Spotify - page 2

Apple claps back against Spotify, Tinder and Tile in antitrust letter

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
Spotify is one of the companies that has taken issue with the App Store.
Photo: Spotify

In a letter to the judiciary subcommittee investigating antitrust complaints against Apple, the company takes aim at companies like Spotify, Tinder and Tile.

All three companies previously criticized Apple’s dominance of the App Store. But Cupertino says they are simply airing “grievances related to business disputes” rather than making legitimate arguments about competition-related issues.

Apple Music Hi-Fi may be on the way

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Apple Music Hi-Fi will have to take on Spotify HiFi.
Apple Music Hi-Fi is only a rumor. But there’s at least one good reason to think it’s true.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple Music Hi-Fi, a version of the streaming music service offering higher-quality audio, could debut “in the coming weeks,” according to an unconfirmed report.

What the new streaming rate will be is unclear. But it will have to take an on improved version of archrival streaming service Spotify.

Use this $20 Spotify music converter to save all your favorite songs

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Spotify
Spotify Music Converter for Mac lets you download songs so you can take them anywhere.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you’re working out or focusing on work, music can be a helpful tool to keep you motivated and productive. While Spotify Premium allows you to download music for playback later (helpful when you’re flying or traveling), you’re still limited to downloads on a maximum of five devices. And if you’re only using the free version of Spotify, you can’t download songs at all — making your subscription pretty ineffective if you’re hiking or out somewhere remote without service.

Spotify could take on Apple’s premium podcast service … with a twist

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
Spotify reportedly won't take a cut of creators' subscription revenue.
Photo: Spotify

Earlier this week, Apple opened up its Podcasts service to subscriptions, calling it a “global marketplace for listeners to discover premium subscriptions offered by their favorite creators.” Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that Spotify is set to jump in with a rival premium podcast feature.

However, unlike Apple, Spotify supposedly won’t take a cut of podcasters’ subscription revenues.

Apple’s losing the battle over podcasts. Here’s how it could emerge victorious.

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Apple Podcasts could get a premium tier.
Can Apple turn its Podcasts franchise around?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Is Apple finally getting serious about podcasting? With a premium podcast service reportedly in the works, and several exclusive shows already online, it looks like Apple might be ready to defend its turf when it comes to the increasingly popular medium.

It’s about time. The company that was so strongly identified with podcasts from the start is rapidly losing its dominance as competitors come on strong. Here’s how Apple could regain its podcasting edge.

Apple Music pays musicians far more per stream than Spotify

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Apple Music pays musicians far more to stream each song than Spotify does
Apple Music is more fair to musicians than Spotify is.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s music service pays musicians double what archrival Spotify does to stream each song to subscribers.

This amount doesn’t directly affect users of either service, but it might make some people consider using the service that sends artists more money.

Hacked iPod Classic streams Spotify like a champ

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Spotify iPod Classic 1
This iPod Classic isn't so classic any more.
Photo: Guy Dupont

A YouTuber hacked a 17-year-old iPod Classic to let it stream Spotify tracks, successfully bringing a relic from the MP3 days into the modern era.

To be clear, this isn’t just a software hack. Guy Dupont pretty much gutted the vintage Apple music player. He added components like a Raspberry Pi Zero W board, a new LCD color display, a haptic motor, and a 1,000 mAh rechargeable battery.

Spotify gets an iOS 14 widget that lets you access recent listens

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Spotify
Spotify makes it easier to access your music and podcasts.
Photo: Spotify

If Spotify remains your main streaming music listening platform, there’s some good news: the streaming giant has finally released an iOS 14 widget that lets you quickly access recently played artists, podcasts, and albums in a single tap.

There are both small and medium-sized versions of the widget. The smaller of these shows your most recently listened to item. Meanwhile, the medium-sized widget offers a more luxurious, five most recent items array.

Spotify now lets you search by lyrics just like Apple Music does

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
There's a new way to search on Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

On Monday, Spotify announced a new feature that lets iOS and Android users hunt for songs by searching for lyrics. This ability has long been built into Apple Music’s feature set. However, now it is available for those using the leading streaming music service by subscribers.

Using the new search by lyrics feature couldn’t be any easier. In the regular search box on the Spotify app, just type the lyric you’re looking for and the song(s) it comes from should pop up in the search results.

Spotify’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ feature is the virtual vacay everyone deserves

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Spotify
Harry Styles on the beach, anyone?
Photo: Spotify

Missing out on a proper vacation this summer? Aren’t we all! While Spotify can’t change that, it has introduced a really fun new feature that promises you the virtual vacation you deserve. For about three minutes or so, at least.

