Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: In a recent news post, Spotify asked Jacob Jolij, a cognitive psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of Groningen, to explain how music triggers particular emotional responses in listeners. Continue Reading
Google announced that its Google Play Music All Access service is rolling out to six more countries. The company’s major push is in the South and Latin American markets, with the streaming and cloud storage service entering Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru. Continue Reading
The existing partnership between Rdio and Shazam took a big leap forward today. Going forward, the music-identification tool will allow Rdio members to stream whole songs from within the Shazam app. The updated Shazam app hit iOS on Monday, with a rollout expected for Android in the next few days. Continue Reading
Jazz lovers can be hardcore fans, with specialty interests in historical eras, legendary performers, and certain instruments. The genre lends itself to more specialized coverage than what is normally found in the universal music services. For the lean-back jazz aficionado, two services — JazzRadio and AccuJazz — provide seemingly endless great listening tailored to mood and sub-genre. Continue Reading
Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo artist of all time. He has been content to sit out the digital music disruption, which has mainly occurred during a 13-year retirement. Tomorrow, though, the official Garth Brooks site will start selling downloads of Brooks’ back catalog. A new album will drop in November, and the download version will likewise be sold exclusively on the site. Continue Reading
Bop.fm, a streaming startup founded seven months ago in the Y Combinator seed-funding group, has obtained a $2-million funding round from Charles River Ventures. Bop enables music sharing on a platform that hooks into popular streaming services. In the RAIN review, we found a crucial feature glitch, but an overall terrific experience that emulates an interactive music service, drawing on external libraries. As such, Bop.fm serves as a remote control for Spotify, Beats Music, and Rdio, and makes it easier to share music. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Sonos gets SoundCloud; Taylor Swift waxes optimistic about the music business; the sound of deep space. Continue Reading
Don’t let the 1996-era, stoner-vibe website (www.waxtraxradio.com) put you off. Allow the retro design to put you in the classic rock spirit. Waxtrax’s excellent deep-cut playlist shouldn’t be missed by classic genre fans. This Arizona-based Internet station is an ad-free, privately funded indie station. You won’t find a purer pureplay anywhere. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthwhile reads from around the web: Deezer closes Canadian office but splashes “Coming Soon” to U.S. users: Deezer is reportedly closing its Canadian office, but that cost-saving exercise does not affect the service to Canadian users.… Continue Reading
Clear Channel issued a press release announcing some structural changes in the company. iHeartRadio is re-positioned, and its former executive owner, Brian Lakamp, is promoted to a broader role steering Clear Channel’s technology capability and digital ventures. Continue Reading
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One month ago we reported that ROK Mobile was gearing up for a July 4 launch of its music app (ROK Music) and unlimited cell-service. Both have happened, though the wireless service portion is a tightly limited roll-out. Here’s the deal: $50/month for unlimited streaming, and a brand new music service. T-Mobile is in the unlimited-music space now, too. Can ROK differentiate itself enough to lure consumers? Continue Reading