Spotify is in for a rough future, according to Apple’s Jimmy Iovine, who is warning the music industry not to place too much faith in the tech industry.
Iovine sat down for a new interview where he discussed the future of the music industry. According to the Apple Music boss, record labels are “100 percent” overly optimistic about where things are headed with technology.
Billboard is making big changes to the way it measures the hottest songs in the country — and that’s great news for Apple Music.
Streams from paid subscription services like Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited will gain influence on the charts starting in 2018, according to Billboard, which revealed its changes today.
Apple’s 30% tax on in-app purchases could cause iPhone and iPad users to miss out on the next big news feature from Facebook.
In an effort to help make publishers more money, Facebook plans to launch a tool that helps websites sell subscriptions. All of the sales transactions will be done on the publishers’ websites, but Apple won’t approve the app unless it gets a cut.
Things happen in cycles, and portable music is no exception. After records, tapes and CDs came the iPod. The iPod shuffle took the form of a small, screenless clicker. With the dawn of streaming services, portable music storage became less relevant — or so we thought.
Microsoft is throwing in the towel when it comes to music streaming and downloads by announcing the closure of Groove Music.
The service will continue running through 31 December, after which customers will no longer be able to download or stream music. In the meantime, Microsoft is encouraging subscribers to migrate their music collection over to Spotify, while Groove Music Pass subscribers will receive a 60-day free trial of Spotify’s premium tier in order to entice them.
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.
The closest thing you’re likely to get to a fully-realized StarCraft experience on iOS is just one of the apps we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.
We’ve also got a nifty tool for adding icons to your Safari browser tabs, a way of sending Spotify songs using iMessage, and a fun one-button puzzle game that puts you in charge of a friendly planet in search of his friends. Check out our picks below.
Spotify now offers iOS users the ability to easily share tracks with people using iMessage — without having to worry about copy-and-pasting links to do so.
It may be more than 40 years old, but Apple is an incredibly hot brand with young folk. A new piece of research confirming that comes from consulting firm Fluent, claiming that Apple Music is the most popular audio subscription service among both Generation Z and Millennials.
They’re also a whole lot more likely to pay for music subscriptions than older folks, which certainly bodes well for Apple Music’s future.
Just days after Apple pulled the plug on its annual U.K.-based Apple Music Festival after a ten year run, Spotify has announced that it will by heading to the United Kingdom to stage a music festival of its own.
The so-called “Who We Be” festival will debut November 30 at London’s Alexandra Palace. Its lineup will include the likes of British grime and hip hop artists Dizzee Rascal, Bugzy Malone, Cardi B, Giggs, J Hus, and Stefflon Don.
Hulu and Spotify have teamed up to offer U.S. college students one heck of a deal. For $4.99 per month, the same cost as Spotify’s existing student plan, users now get access to Spotify Premium and Hulu’s “Limited Commercials” plan.
The offer is a great way of the companies staying competitive with the likes of Amazon and Apple, both of who offer their own $5 a month low-cost student plans.
Spotify has extended its lead on Apple Music when it comes to paid subscribers, according to a new report that claims the streaming music service has broken the 60 million threshold.
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:
Spotify has been hit with two new lawsuits from music publishers claiming that the streaming music giant has illegally published songs from the label, without the proper permissions.
Artists’ work that is covered in the lawsuit include Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, and Guns ‘N Roses, and others. 2,445 songs are highlighted by the lawsuit.
Spotfiy has managed to negotiate a reduced royalty rate with Sony Music Entertainment, and is also in talks with Warner Music Group, claims a new report.
In return, Spotify will reportedly hold back albums to paying subscribers for two weeks before making them available to customers on Spotify’s free tier. A similar multi-year deal was agreed with Vivendi’s Universal Music Group earlier this year.
Spotify has begun testing a new Driving Mode feature on mobile that makes its app easier to control behind the wheel. It offers larger buttons, supports voice control, and announces songs before they play.
Jay-Z’s latest album is now available on Apple Music and iTunes. Tidal, the rap star’s own music streaming service, had exclusivity over 4:44 at launch — but that lasted just one week.
It’s not good news for Spotify subscribers, however.
Apple Music users can now enjoy the official music video to The Story of O.J., a new track from Jay-Z’s recently-released 4:44 album.
Sadly, there’s no sign of the complete album just yet.
Electric guitar fans can listen to Apple Music playlists from Fender, maker of some of the world’s most iconic axes.
Five new playlists emerged from the new Fender/Apple Music partnership. While rock ‘n’ roll might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Fender, the company is also highlighting how its instruments have been used in R&B, hip-hop, jazz and other genres.
Jay-Z snubbed rival music streaming services when he dropped his new album last week, making 4:44 exclusively available to Tidal subscribers. But that exclusivity won’t last long.
According to one report, 4:44 could hit Apple Music as early as this week.
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.
Jay Z’s new album 4:44 has landed, but good luck trying to hear it.
Not only has the rap superstar blocked it from the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, but he’s even restricting its availability on Tidal, his own music streaming service. You can’t listen if you weren’t signed up before the album launched.
Negotiations for new Apple Music deals are currently underway with record labels and this time around Apple wants to come away with a much bigger cut of the revenue after overpaying for the last two years.
The company is likely to get its wish too, according to a new report that reveals the labels are supposedly open to the possibility of taking a smaller share as long as Apple Music is able to continue growing.
In its quest to turn a profit, Spotify is searching for new revenue streams and it may have just found a winner: sponsored songs.
The streaming service began testing its new Sponsored Songs feature, which lets record labels promote tracks by automatically adding them to listeners’ playlists, this week. The feature is supposed to only affect users of Spotify’s free tier, but some paying subscribers report that it’s happening to them too.
Apple is finally ready to give music fans a killer deal on the Apple Music streaming service with an all-new option that lets you pay for a full year’s subscription at a discounted rate.