Spotify - page 7

Alex Jones ‘patriots’ rush to App Store to download Infowars app

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Infowars app
Alex Jones' media empire is falling, but his followers can still get their fix from iOS and Android apps.
Photo: Infowars

Fans of Infowars radio host Alex Jones have flocked to the Apple App Store to grab what’s left of his voice on social media.

The iOS app Infowars Official was ranked the fourth most popular news app earlier today, less than 48 hours after Apple and other tech companies booted Jones off its social media platforms.

Spotify picks up 8 million subscribers by copying Apple Music

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify and Siri are finally a team.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

When Apple Music made its debut, one of the biggest reasons to switch from rival streaming services was for its $15 family plan. But it wasn’t long before Spotify copied it — and it’s been paying off in a big way.

The bargain family plan helped Spotify attract another 8 million paying subscribers during the second quarter of 2018, taking its total number to 83 million worldwide.

Spotify now lets artists submit unreleased music for playlist consideration

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Spotify discover weekly, daily mix, playlists, and sharing features
Daily mixes, hundreds of playlists, discovery weekly, and social features make Spotify the best streaming music app.
Screenshots: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Music artists are getting an all-new way to promote unreleased music thanks to a new feature Spotify is rolling out his week.

Getting a song onto one of Spotify’s curated playlists can give a big boost to an artist or band’s visibility on the platform. So starting today, members with a Spotify for Artists account can submit unreleased music directly to Spotify’s editorial team for playlist consideration.

Discover new music you’ll love with Spotify [50 Essential iOS Apps #39]

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify and Siri are finally a team.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Spotify Streaming music has revolutionized the way we listen to music on the go. Starting with streaming radio, and quickly evolving to carrying millions of songs in your pocket (thanks to cellular data), streaming services have enabled incredible access and discovery of great music.

With Spotify, you can experience your favorites and discover great new music better than ever, thanks to algorithmic intelligence and some genius features.

Sonos speakers just got smarter with AirPlay 2 upgrade

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Sonos supports AirPlay2
Sonos speakers connect to over 80 streaming services.
Photo: Sonos

Sonos is opening its speakers to a new world of listening experiences today with the addition of AirPlay 2.

The smart speaker company teased AirPlay 2 support last month during the introduction of its Beam speaker. Now, just over a month after Apple added AirPlay 2 as part of iOS 11.4, Sonos is the first third-party speaker company to dive head first into the new tech. And the company added a few tricks your HomePod can’t match.

Apple Music now boasts more subscribers than Spotify in the U.S.

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Apple Music gift card
You won’t believe how cheap Apple Music is in India.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music now boasts more paying subscribers that Spotify in the United States.

Both services have more than 20 million subscribers, but Apple Music is finally “a hair ahead” after creeping up on Spotify for months, according to a new report. Apple’s service is expected to widen the gap in the coming months as it continues to enjoy a faster growth rate than its biggest rival.

Drake’s new album shatters every Apple Music record

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
ChampagnePapi is the king of Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Drake’s new album Scorpion may not have been well received by all his fans, but that hasn’t stopped it from destroying pretty much every record on Apple Music.

Scorption launched last Friday and quickly became the fastest growing album ever on Apple Music’s chart. Its rise was so meteoric that it became the number one album in 92 different countries almost instantaneously. And Apple didn’t even spam promotions for it like Spotify did.

Heavy-handed promo of Scorpion stings Spotify

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Drake talks Apple Music at WWDC.
Spotify's promotion of Scorpion may be good for Drake, but it's upsetting some customers.
Photo: Apple

Spotify is taking some flack after getting carried away promoting the June 29 release of hip-hop artist Drake’s new album “Scorpion.” In an effort to commemorate the release by the streaming services most-played artist, Spotify spent the weekend highlighting the Canadian artist’s music. These highlights came through Drake-inspired playlists, banners, and the use of his image on playlists without his music.

iPod shuffle and Spotify merge in this portable player [Deals]

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This little music player combines a classic form factor with modern music streaming.
This little music player combines a classic form factor with modern music streaming.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Media formats and devices have a way of circling back into relevance. Vinyl, cassette tapes, heck, even VHS are making comebacks. So it should be no surprise to see the handy iPod shuffle style of music player back on the scene. This time, it’s with an eye to streaming music, courtesy of Spotify.

New YouTube Music streaming service goes live this month

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YouTube Music
YouTube will take on Apple Music (again).
Photo: Google

YouTube Music, a new service that will take on the likes of Spotify and Apple, goes live next week.

Listeners will be able to enjoy the service for free if they don’t mind their music interspersed with advertisements. An upgrade to YouTube Music Premium, priced at $9.99 a month, will remove those ads and allow for background playback and music downloads.

Spotify has almost twice Apple Music’s number of paying subscribers

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Spotify
Big numbers, but is trouble brewing?
Photo: Spotify

Apple Music may have made enormous strides, but Spotify remains the king of streaming music. For now, at least.

