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Spotify finally comes to Windows Phone 8
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Music, Software,
Windows Phone 8 users have been patiently waiting for Spotify to hit the platform, and the day has finally arrived. You can download the beta Spotify app to get your subscription music streaming on while simultaneously kicking Xbox Music to the curb. The wait was due to the Windows Phone 7 Spotify app being built by a third party and paid for by Microsoft, in an attempt to just get Spotify onto its phones, and since Windows Phone 8 is a totally different platform, the app needed to be rewritten from scratch. Not sure why that garish pus-yellow background needed to be included, but we guess beggars can't be choosers.
Read More 
| Windows Phone Blog
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Sprint readies FM Radio and Entertain Me packages for Android and Windows Phones
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Music,
Sprint is bringing FM radio to select Android and Windows Phone devices this year with the NextRadio tuner app. This move makes Sprint the first US carrier to herald FM radio in such fashion, and shows the amount of faith the carrier puts in a format some might say is already dead.
Sprint also revealed an application bundle for the Sprint Zone on Android dubbed "Entertain Me." The bundle will feature Sprint TV and Movies, Sprint Music Plus, Spotify, Slacker, iHeartRadio, Shazam, and Rumpus.
Mumford and Sons’ Babel Success
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: The Charts, Folk, Rock, New Releases,
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Mumford and Sons' new album Babel has achieved the biggest sales week of 2012 in the US Billboard Chart. The group sold over 600,000 copies of their second LP in America, but Daniel Glass - of their US label Glassnote - says the boys won't be getting over-the-top gifts to celebrate their success: "No new cars. We have something we think is very special... we hug. We're big huggers. We will give them a big hug and compliments on their job."
Daniel says he always knew the band - made up of Marcus Mumford, "Country" Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane - would be successful as they're so talented and work really hard, especially when on tour. "I can go back to the beginning and I knew we were signing a very talented band to our roster. They delivered incredible music for a second time... and the work that was done, it's very empowering and shows a lot of confidence when a band goes out for almost two months playing new music from the new album for their fans and shares it with them and makes the fan experience so wonderful and inclusive. The attitude of Mumford and Sons is that fans really do come first and word of mouth is important. They've let you in on new music for a long time and it's not a marketing ploy. It has been that unfurling and exposure going on for a year and a half with the new music," he said.
Click to continue reading Mumford and Sons’ Babel Success
Apple set to launch Pandora-like streaming music service
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Music, Rumors,
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is working on a streaming music service that would give iTunes, Spotify- or Pandora-like functionality. However, the details are scarce at the moment. Here's a Tweet from Dennis K. Berman:
Click to continue reading Apple set to launch Pandora-like streaming music service
Read More | WSJ
Spotify 0.5.4 appears with iOS 6 support
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, App Updates, iPad Apps, Free Apps,
The most recent Spotify update has appeared in the App Store with iOS 6 support in tow. Typically, Apple rejects app releases that mention compatibility with beta versions of iOS until they put out to official call. Spotify is what we'd consider a high-profile app, so we thought it was interesting to mention. Aside from iOS 6 support, Spotify 0.5.4 also brings the ability for iPad users to show more channels at once, fixes Facebook login issues, and improves app stability. You can get it now. iOS 6 launches in the fall.
Beats Electronics acquires MOG music service
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
The rumors have been swirling for months, and now it's official--Beats Electronics has acquired MOG. Beats Electronics is the force behind the Beats by Dr. Dre headphone line and the Beats Audio profile, while MOG is a fledgling streaming music service that, while popular, has been in an uphill battle against services like Spotify, Rdio, and Rhapsody. The purchase means that Beats Electronics now has an end-to-end solution, controling both the hardware for listening to music, and the service to consume it as well.
Click to continue reading Beats Electronics acquires MOG music service
Read More | USA Today
Spotify update 0.8.3 brings radio stations, search improvements, and more
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, PC / Laptop, Software,
Spotify has released a new update to its Mac and PC desktop clients, version 0.8.3, that brings with it some hotly anticipated features. Finally, you can now create a radio station on the fly based on playlists and albums simply by clicking on Start Playlist Radio or Start Artist Radio. Embedding is now easier, as the software is happy to give you the HTML needed to let you integrate content into your blog posts, as well as direct Tumblr support. Last, search has been given an overhaul, bringing your results into the main view with the hover of a mouse. The update is rolling out as we speak.
Spotify has a ‘special announcement’ to make on Wednesday
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Music, Software,
Spotify is set to reveal a special announcement in just five days. The CEO of the music streaming service, Daniel Ek, will be giving a keynote address at Ad Age Digital, and immediately after, Spotify will hit us with the news. Of course, as soon as the announcement is made, we'll give you the scoop on what's up. In the meantime, what do you think it'll be? Sound off in the comments!
Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Internet, Music,
We sat in on a panel where Pandora's Jackson Gates, Daren Tsui of mSpot, and Kevin Wortis were interviewed by Gartner's Mike McGuire about the future of cloud music services at SXSW. It was an interesting discussion, focusing on what the benefit of the cloud brings to music, and the problems associated with expecting users to pay for something that they've been used to getting for free for at least a generation. It's an interesting time, and obviously the models differ substantially for companies like Pandora and Spotify, for example. Click on through for the highlights of the discussion!
Click to continue reading Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?
Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Music, Software,
The revolutionary promise of digital music became reality with the rise of Napster. The file sharing network pioneered a functional and comprehensive catalog of music with its enthusiastic users. Developed by then-teenaged Shawn Fanning in 1998, Napster became a worldwide phenomenon in less than a year. Co-founder Sean Parker helped develop Napster into a company. Mass acceptance came quickly, but legal challenges ultimately doomed the original service. Despite the controversy and lawsuits, Napster changed the music business and paved the way for iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, and other music services. The divide between the cultural establishment and technology innovators was defined by the disputes raised by Napster. After more than a decade of declining sales of recorded music and imperfect attempts to present a licensed alternative, the influence of Napster continues to be felt.
At SXSW, I listened in on a discussion with Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning where they discussed these issues in an effort to promote their film Downloaded. The panel opened with a montage of clips from the VH1 rockDocs Downloaded film. The trailer touched on the start of Napster, the revelation of how easy it was to get music based on a search term, how quick the results were in the age of dial-up, and the growth of Napster as a company. There are a couple of gems there as well, such as when Fanning said back in 1999 that he believed the future was instant music access from multiple devices, including stereos and smartphones (well, he said "cell phones," but still.) this is a movie about kids revolutionizing an industry they knew nothing about.
Click to continue reading Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW
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