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.
Jay Z will release his new 4:44 album at the end of this month, but if Apple Music is the only streaming service you subscribe to, you’re going to miss out.
Access to free music continues to make Spotify a much more popular platform than Apple Music. The company now boasts more than 140 million active users worldwide, with its free, ad-support tier growing more than 50 percent year-over-year.
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.
Apple has begun charging a fee for its Apple Music trials in some countries.
New users could previously enjoy the service for three months before having to hand over any cash, but those in Australia, Spain and Switzerland must now pay 99 cents.
Jimmy Iovine wants people to pay for music again and he’s got a plan that just might work: make free music streaming suck.
The Apple exec and music industry legend sat down for a new wide-ranging interview, during which Iovine lamanted that artists aren’t getting paid enough for their music anymore. And it’s mostly Spotify and YouTube’s fault.
Apple Music may soon get exclusive streaming rights to an unreleased Prince concert that was performed as a surprise in Minneapolis just before the release of his iconic Purple Rain soundtrack.
If Apple does land the rights, the company may owe a big ‘thank you’ to its rival Spotify, which employs the executive negotiating the deal.
iOS 11 will deliver a new Music app with a focus on original videos, according to Jimmy Iovine. The Apple Music chief says the service could add many as 10 original video series by the end of this year, including Carpool Karaoke and will.i.am’s Planet of the Apps, while Apple is also in talks to secure content from J.J. Abrams and R. Kelly.
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.
Facebook is aiming to make its Messenger app the go-to spot to talk about music with a new update that makes it easier to share songs with friends.
During the company’s F8 developers conference this morning, Facebook unveiled a new way for third-party apps to integrate with communications platform. And Apple Music is one of its first partners.
Kendrick Lamar unleashed his eagerly anticipated fourth studio album, DAMN, on the world today.
Lamar is known for his perfectionism, using some of the best producers and equipment in the game to get his sound just right. But when it came to one of the best tracks on his new album, one of Lamar’s producers crafted the entire thing using only his iPhone.
Spotify is finally coming to your Apple Watch, thanks to a third-party app called Snowy.
Users will gain the ability to save Spotify playlists to their Watch so they can enjoy them offline when they leave the house without their iPhone. Plus, hands-free gestures will let them skip tracks and pause playback without touching the screen.
Tidal owner Jay Z has decided to pull all of his albums from rival streaming services Apple Music in an apparent effort to woo over new subscribers, or increase piracy of his music.
In another sign that Apple is gearing up to make a big push into video, the company has hired former YouTube executive Shiva Rajaraman.
The hire comes as Apple is beginning to launch its own efforts to create original video content for Apple Music subscribers, but the addition of Rajaraman could mean Apple is looking to explore other avenues for its video content too.
The king of music streaming has done it again.
Drake’s latest album, More Life, shattered single-day streaming records during its first 24 hours of availability on Apple Music and Spotify this week, putting it on track to break every streaming record to date.
Apple’s war with Spotify for exclusives can be a great thing for artists, according to three time Grammy winner Chance the Rapper.
In a series of tweets posted this morning, Chance the Rapper elaborated on his music with Apple Music and revealed how much the company paid him for exclusive access to his award-winning album Coloring Book.
Spotify users who aren’t paying $9.99 a month for a Premium subscription could be prevented from listening to the hottest tracks.
A new report claims the Swedish music streaming company is nearing new deals with major music labels, which stipulate that top releases will initially be available only to paying users.
This week on The CultCast: Are you yearning for a more powerful Mac? Well, friend, Tim Cook is promising to make Apple “pro” again. We discuss! Plus: iPhone 8 ditching Lightning for USB-C; Spotify about to go Hi-Fi; why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints; and the best iPhone bumper case in the land!
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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:
Apple Music’s batch of exclusives haven’t been able to stop Spotify’s impressive growth of paid subscribers over the last year.
Spotify revealed today that it new has over 50 million paid subscribers for its music streaming service, which is more than double the 20 million subscribers Apple Music had at the end of 2016.
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.
Apple has hired a former Spotify executive to work with smaller, independent labels.
Steve Savoca joined Apple Music in January after five years as Spotify’s Vice President of Content.
If you find yourself at a loose end today, perhaps after overindulging on the eggnog and looking to sit down for a few minutes, why not check out our picks for the top apps of the last week?
Whether you own an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or MacBook, we’re confident you’ll find something to enjoy on our list!
Apple Music has passed the 20 million subscriber mark, according to new figures released by Apple.
Last time the company released adoption figures, back in September, those numbers hovered around 17 million — meaning the number of paying Apple Music users jumped 15 percent in the past three months.