Google this afternoon started rolling out an update to its Play Music app on iOS with a handful of new features. The update bumps the app to version 1.3.0.2190. Firstly, the update finally adds support for gapless playback, which means that there is no pause between the end of one song and the beginning of another. The update also adds the ability to download subscribed playlists in one tap, allowing you to listen to them without a data connection.
T-Mobile has just announced at its “Uncarrier 5.0” event (which apparently double as the Uncarrier 6.0 event) that all streaming music services will now be free to stream on T-Mobile, including iTunes Radio, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Slacker Radio, and Spotify.
Any streaming you do will always be done over the company’s fastest available network, and won’t count towards your high-speed data limit.
Customers can visit T-Mobile’s website to request new services to be added to the “music freedom” selection. As streaming services gain votes, they will be added to the program.
With Apple having just acquired Beats Electronics, Amazon is apparently preparing to launch its own streaming music service. According to a new report out of BuzzFeed, Amazon has just signed deals with two of the three major labels. Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group have both signed on, while Universal Music is still pondering the deal.
Spotify took to the company blog this morning, warning its users that one — yes, just one — user had their Spotify profile hacked recently. But, as you would expect from a company like this, they’re taking matters into their own hands and approaching this with caution. The company will be asking users to reenter their passwords when opening the app for the next few days, but they also made clear that they aren’t aware of any increased risk for users:
Our evidence shows that only one Spotify user’s data has been accessed and this did not include any password, financial or payment information. We have contacted this one individual. Based on our findings, we are not aware of any increased risk to users as a result of this incident.
Also, Spotify says that it plans to release an updated version of the service’s Android app over the coming days as an extra measure of caution. Sadly, the company notes that any offline playlists you’ve downloaded in the app are going to have to be downloaded again after the update is released. iOS and Windows Phone Spotify users can rest easy, as Spotify says they don’t have any recommended action at the current time.
We’ve been hearing rumors of a YouTube streaming music service for what feels like forever, but according to a report out of the New York Times, the service has hit yet another snag. A report last month claimed that the service was delayed because YouTube and Google were approaching it with a “get it right” attitude and wanted to make the first version of the product as good as its competitors like Spotify and Rdio. This report, however, claims that YouTube has run into licensing troubles with independent music labels.
The new interface features a darker theme with refreshed typography and rounded pictures and album art. The design is nearly identical to that found on iOS and the Spotify desktop app.
Last October, Billboard reported that YouTube was planning to launch a music streaming service in late 2013 or early 2014. This evening, however, Billboard has published another report claiming that YouTube’s music streaming platform has been delayed until the second quarter of this year or beyond. According to the report, which cites “an executive briefed on YouTube’s plans”, YouTube is approaching this service with a “get it right” attitude.
The company wants to launch the first version of the service in an incredibly polished form that will help it stand out against competitors like Spotify and Rdio, which have been around for a while and have had several iterations of improvements. “They feel that there’s just too much scrutiny of this product, and that they need to get it right out of the gate,” said a senior label executive speaking to Billboard. This, of course, contradicts the strategy of YouTube’s parent company, Google, which launches services left and right in beta form, many of which get shut down relatively quickly.
Spotify fans the world over take note, the company is moving into the ad-supported model with a new app for both iOS and Android tablets. The company is introducing a whole new tier of service on mobile, providing users an opportunity to listen and search for songs on the go for free on tablets.
We’ve been hearing rumors of a subscription music service from YouTube for awhile now, but according to a new report from AllThingsD, we are still a little ways off from seeing it launch. The blog reports, citing “people familiar with the company’s plans”, that the music service will not launch this year, but rather sometime in Q1 2014. Reportedly, YouTube has already secured the licenses with music labels, which is not an easy task nowadays, but is not satisfied with the actual service. Reports of the subscription service began appearing back in October, with the project supposedly nearing its final stages then.
There are still a lot of questions surrounding the service, as well. Such as, how it will differentiate itself from Google’s All Access service and how it handle user content, like lip syncs and mashups. Last week, an update to the YouTube for Android app revealed code that hinted at a “Music Pass” service that supported offline playback and was entirely ad free for “millions of songs”.
