Grooveshark shuts down, apologising to labels for lack of music licences

Streaming music service closes its doors after lengthy legal battle with rights holders, and says: 'Despite best of intentions, we made very serious mistakes'

Streaming music service Grooveshark has shut down as part of the settlement following its loss of a copyright-infringement lawsuit brought by major labels.

The US-based service had been going for nearly 10 years, but its decision to build a catalogue of music from users' uploads rather than licensing deals with rights holders led to its demise.

Related: Behind the music: Why Grooveshark takes a bite out of artists' earnings