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With iTunes Match, Apple has ended piracy as we know it
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Editorial, Music, Software,
I belong to the MP3 generation. Mine was the first to confront the choice between an $18 CD filled with marginal tracks and free MP3 downloaded from Napster in minutes. It was a test of character, and like many of the MP3 generation, I failed. But my days as a copyright violator, music pirate, and intellectual property profiteer ended long ago, and after enabling iTunes Match, previous guilt is gone.
To be fair, I haven't actually stolen music in years. I actually have multiple music service subscriptions, mostly because I am too lazy to cancel when I switch. So I have access to Rdio, Zune Pass, Rhapsody, Slacker, and Spotify Premium. But the truth is, I have a 32GB music collection sitting on my home PC that was built illegally downloading from services like Napster, Limewire, and BitTorrent. But now Apple is offering me amnesty for just $25 a year.
Apple's iTunes 10.5.1 launched yesterday, and it includes the much-anticipated Match feature. Install the software and it will scan your hard drive for music and make high-quality, 256-Kbps AAC versions of every file available to you in the cloud. The kicker is that this includes not just songs you purchased through iTunes, but any music file on your system, no matter where or how you got it. It will cost $25 a year to maintain access to this newly rebuilt and legal library, but for that price you can have access to up to 25,000 songs. Apple will pay the labels a small fee for the rights, but all you pay is the $25 per year. For those of us in the MP3 generation, this is library liberation.
Click to continue reading With iTunes Match, Apple has ended piracy as we know it
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Pete Doherty Haunted By Amy Winehouse
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Drugs,
Pete Doherty believes that he is being haunted by Amy Winehouse. The 32-year-old singer was close pals with the "Rehab" hitmaker before her death from alcohol poisoning in July, and he has become so concerned her ghost is now floating around his London home he has gone to Paris to escape the spectre.
"He is utterly convinced that he has seen her ghost. A lot of people will think his visions are probably drug-induced but he claims he is clean," said a friend of the Babyshambles singer.
Pete, however, is so worried about the alleged apparition he is refusing to come back from his French break. During a recent London concert, Pete revealed he had written a song for Amy but he never got a chance to record it with her. Introducing the song, the former Libertines frontman said, "Amy Winehouse asked me a while ago if I had written any new songs. I played her something, and when I had finished, she looked at me and said, 'Is that it? Is that all you've got?'"
Click to continue reading Pete Doherty Haunted By Amy Winehouse
iTunes Match now available to all for $25 per year
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Storage,
Apple his finally released iTunes Match, alongside the iTunes 10.5.1 update, which allows subscribers to store their entire iTunes music library in iCloud, accessing it from any Apple device that they're signed into. The release comes about two weeks later than excpected, as Apple had announced that the feature would go public before the end of October. You're limited to 25,000 tracks, although iTunes purchases don't count towards that limit in any way, and all your music will be upgraded to DRM-free 256 kbps AAC files. Who's signing up?
Apple misses iTunes Match launch date - what happened?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Software, Storage,
Apple has missed its own deadline to launch iTunes Match, a service that lets users store their entire music library in the cloud, or the iCloud, for access through any iOS device or computer.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the iPhone 4S (see our iPhone 4S review) in early October, and iOS 5 and iCloud went live several days later. The final piece of that puzzle, iTunes Match, was expected to launch at the end of October for $24.99 per year, but here we are on November 2 with no iTunes Match in sight.
With iTunes Match, users can store their entire music library in the cloud, or iCloud, for on-the-go access to your music from any iOS device or computer.
A portion of iTunes in the Cloud went live in June during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), while a developer version of iTunes Match was released in late August; Apple even reportedly wiped out developers' Match libraries, fueling speculation that a launch was imminent.
Click to continue reading Apple misses iTunes Match launch date - what happened?
