Review: Tapely redesign aims to recreate mixtape magic

Most true music aficionados will always have a soft spot for the tradition of the mixtape. As more of our listening migrates onto computers and smartphones, our old tapes and CDs can start to seem like relics from a bygone time. Sure, you could turn to an online playlisting service, and many of them are quite good, but thus far none of those platforms has recaptured quite the same experience of making a mixtape for somebody. Today we took a look at Tapely, a site that aims to tap into that classic mixtape activity. Continue Reading

New Bandcamp for Labels service delivers data, accounting to the business side

Bandcamp made its name as a straightforward direct-to-fan platform, but it has expanded its offerings to give artists more power over the business side of their operations. The latest change opens the door to record labels as well. Bandcamp for Labels is a paid service that provides unified accounting and statistics for all acts under a particular brand. Continue Reading

Survey shows video driving music discovery, especially for younger listeners

Most of today’s online music services include some feature that encourages listeners to discover new artists and songs. According to a new study from MusicWatch, though, the biggest driver of discovery is actually online video. Numbers from the consumer research company showed that 34% of respondents said video services were the most influential source of new music discovery. Continue Reading

EFF will argue against Personal Audio podcast patent in hearing

The Electronic Frontier Foundation will have a hearing today with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to argue its case for invalidating key claims of patents that Personal Audio has used to sue podcasters. The group’s legal counsel says that Personal Audio didn’t invent anything new or non-obvious related to podcasting, and thus should not have a patent. Continue Reading