Facebook is exiting the podcast space which the company was barely in. No shut-off date is publicly assigned to Facebook’s various rudimentary explorations of structured audio. We reviewed Facebook podcasts, twice, and mostly savaged it. Click for details. Continue Reading
Amazon Music has launched its expected Podcasts listening section. It is straightforward, cleanly presented, and unconcerned with innovation. (That last point not necessarily a bad thing for a mass-market platform.) We cruised through the mobile and web version of the new platform. Click through for details and loads of screenshots. Continue Reading
The new YouTube Music app has been rolling out gradually through the vast population of Android users. How does the refreshed app look and feel? How effectively does it surface YouTube’s immensely deep catalog? Continue Reading
First Episode is a Friday podcast discovery feature spotlighting new and almost-new shows. In this edition, a new program from WTOP, deep interviews by Kevin Rose, and a couple of TV lovers talk with actors. It’s Friday. Get listening. Continue Reading
Internet radio platform Radionomy today announced the release of new iOS and Android listening apps, and distribution agreements with Samsung Smart TVs and Roku. Click for the app review. Continue Reading
Weekends were invented for catching up on new podcasts. We’ll check the historical accuracy of that statement, and in the meantime we present new and almost-new shows for your consideration. Happy Friday. Continue Reading
Last week we reported that Spotify’s long-awaited video content, first announced last May, would finally appear in its mobile apps. Yesterday we were pleased to find a portfolio of video programming, plus audio podcasts, in a freshly updated Android app. Podcast listening in Spotify is a good experience, possibly a game-changer. Continue Reading
Podcasting and live-audio platform Spreaker has released Spreaker Studio, an application for Windows and Mac computers. The intent is to provide an easy-to-use software environment that replaces a four-channel mixer in a podcast studio. We used Spreaker Studio meta-style to record a short review of Spreaker Studio. Continue Reading
Music subscription service Rhapsody sent a notice that its Android app has been refreshed with new design and usability features. Version 5.0 includes several key changes, which we tested. Continue Reading
Mobile music app 6 Seconds has been updated, marking version 2.0 of the original app which was launched in April. A timely and seemingly playful addition to the station array is FreeBeats1, which plays only the music from Apple’s new station. Continue Reading
“We weren’t sure we’d get this thing on the air,” declaimed Beats 1 co-founder and first host Zane Lowe. We listened to the first two hours of Apple’s new live, global Internet radio station. Lessons flowing in both directions between Beats 1 and terrestrial radio. Continue Reading
Google Play Music, and its subscription streaming component All Access, have partnered with a handful of world-class orchestras to package and digitally release symphonic albums. Nice idea. Note to Google: Get the details right. Continue Reading