music-streaming

Spotify is finally making moves to go public

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Spotify
Want some Spotify stock with your subscription?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music’s biggest competitor is about to become a publicly traded company.

In an effort to finally become profitable, Spotify has reportedly filed IPO documents confidentially with the SEC and the stock could be available to the public soon.

How Jimmy Iovine plans to save Apple Music’s ‘soul’

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Iovine
Apple Music boss Jimmy Iovine at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music has already racked up more than 30 million paid subscribers, but according to boss Jimmy Iovine, the company still has a long way to go before its satisfied with its streaming service.

The former Beats CEO turned Apple exec sat down for a new interview along with Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe to talk about the future of the service. During the wide-ranging discussion, the Apple Music team revealed how it thinks music streaming has to change in order to dominate free rivals like YouTube.

City slickers will hate this new countrified Apple Music ad

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Apple Music
Brantley Gilbert and his posse star in the Apple Music ad.
Photo: Apple Music

Country music fans can take a motorcycle ride through the heart of rural America with singer Brantley Gilbert in the latest ad for Apple Music.

Apple released its new ad today that showcases Gilbert’s love for small towns and Harleys while also promoting the companies music streaming service. The minute long ad features songs from Gilbert, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Born to Be Wild. But for those that hate country, Brantley tosses some Kendrick Lamar into the mix too.

Check it out:

Jay Z takes shots at Jimmy Iovine and Apple Music on latest album

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Jay Z
Jay Z's got 99 problems, and Apple Music is one.
Photo: Flickr/NRK P3

The new album from Jay Z is nearly impossible to stream through legal methods this week, but if you are one of the lucky few that gets to listen to it, you’ll hear the Jigga Man taking shots at one of his biggest rivals: Apple Music.

On one of the tracks for his album 4:44, Jay Z — owner of the struggling music streaming service Tidal — calls out Apple Music boss Jimmy Iovine and talks about his beef with Apple saying he wants more than what Apple offers artists.

Tidal loses third CEO in two years

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Jay Z
Jay Z can't find a reliable CEO.
Photo: Flickr/NRK P3

Jay Z’s struggling Tidal music streaming service is saying goodbye to its third CEO in two years.

The company reportedly parted way with top executive Jeff Toig, though no replacement has been named. Tidal has had a revolving door of CEOs during its troubled history. Toig took over the reigns of Tidal just 18 months ago.

Spotify job listings hint at hardware ambitions

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Could Spotify make a modern iPod?
Photo: Mighty Audio

Apple’s biggest competition in the music streaming business may be preparing to become a hardware rival, too.

Jobs listings posted by Spotify indicate the company is planning to make a hardware play. Spotify says it’s working on a “category defining product,” but based on what the company compares it to, Apple might not have much to worry about.

Spotify copies Apple Music with Carpool Karaoke knockoff

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T-Pain will be the first rapper to star in 'Traffic Jams.'
T-Pain will be the first rapper to star in 'Traffic Jams.'
Photo: Spotify

The race to create the hottest karaoke show in the U.S. is heating up now that Spotify has revealed it is making a TV show that will feature artists performing while rolling through Los Angeles traffic.

Spotify is calling the show Traffic Jams. And while it has a lot in common with Apple Music’s Carpool Karaoke, Spotify hopes some key difference will set its show apart.

Apple Music’s new ads highlight the best of British music

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Apple has published a new series of ads for its music streaming service and just like its last ads for AirPods, the new spots focus on the U.K. market.

The two new Apple Music ads originally aired during the BRIT awards last month, but Apple just added them to its YouTube channel. Beats 1 radio host Julie Adenuga narrates the ads which highlight a bevy of British artists while talking about Apple Music’s best features.

Check ’em out:

Spotify eyes lossless audio to wow your ears

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Spotify
CD quality audio is coming to Spotify.
Photo: James Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify appears poised to put the final nail in Tidal’s coffin.

The music streaming service is planning to launch a new feature that will give listeners access to lossless audio streaming, according to a new report reveals the feature is currently in testing.

As Apple boasts about Music, Spotify takes App Store’s top spot

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Spotify was the top-grossing App in the iPhone App Store.
Spotify was the top-grossing App in the iPhone App Store.
Photo: Spotify

Tim Cook may like the “runway” for Apple Music’s take off, but Spotify is currently soaring.

Apple’s competitor in the music streaming business found itself in the No. 1 position on the iPhone App Store’s Top Grossing charts for the first time in the United States. This is on the same day that the Apple CEO Cook told the audience at the Wall Street Journal Digital Live conference that Apple Music has 6.5 million paying customers.

All the phones at the party become one sound system with AmpMe

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No stereo? No problem. AmpMe app creates a sound system with all the phones at a party.
No stereo? No problem. AmpMe app creates a sound system with all the phones at a party.
Photo: AmpMe

The party is on, but there’s a problem: There’s no stereo or Bluetooth speaker for the music.

But a startup out of Montreal has developed an app that allows partygoers to create a DIY sound system. AmpMe is an app that syncs streaming music across the many smartphones at that party to create one powerful sound system. That means iPhones and Android phones can join forces to save the day.

Review: Rhapsody’s redesign takes on Apple Music and Spotify

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Rhapsody
The streaming music veteran takes a shot at becoming "hot stuff" with a total app overhaul.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Responding to the existential threat posed by Apple Music and Spotify, old-school streaming music service Rhapsody has completely overhauled its mobile app. The revamped Rhapsody comes with a fresh design and new features to take things up a notch — although some of these things look mighty familiar.