Called “Wish You Were Here,” the feature lets users pick from a handful of summer songs and have them play in the background of a vacay audioscape.

Want to hear Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” as it would sound on the beach? Fancy The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” around a campfire? Spotify has you covered!

Epic Games tries to talk Spotify, Sonos into creating anti-App Store coalition

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The Epic Games office in Berlin.— Fortnite App Store
Epic Games has sued Apple for allegedly monopolizing iOS app distribution.
Photo: Sergey Galyonkin/Flickr CC

Epic Games, maker of Fortnite, is recruiting a team of like-minded companies to join its fight against Apple and its App Store policies, according to a report from The Information (paywall).

The publication claims that Epic is getting in touch with other companies that disagree with the App Store’s strict rules. Two of these companies are reportedly Sonos and Spotify. However, neither of them has officially joined the coalition.

Spotify hits 138 million paying subscribers

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Spotify iPhone
Spotify continues to go from strength to strength.
Photo: Cezar Sampaio/Unsplash CC

Spotify’s Q2 earnings showed largely positive growth, although the streaming music giant suffered a 21% decline in ad revenue and a 48% rise in operating costs due to deals like its $100 million licensing deal for The Joe Rogan Experience.

Total monthly active users on the platform grew to 299 million, while paid subscribers increased to 138 million. Apple Music, which does not operate a free listening tier (outside of Beats 1 radio), last reported 60 million paid subscribers in June 2019 when it had passed 60 million.

Congress, keep your mitts off the App Store. It’s fine. [Opinion]

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Apple exec Phil Schiller calls the App Store a good deal for devs. That's just one of the reasons Apple deserves a fair commission for powering the App Store.
Apple exec Phil Schiller calls the App Store a good deal for devs. That's just one of the reasons Apple deserves a fair commission for powering the App Store.
Photo: Globovisión/Flickr CC

When Apple CEO Tim Cook takes questions from Congress on Wednesday, he’ll surely get an earful of software developers’ complaints about how the App Store operates. Chief among the criticisms will likely be the fact that Apple charges a percentage of revenue earned from in-app sales.

There’s not a bit of justification for any of these highly publicized complaints. They come from companies that want to have their cake and eat it, too.

Connect all your streaming audio content between platforms [Deals]

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FreeYourMusic
Easily transfer unlimited music playlists from one streaming platform to another: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

In the internet age, we get our music from all kinds of places. A song might be on YouTube but not on Spotify, or maybe you can’t remember whether you bought it on Apple Music or Tidal.

Luckily, there’s a way to cut through the digital musical chaos. This app connects all your streaming services, so you can get the music you want anywhere, any time.

Spotify had massive 130 million paid subscribers at the end of Q1

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify still has a commanding lead in the streaming music wars.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Spotify has 163 million free, ad-supported users, and an impressive 130 million paid subscribers, the streaming music giant announced Wednesday in its financial earnings for Q1 2020. These premium subscribers are up 6 million from the end of the previous quarter, and 30 million year-on-year.

While Apple hasn’t released updated Apple Music subscriber figures for a while now, it last announced 60 million paying customers last summer. Although Apple Music has reportedly experienced a nice bump while people are stuck home during lockdown, that suggests that Spotify is still enjoying a comfortable lead in the streaming war.

Spotify Kids launches in the U.S. and Canada

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Spotify Kids
New kid-friendly app is perfect for children stuck at home right now.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify Kids, a standalone app focused on kid-friendly musical content, made its debut in the U.S., Canada, and France on Tuesday.

The app, which requires a $14.99 per month Premium Family Plan to use, highlights curated material aimed at kids of various ages. It won’t include any inappropriate lyrics, features no ads, and offers age-suitable content ranging from audiobooks to lullabies and nurseries rhymes.

Apple, Spotify and other streaming companies accused of price-fixing ‘conspiracy’

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Music licensing company takes aim at Apple Music for illegal streaming
PRM thinks music streaming companies are playing dirty.
Photo: Stas Knop/Pexels CC

A music licensing company accuses Apple, Spotify, Google, SoundCloud, and other streaming services of entering into a price-fixing “conspiracy” to keep streaming music prices at anticompetitive levels.

Pro Music Rights (PMR) filed the complaint Monday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. PMR previously filed a lawsuit against Apple in December for allegedly streaming copyrighted music without the necessary permissions.