This week we noticed an intriguing and festive new feature: Amazon has released an original album of Christmas music as a free streaming playlist for Prime Music members. Called “All Is Bright,” it is Amazon’s first foray into original music content. Continue Reading
Everyone knows that listening to Mozart makes babies smarter. Even if that’s not true, a background soundtrack of Mozart’s music is somehow conducive to working and mental clarity. Radio Mozart has you covered. Continue Reading
The biggest podcast hit today is “Serial,” a wholly original spinoff of This American Life. The true-crime show which investigates a real-world murder case, delivers 1.5-million downloads per episode, and iTunes (the most important distribution point for podcasting in general), noted today that Serial was the fastest podcast to reach five-million downloads and streams. The program is seeking donations to spin off from “This American Life” for a second season. Continue Reading
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A six-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming music and online audio. This week: YouTube Music Key subscription service; Irving Azoff prepares to sue; Beats Music in iOS; Uber & Spotify invent the connected taxi; Pandora is king of mobile; Billboard chart is modernized for streaming; NPR streaming metrics; listening to sports on TuneIn. Continue Reading
Apple’s integration of Beats Music took a step forward today with the announcement that the app will become a standard part of its mobile operating system in early 2015. The tech company has added Beats’ merchandise at its physical and digital stores, but the inclusion of the app will give the subscription streaming service visibility on millions of iPhones and iPads. Continue Reading
The Billboard 200 albums chart will begin reflecting the numbers from on-demand streaming services and digital track sales. Starting on Dec. 4, the charts will incorporate the numbers outside the typical sales-only rankings. It is the biggest overhaul of Billboard’s algorithm since May 1991. Continue Reading
Spotify has reportedly posted a profit in France for the first time, Billboard reported. The streaming service allegedly had 66% growth in revenue during 2013 for a total of 18.75 million euros. Profit was more than 311,000 euros. Continue Reading
Pop music has long been the refuge of both the deliriously smitten and the devastatedly heartbroken. Billing itself as “the #1 love song station on the net,” Slow Radio is the place to find musical voice for whatever state your romantic life is in. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Steve Albini on music and the Internet; Samsung launches Milk Video in U.S.; Shazam as hit-tracker. Continue Reading
Spotify is expecting to expand its team by about a third, according to cofounder and Chairman of the Board Martin Lorentzon. He told reporters at a trade fair in Finland that the streaming company was recruiting around 500 new employees to join the current staff of 1,500 people. Continue Reading
BitTorrent drew attention for its collaboration with Thom Yorke, where it made the Radiohead frontman the first artist to sell a pay-gated torrent of his new solo album. The company announced today that the direct-to-fan Bundle approach can now be used by any artists. The pay-gated platform’s opening was linked with an anniversary album release from DJ and producer Diplo. Continue Reading
In an initiative marked by repeated long delays, it is perhaps unsurprising that Music Key, YouTube’s new music subscription service which was supposed to start today, has been pushed back to tomorrow. In other Music Key news, it is widely reported that a rumored subscriber connection between Music Key and Google’s audio-only subscription service, All Access, will indeed happen. Continue Reading