Since there’s no pinpoint launch date within Q1, it could be that we see the service launch relatively early in the quarter, which would mean we are not too far away from seeing it.
YouTube is planning to launch a subscription-based video-focused music streaming service, according to Billboard. Like many other streaming music services, YouTube’s program will have both free and paid accounts. Unlike other services, however, YouTube plans to integrate video into their platform by allowing users to stream music videos along with regular audio tracks.
Paid subscribers will reportedly an ad-free listening experience, on-demand access to any song or video in the service’s catalog, and unlimited streaming. Offline listening is also being considered, allowing subscribers to download songs to their mobile devices for playback even without an Internet connection.
Google Play’s Music All Access service – Google’s rather clumsily-named equivalent to Spotify – has now been rolled out to Europe, initially to nine countries.
The service, launched in the USA in May and later extended to Australia and New Zealand, is now available in Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom … Expand Expanding Close
Popular music app Spotify has just introduced ‘expert playlists’ – a collection of songs chosen by the Spotify staff to match every moment, mood, or what’s hot. The feature is being rolled out to mobile devices first.
Press release from Spotify:
Introducing expert playlists for every mood and moment. Browse is available on mobile from today.
Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. Hosting a dinner or getting ready for a big night out? We’ve got you covered. We even have playlists for different moods, so regardless of whether you need an upbeat boost or something more relaxing to wind down to – we’ve got just the thing. You can also browse through a collection of our top lists and check out new releases.Rolling out to all mobile users from today, Spotify’s new Browse page offers carefully chosen playlists for every moment of your day, handpicked by our experts. With an easy-to-view interface, features include:
● Music for every moment: We’ve got just the right tunes for your morning commute, the party tonight, and the hangover tomorrow.
● Music for every mood: More than just genres, listen to a playlist for romance or a collection of face melting guitarists.
● Browse for what’s hot and what’s new: Find all the latest album and single releases from your favourite (or soon-to-be favourite) artists, and a collection of our top lists.
Recent innovations from Spotify have been all about helping people discover even more great music.
First, our social features made it simple to follow your friends, favourite artists and tastemakers, and to easily send music recommendations to your friends in return. Then, with the launch of Discover, we offered personalised recommendations, based on the combination of our unique algorithms and years of experience and data. Now, Browse adds the human touch to this mix, creating a three-dimensional approach to music discovery. Between your friends, our personalised recommendations and real music experts, it’s the perfect formula to ensure you’ll always have the right music for every moment.
“We don’t rely on one source for recommendations in real life – and music discovery can’t be onedimensional,” said Gustav Söderström, Chief Product Officer, at Spotify. “Our three-dimensional approach now combines the human touch with strong social features and unique technology from over five years of experience. We know music and we’re the first to marry all three aspects in one service, making it easier than ever for users to navigate the treasure trove of content within Spotify.”
Browse will be gradually rolled out to our iOS and Android users, and will soon be available across all platforms.
In March, Fortune reported that Google had signed up Warner Music for an online music service similar but not identical to the popular Spotify service. Today, Greg Sandoval at The Vergeis reporting that Universal and Sony Music have also signed on and the service will be launched tomorrow at Google I/O:
When Google rolls out the new services tomorrow at I/O, it will mean that it gets the jump on Apple, which is also trying to launch a new streaming-music service. According to reports, Google’s subscription services would resemble Spotify, and offer on-demand songs that would be streamed to their PCs and mobile devices. In contrast, Apple is working on an online radio service that is said to be more akin to Pandora, the top webcaster.
Google comes to these negotiations as a powerful player in music. While Google Play is still a relatively new service, insiders say YouTube is a juggernaut. The user-generated video site sees more than 800 million unique visitors a month and music videos are among the most popular fare.
