Amazon and Microsoft have integrated their digital assistants, which could open up new possibilities for cross-support of features and services outside of whatever hardware brand a user owns. Plans for an integration were announced last year, and the integration is just available as a preview in the U.S. right now. Continue Reading
Voice assistants have a steadily growing presence in smartphones and at-home entertainment. Now the technology is making a decisive move out onto the road with industry-leader Amazon. Continue Reading
A rattling shakeup is underway at Audible, the audiobook and audio content platform owned by Amazon. According to reporting by NPR, the entire podcast staff has been laid off. SVP of Original Programming Eric Nuzum has resigned, and shared a letter to friends with RAIN News. Continue Reading
Amazon released its second-quarter financial results, and the company continues to amass enormous windfalls from across its diverse range of products and services. Alexa was a key factor in the conglomerate’s business updates from the period, and will likely continue to be a focus in their financial success too. Continue Reading
Amazon is launching a feature called Alexa Cast that will allow smartphone controls for devices enabled with its voice-activated technology. That includes both speakers from its Echo product line as well as devices from other hardware companies that integrate Alexa. Continue Reading
Canalys has released its latest numbers on smart speaker sales, and the research firm found that Google beat out Amazon for most units sold globally in Q1 2018. Overall, sales in this product category rose 210% to 9 million units based on Canalys’ accounting. Continue Reading
Amazon currently leads the industry for smart speakers, but more international competition has started to chip away at its dominant market share. Market research company Strategy Analytics released its first-quarter report on the product category. The analysis found that 9.2 million units were shipped globally in the period. Continue Reading
Amazon and Spotify have both announced developments involving country music playlists. First, Amazon has debuted a playlist containing country songs and artists chosen to appeal to an international audience. Second, Spotify’s Hot Country collection is now an “enhanced playlist” that includes original videos alongside the musical selections. Continue Reading
Amazon Alexa is getting more options for actions that can be incorporated into the voice AI’s routines. This feature lets users assemble a set of actions from the smart speaker triggered by a single voice command. Initially limited to news, weather, traffic, and smart home skills, routines can now incorporate music, podcast, and radio content. Continue Reading
Things are looking good for Amazon’s musical efforts these days. Amazon is amassing a growing music audience that now numbers “tens of millions” of paying customers, while its Amazon Music Unlimited program has more than doubled its subscriber count in the past six months. The success of smart speakers and a growing number of Prime membership subscribers have been the main factors in Amazon’s music audience expansion, according to a top exec. Continue Reading
It was only a matter of time before two of the biggest trends in the tech world crossed paths. There’s a new skill for Amazon Alexa called DeepMusic that plays songs composed by artificial intelligence over a smart speaker. Click to listen. Continue Reading
Two big developments emerged today that could have a sweeping impact on India’s streaming music landscape. First, Amazon Prime Music has rolled out in India. Second, Tencent announced an investment round of $115 million in local streaming service Gaana. Continue Reading