Spotify has started testing a new Premium Duo plan for two.
The bundle offers two Premium subscriptions at a significantly discounted rate. It makes Spotify the only music streaming service to offer a couple’s plan — but it does come with some caveats.
Apple has responded to Spotify’s complaint that Apple is being anti-competitive by charging a cut of App Store purchases — including subscriptions.
In an impassioned statement, Apple points out how many jobs have been created through the App Store. This has amounted to payments of “more than $120 billion for developers.” It also criticizes Spotify for wanting to take advantage of the reach that the App Store makes possible, without wanting to give anything back.
Is Apple using its control of the App Store to squeeze out rivals? That’s the question European competition regulators are looking into.
This news comes after Spotify complained that it is nti-competitive that this company is required to give Apple a big share of subscription fees paid through the App Store.
Spotify has filed a legal complaint against Apple for what it believes is anti-competitive behavior.
The music streaming service, like many others, has an issue with the 30 percent cut Apple charges on App Store revenue. Spotify says Apple makes it very difficult to avoid the fee, which makes some services more expensive.
Spotify is giving users an even greater incentive to upgrade to its paid Premium plan. Those who pay $9.99 a month for the service can now enjoy access to Hulu — on top of tens of millions of music tracks.
Every major music streaming service is joining together to appeal a controversial ruling that increases payouts to songwriters. Everyone except Apple Music that is.
Spotify, Google, Pandora and Amazon have teamed up to fight the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to increase payouts to songwriters by 44%. Apple is the only major streamer not planning to fight the ruling, causing some artists to heap praise on the iPhone-maker for its stance.
Apple is contacting podcast producers requesting that they optimize the metadata for their shows — or risk having them removed from Apple’s podcast service.
The cautionary email mostly concerns guidelines on including detailed, nonredundant written descriptions of episodes. However, the Apple Podcasts email contains a few surprising directives — like the fact that titles should not include numbers. Provided that’s read as intended, this could cause a few problems!
You could soon see your Spotify account banned or shutdown completely if you use an ad blocker.
The music streaming service’s updated terms of service, which go into effect on March 1, now specifically state that using tools or modified apps to block ads is prohibited.
Spotify is making a push to cement its self as the best audio platform in the world. The company revealed today that it acquired two podcasting companies and that it plans to spend big on original audio content.
Despite growing competition from Apple, Amazon and YouTube, Spotify is inching closer to having 100 million paid subscribers. In an interview on CNBC this morning, Spotify CEO Daniel Elk didn’t sound worried one bit about Apple and Amazon spending tons of cash to beat Spotify.
Spotify is closing in on 100 million paying users, hammering home its position as the No. 1 company in streaming music.
In its latest quarterly earnings, the streaming company revealed that it now has 96 million paying subscribers around the world. That’s up 8 million in three months, and 36 percent year-over-year. The company also made its first ever quarterly operating profit. But not all the news is good.
Spotify will soon let you mute artists you don’t want to listen to.
It is currently testing a “don’t play this artist” feature in the latest version of its iOS app. Using it will prevent the artist’s tracks from playing altogether — even if they feature in a playlist, chart list, or on a radio station you listen to.
Students can now subscribe to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium at a discounted rate.
Just like Apple Music for students, the price is cut by 50 percent. However, you can save even more if you sign up by January 31, 2019.
Following on from Spotify’s Apple Watch debut, rival streaming music company Deezer has given its Apple Watch app a major version 2.0 overhaul.
The upgrade includes brand new features such as direct access to recently played tracks, favorites, and Deezer’s “Flow” personal music discovery system.
Long trips and podcasts go well together, and Google’s Waze navigation software just added support for controlling some popular streaming audio services from right within the app.
The goal of the new Waze Audio Player feature is making it less dangerous to adjust what you’re listening to while driving.
The world’s largest paid music streaming service is finally landing on Apple Watch.
Spotify finally revealed its first app for the Apple Watch today that will give wearers the ability to play, pause and skip songs from their wrist. The first version is a bit limited in features, but Spotify is teasing some cool new options that will be coming down the pipeline real soon.
Last week there were reports that Spotify is coming to Apple Watch. It’s definitely happening, with video of an early beta appearing online.
At this point, however, basic functions are missing from the pre-release software for the streaming music service.
It seems Spotify is finally gearing up to deliver the one feature iPhone fans have been calling for: Apple Watch support.
Screenshots from a preview version of the app have been posted online ahead of its official release. They suggest the wearable component will allow users to navigate their playlists, control music playback, and even stream to other devices.
Apple is in talks over acquiring a stake in iHeartMedia, according to a new report.
Sources say the company could invest millions of dollars to help save the struggling U.S. radio group, which filed for bankruptcy back in March. However, negotiations are at an early stage for now and no deal has been agreed yet.
Spotify has seen a rise in Premium subscriptions after the music streaming service started cracking down on family plan subscribers who aren’t really family.
New data reveals 38 percent of Spotify users in the U.S. now pay for the Premium service — up from 36 percent last quarter. Apple Music remains the only platform that has presented Spotify with real competition, but it still has a lot of catching up to do.
Spotify today rolled out a big update for its iOS app, introducing a refreshed design with personalized search. It also adds a new feature called Artist Radio, which offers an endless playlist of tracks based on your favorite musicians or songs.
The music industry loses $2.65B annually because small businesses are using music streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify without a license.
Nielsen Music surveyed 5,000 small business around the world and found a majority streamed music with a personal account, with many not knowing a business license for streaming music is required by law.
It’s been a few years since the iPod shuffle was last updated, but there are still plenty of fans out there with fond memories of Apple’s tiniest iPod music player.
If you fall into that camp, you might want to check out the Mighty, a music player that’s basically an iPod shuffle for Spotify. The latest version, called the Mighty Vibe, brings increased battery life and an improved Bluetooth antenna. (It also boasts a refreshed companion app.)
Apple has acquired a music analytics startup called Asaii, according to a new report.
It is believed the acquisition, which could help Apple deliver better recommendations to Apple Music subscribers, cost less than $100 million. Asaii claims its platform can pick out the hottest artists “10 weeks to a year” before they even hit the charts.
If you’ve ever wanted to dive more deeply into the music you love, boy, have we got the announcement for you! Starting today, digital media company Genius (formerly Rap Genius) is teaming up with Apple Music to provide annotations and song lyrics to “thousands of songs” on the platform.
Apple has topped Interbrand’s annual list of the Best Global Brands for the sixth consecutive year.
The iPhone-maker, which has seen its brand value increase 16 percent this year, ranked highly in consistency, engagement, and differentiation. It is followed by Google, while Amazon has quickly climbed into third place after its brand value increased an impressive 56 percent.