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Sonos PLAY:5
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Men, Techies, Under $500,
As evidenced by the fact that we saw holiday decorations up at a major retailer the other day, it seems that It's that time of year again where we dig deep and give you our daily recommendations on what you should get your loved ones in our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. This year, we're kicking it off with the Sonos PLAY:5. If you're unfamiliar with Sonos, it's basically the best way to get music from just about any location (your computer, your iPhone, the web, the cloud, etc.) to play in any room in your house. It's super intuitive, and even years after using Sonos, the technology still blows us away. The Sonos PLAY:5 is a wireless all-in-one music system that lets you jump right into the Sonos experience. If you have an iOS or Android device, you can download the Sonos remote control app, and you can also control the system with a computer using the Sonos Desktop Controller. Here are some other Sonos products that go nicely with the Sonos PLAY:5, which itself you can get for $399 from Sonos:
Oh, and if free shipping is something you appreciate, just enter the code FREESHIPSONOS during checkout!
Apple releases updated iPod nano
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
At today's Apple event, Phil Schiller introduced the updated iPod nano. It's got a multi-touch display that's easier to navigate than last year's model, with a much-improved fitness experienced. Also, as an answer to the watch band accessories out there, Apple's added 16 new clock faces to make the nano more watch-like. They're available in seven colors, and are available today--8 GB for $129, 16 GB for $149.
Listen to music with friends on Facebook with Spotify, MOG, Rhapsody, Slacker, and more
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Music,
Facebook is good for discovering the latest news about your friends and family, but what about music? As part of its f8 developer conference yesterday, the site teamed up with a number of online music entities to bring music discovery to Facebook.
Music companies like Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody, and Slacker will be offering their own apps, which will allow you to share what you're listening to with friends on Facebook. Their music choices will also show up on your news feed, and you can listen to the songs right inside Facebook.
"You'll now start seeing new music posts and play buttons all over your newsfeeds. Hit a play button and the music starts. Right there," Spotify said in a blog post. "Spotify fires up to give you a new soundtrack to your social life. Check out your new Music Dashboard and your real-time ticker to discover the music that's trending with your friends."
Rdio and MOG prepping ad-free no-cost option for their music catalogs
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, Internet, Music,
Rdio said late Wednesday night that the service plans to provide free access to its music catalog without advertising, leading to speculation that social sharing might be the next business model.
MOG reportedly plans to announce a similar strategy on Thursday, and other music services are expected to follow suit. When Spotify launched in the U.S., it too pursued a free model, and more than 1.4 million people have signed up, according to reports. It's all leading up to an expected launch of Facebook Music next week, where social advertising could pay for the "free" services.
"Continuing on its first-to-market strategy, Rdio will soon be launching free access to its music catalogue without advertising," a spokesman said in an email on Wednesday night.
The offering will be available in the very near future and available to any consumer, with no need for a credit card, Rdio's spokesman added.
Click to continue reading Rdio and MOG prepping ad-free no-cost option for their music catalogs
Turntable.fm now available on the iPhone
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Social Networking, New Apps, Free Apps,
Turntable.fm is having a good week. The music streaming site on Tuesday released its iPhone app and confirmed that it has raised $7 million in funding.
It had been rumored that an iOS version of the popular service was headed to the App Store this week, and as expected, the app mimics the Web-based experience of Turntable, allowing you to do the same things on your mobile phone that you could do online. For example you can access all of the same rooms where five DJs take turns bumping the songs of their choice as well as rate those tracks as “lame” or “awesome.”
From the app, you can also make new rooms and start DJing in existing ones. The app has been well received for the most part, but VentureBeat pointed out that it moves a little bit slower than the desktop version. However, it noted that it works well over 3G, which rumored to be an issue for the app during its testing phase.
Click to continue reading Turntable.fm now available on the iPhone
Apple iTunes Match beta now available to developers
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Software,
Hey iOS devs, you can now test out iTunes Match Beta. iTunes Match is a $24.99 per year service, integrated with iCloud, that stores your entire music library in iCloud, allowing you to access that content from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or computer. It plays the tracks at 256 Kbps (iTunes Plus quality,) even if the original version is of lower quality. One big advantage that iTunes and Apple have here over services like Google Music is that you don't need to upload your entire library. Any songs that Apple has available in iTunes are automatically added to your iCloud account without the need for uploading. iTunes Match should be available publicly this fall.
