Earlier today we posted some Twitter outpouring about today’s problems with the Beats Music service which launched yesterday. During the hours of musical drought, we observed that Beats did not make a public acknowledgement of connection issues. It came at day’s end today. Continue Reading
Pandora’s right to include certain music recordings in its catalog has been complicated recently by an unfavorable court case, requiring fast action and a type of negotiating Pandora has not favored in the past. Happy result for all parties. Continue Reading
We spoke with Jack Isquith, SVP of Strategic Development and Content Strategy at Slacker, just before Beats Music launched. Isquith buoyantly welcomed Beats to the market, and described how Slacker has been in the human-curation model for years. Continue Reading
Frequent flyers are well acquainted with waiting on the tarmac. The aircraft is boarded, the door is closed, the plane taxis out to its takeoff position … and sits, unmoving, while passengers grow irritable. Lots of irritability among Beats users today. Our test apps have failed entirely. Continue Reading
Nothing whatsoever at stake, in reputation or credibility. It is sheer fun. Comparing predictions from Spotify and Shazam is interesting because those two apps are used differently. Spotify streams music from a server catalog; Shazam identifies music playing anywhere. Continue Reading
The much-anticipated Beats Music on-demand subscription service launched today, following a long build-up with anticipatory marketing. Beats positioned itself in advance, emphasizing celebrity playlists and effortless listening to “the right song at the right time.” Click for our review. Continue Reading
RAIN Enterprises announced today that Jason Calacanis, one of the world’s most celebrated and successful digital entrepreneurs, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s RAIN Summit West on April 6th in Las Vegas. He will deliver his annual and much-awaited State of Media address at RAIN Summit West. Continue Reading
Why is audio less viral than video? Audio has to work harder to be good. But when it is, it’s almost better. What are the elements that make great audio that people will want to share online? Continue Reading
When Spotify and Topspin announced today that bands would be able to sell t-shirts and other branded merchandise through the music service, it hit four birds with one stone. Continue Reading
Stealing Beats thunder? Not really. Kim Dotcom, founder of the explosively named Baboom music service, which semi-announced its existence in November, is taking advantage of the U.S. holiday to get a jump on the much-publicized Beats Music debut tomorrow. But Baboom is a blip beside Beats. Continue Reading
Synergy and enhancement — those are the touchstones of Radionomy’s acquisition of ShoutCast and Winamp from AOL, which closed last week. We spoke with Thierry Ascarez, VP of Business Development for Radionomy, about how he views the integration of two iconic brands into Radionomy’s Internet radio platform. Continue Reading
As hordes of Americans spend their Sunday evenings with Downton Abbey and Sherlock, it’s worth noting that the Senate’s new spending budget, passed last week, includes continued funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). That money goes to public radio and TV. Continue Reading