Will this redesign be enough to take on the newcomers that are eating Rhapsody’s lunch? Check out what Rhapsody brings to the table and see for yourself.

Geekin Radio adds social sauce to music streaming

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The Geekin Radio app lets users listen to music together in real time.
The Geekin Radio app lets users listen to music together in real time.
Photo: Geekin Radio/Vimeo

The confetti from Apple’s splashy launch of its music streaming service has barely finished falling. Now comes startup Geekin Radio, with a streaming service that debuts today. It seems like odd timing.

How will it ever emerge from the shadows of Apple Music? CEO Gavin McCulley is aware of his timing and likes his company’s chances because Geekin Radio’s mobile app is the only streaming service that is an actual social network, offering a shared listening experience, perfectly synced, with back-and-forth chatting in real time.

Twitter’s response to Apple Music reads like a eulogy for Spotify

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Excitement for Apple Music came with an enthusiastic farewell to Spotify for some on Twitter.
Excitement for Apple Music came with an enthusiastic farewell to Spotify for some on Twitter.
Photo: Twitter

Two minutes after Apple Music launched Tuesday, Hans Metzke was listening to it on his device. He hit pause on his excitement to send out this Tweet: “And we’re live! Awesome! Bye Spotify.”

Apple Music users immediately took to social media to sing the praises of Apple’s new music streaming service. At the same time, many were saying farewell to music streaming’s current king, Spotify.

Whether Apple Music, which is currently free for the three months, will usurp Spotify or the other big player, Pandora, remains to be seen.

Hit Play For A New Music Experience With “Beats Music” App [Video Review]

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BeatsMusic

With popular music streaming apps like Spotify and Pandora already popular and on devices all over the world, any newcomers are faced with an immediate challenge. The makers behind the popular headphones and speakers Beats By Dre are taking their crack at the genre, with their new app and service Beats Music.

Take a look at the new Beats Music app and see how it compares to the competitors.

This is a Cult Of Mac video review of the iOS application “Beats Music” brought to you by Joshua Smith of “TechBytes W/Jsmith.”

As Apple Works On iRadio, Google Is Doing Its Own Music Streaming Service Too

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The popular method for listening to music online has shifted from $0.99 paid downloads to subscription services like Spotify and Rdio. Bigger tech companies like Samsung have tried to claim their piece of the music subscription pie, and Apple is rumored to be entering the space with some sort of ‘iRadio’ product.

That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Google is working on its own music streaming service too.

Rhapsody Is Finally Available On Your iPad

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Rhapsody-iPad

Music streaming service Rhapsody has finally made itself available on your iPad with a brand new app that promises to deliver “a visually stunning and immersive experience for the music lover!” It brings more than 16 million songs to your tablet, with support for offline playlists, AirPlay, and unlimited downloads. What’s more, it offers a 30-day free trial for those who aren’t already signed up.

Record Labels Are Keeping Apple’s Rumored Internet Radio Service At Bay [Report]

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Apple-music

By now you’ve probably heard that Apple is gearing up to launch an internet radio-type service next year that will compete with the likes of Pandora and Spotify. Apple has been working behind closed doors for quite some time to make the upcoming service a reality, but talks with the big record labels have continued to slow Apple’s plans.

Yesterday we told you that Apple was aiming to close deals with the labels by next month, and now a report claims that music executives are still not convinced that they should buy into what Apple is selling.

Jabra Freeway Bluetooth Speakerphone: Excellent for Chatting, Not So Much for Music [Review]

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The Jabra Freeway ($100) is Jabra’s flagship bluetooth car speakerphone. The Freeway has loads of top-rung features like hands-free voice commands, caller announcements and FM music-streaming, wrapped around three loud, powerful speakers accompanied by noise-cancelling dual microphones — making it a very attractive option for drivers who want to add a hands-free speakerphone to their cars.

Unofficial Spotify iPad App In The Works [Gallery]

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The interface for an upcoming Spotify iPad app.
The interface for an upcoming Spotify iPad app.

Spotify is a wonderful platform for streaming music and sharing playlists with your friends, but the service’s lack of an official iPad app has been a great disappoint for Apple users. Spotify’s main competitor, Rdio, boasts a beautiful iPad app that lets its users browse and play music.

Spotify has been saying that an official iPad app is coming for over a year, but the trail has grown cold for many months. There are no unofficial Spotify for iPad app alternatives in the App Store at the moment. But it looks like that’s going to change soon.

The Best Music Streaming Service, Rdio, Is Coming To Europe

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Rdio's interface sure is a refreshing change of pace from Spotify's 1995
Rdio's interface sure is a refreshing change of pace from Spotify's 1995 "Hackers"-esque aesthetic. It looks great on iPad too.

Back when I first moved back from Germany to the United States, one of the things I initially missed most about my previously Euro-centric digital lifestyle was, of course, Spotify. Depressed that the streaming music service hadn’t launched yet in the United States, I tried Rdio, a U.S. only analog.

Over the last year and a half, I’ve completely come around to Rdio as the superior service. It’s got a better interface — one that doesn’t look like it was designed as a Winamp skin circa 1997 — and really makes sharing and music discovery easy. It also, unlike Spotify, has a native iPad app.

The only problem with Rdio was that it was a fantastic music streaming service that I couldn’t recommend to my European friends. But now that’s all changed, or at least in the process of changing, because Rdio is coming to Europe.