In its first ever earnings report as a public company, Spotify says that it ended the quarter with 75 million paying customers — and a massive 170 million monthly active users, taken across all user types.

Proposed EU law changes how Apple deals with smaller rivals

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Spotify
If an EU law goes into effect, a dispute between Apple and Spotify over subscription fees would go to mediation.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify objects to Apple collecting a share of all the subscription fees paid by iOS users.  A law proposed today in European Union would force Apple and Spotify into mediation on this issue.

And it’s not just Spotify. Under the proposal, Apple, Google, and other tech giants would have to appoint mediators in all their disagreements with smaller companies.

Spotify swipes a major player from Apple Music

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Apple Music
Although Apple Music' subscriber base is growing steadily, there have been two high-profile executive departures in a week.
Photo: Apple

The head of Hip-Hop/R&B Programming at Apple Music, Carl Chery, is reportedly headed for rival Spotify. 

Chery worked for Apple since 2014, and was responsible for helping to launch the careers of Cardi B, Bryson Tiller, Post Malone, and others.

Spotify quibbles with Apple Music over The Weeknd streaming numbers

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Republic Records
Although it raises some questions about streaming number reporting.
Photo: Republic Records

Spotify and Apple are in a battle over rival streaming music services, and sometimes such conflicts can turn a bit petty.

After it was reported that The Weeknd’s latest album and lead single performed better on Apple Music than it did on Spotify, Spotify hit back by reporting that the numbers it initially gave were, in fact, wrong. It apparently beat Apple after all.

And that’s where things get confusing.

Apple Music passes 40 million paid subscribers mark

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Apple Music
Apple is increasing its dependence on revenue from services like Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music appears to be narrowing the gap with Spotify when it comes to paid subscribers.

In a tweet this afternoon, Apple revealed that the total subscribers for its music service passed the 40 million mark during the same week Spotify’s stock went up for sale on the New York Stock Exchange.

Spotify could finally come to Apple Watch at WWDC

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Snowy-Spotify-Apple-Watch
Spotify hired Andrew Chang, creator of a third-party Spotify app for watchOS, last April.
Photo: Snowy

Spotify will finally deliver its first Apple Watch app this year, according to a new report.

It could get an official reveal at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June alongside “StreamKit,” a new framework for watchOS 5 that will boost the cellular Apple Watch’s standalone capabilities.

Spotify still boasts twice as many paying subscribers as Apple Music

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Spotify
Spotify is still ruling the streaming world
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify says it has between 73 million and 76 million paying subscribers, around twice what Apple Music currently has. This year, Spotify plans for that number to grow to between 92 million and 96 million premium users.

According to Cupertino’s most recent figures, Apple Music has signed up 38 million users who pay a monthly subscription.

Ad blitz will make listening to music on YouTube unbearable — on purpose

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YouTube Music
A for-pay YouTube music service is in development, but free users have to be convinced to switch.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Freeloaders who use YouTube as a cheap alternative to Apple Music should get ready to be annoyed. YouTube is about to intentionally irritate users who treat the video site as a jukebox by increasing ads between songs.

The goal? Driving subscriptions to an as-yet-unannounced paid YouTube music service.

Spotify skips Siri with new voice command feature

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Spotify
You won't have to listen to music you don't like.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Music service Spotify has added a voice search feature to its iOS app that allows users to find song tracks, albums, and playlists.

The new test feature takes Siri out of the equation. With Apple trying to grow its music streaming service, it never allowed Spotify to integrate with Siri, including with Apple’s first smart speaker, HomePod.

Apple Music hits 38 million subscribers

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Apple Music
Apple is increasing its dependence on revenue from services like Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Almost 40 million people now pay to listen to Apple Music. That’s not bad for a service that was met with skepticism when it debuted back in 2015.

Apple Music still faces strong competition from Spotify and Google Play Music, but it’s growing strongly. And all those people putting down $9.99 a month adds significantly to Apple revenue as streaming services have become the top way to listen to music.

Rihanna is first female artist to hit 2 billion streams on Apple Music

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Rihanna
The biggest artist under Apple Music's umbrella. Ella, ella. 'Eh 'eh?
Photo: Apple

Rihanna is the first female artist to surpass 2 billion streams on Apple Music, according to a tweet sent out by Cupertino.

It’s not clear whether the quick stat refers to just Rihanna’s solo songs or includes other artists’ tracks on which she appeared. However, it’s a big achievement — and proof positive of just how big Apple Music is getting.

How to control any app or website with your Mac’s media keys

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BeardedSpice
Take back control of your Mac's media keys with BeardedSpice.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Did you ever hit your macBook’s play/pause key to pause that YouTube video, only to have iTunes launch instead, and start playing that embarrassing tune from your last home workout session? Then you may be interested in a way to have your media keys control the site or app you want to control, instead of the app that Apple decides it will control. Luckily, there’s an app for that, called BeardedSpice.