glee Karaoke, but with songs not only from "Glee" but also from other sources. Sing! Karaoke currently has more than 500 songs in its songbook. Nearly 100 of these songs are from "Glee," with more songs to be added from the show as it continues to air. Glee Karaoke is no longer available in the App Store. But, as a reminder for those who have the app on their iDevices, Glee Karaoke is set to go totally offline on Aug. 31. Sing! Karaoke, on the other hand, is available in the App Store for free. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad running iOS 5.0 or later. See also: Another App Bites The Dust: Catch Notes To Be Shut For Good On Aug. 30, Apple Subsidiary FileMaker To Stop Offering Bento In Order To Focus On Flagship Product, and Mailbox Developer Orchestra To Shut Down Namesake To-Do App 2 Years After Launch. [gallery link="file" order="DESC"]

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