I may not have exotic taste in music but I’ve never not been able to find whatever I want to listen to on YouTube. Google already owns the space and an advertising-based version of YouTube streaming is just a GUI change in my book. Expand Expanding Close
Following a report from the Financial Times last week claiming Google is developing a free music service to compete with Spotify, Bloomberg reported today much of the same details citing “two people with knowledge of the situation.” According to the report from Bloomberg, Google is planning to launch the subscription-based music streaming service by the third quarter and it’s already in talks with record labels:
Negotiations are under way with major record labels to license their music, said the people, who sought anonymity because the talks are confidential. Google, which also owns the YouTube video website, is also discussing renewing deals that cover the use of songs in videos made by consumers, they said.
The report added that sources said the service would work on both Android and devices running another OS.
In addition to announcing that the service is now up to 15 million active users and 4 million paying subscribers worldwide, Spotify also announced today that it is rolling out the radio streaming feature (previously only available on iOS) to Android. Same as the iPhone version, the feature provides ad-free radio streams for premium subs and ad-supported streams for free accounts. Unfortunately, the free streams are U.S. only at the moment. You can also save songs from radio streams to a “Liked from Radio” playlist.
What’s in this version:
There’s a great new radio experience in Spotify. Now you can discover and save music on the go! If your station plays a song you really like, save it with a single tap.
New: Start a radio station based on your favorite playlist, genre, album, artist or song.
New: Personalize your radio stations by voting songs up or down.
Google TV just launched iHeartRadio on its Smart TV platform in an effort to bring live radio to the big screen.
iHeartRadio is a four-year-old website and mobile radio network that aggregates local radio brands, personalities, and on-demand content. The new Google TV app offers 800 live stations and the ability to create a custom station based on an artist or track. It also sports high-resolution imagery, quick jump options, and seamless navigation for finding local broadcasts by genre or location. Moreover, the app “dims the lights,” so users can listen to music without a blaring screen in the room.
A screenshot of the app is above, while a reel of the service is below. Expand Expanding Close
After many requests from paying subscribers, the folks over at Spotify introduced a completely overhauled Android app this morning. It features an all new user interface, speed boost, and support for Android 4.0. The app formerly lacked features that the iOS app has, but now it is updated to be on par with the app on the App Store. Spotify for Android allows users to listen to unlimited music and build playlists to their liking for only $10 a month. We are huge fans, especially since Android does not have an iTunes-like solution. Unlimited music anytime, on any device — what’s not to love.
The app adds full support for Ice Cream Sandwich, allowing the latest devices in the Android ecosystem to enjoy the platform. Without ICS support, users were not able to enjoy Spotify on the latest and greatest version of Android. Now that the app is working on the latest generation of Android devices, it is a huge bonus and frankly something that should have been already included.
As you can tell in the screenshots below, the big story here is that Spotify for Android has been given a huge overhaul compared to the old version of the app. Users can use the all-new slide-out navigation, view their friends’ Facebook profiles and playlists right on the app, and view album art in high-resolution. The app also features an overall speed enhancement that is very noticeable when you fire up the app.
Spotify plans to add folders and Last.fm scrobbling to the app before it goes live on the Play Store, but it was not included in the pre-release software that we tested.
Overall, Spotify has made some great changes that allow Android users to enjoy its service. Spotify has done a great job with this app, and it is now on-par, if not surpassing, the iPhone app. Spotify plans to launch the app very soon, and we will keep you updated when the app hits the Play Store. Now we just need to hear some more information on that rumored iPad app.
Spotify, a popular music streaming service from Sweden, arrived in the United States mid-July on an invite-only basis. Today, Spotify goes live for everyone nationwide, no invitation required. Users can now sign up for an account at Spotify.com and use a mobile app for Android or iPhone to stream music over wireless and cellular networks to their phones, tag songs for offline viewing, favorite tracks, share them with friends and more. What’s best, you needn’t sign up for a paid Spotify account. Thanks to a new partnership with Facebook that Mark Zuckerberg announced at the yesterday’s developer conference (more in the clip below), anyone signing up with their Facebook account gets six months of unlimited listening. What happens when the six-month free period expires?
Popular music startup from Sweden called Spotify today kicked off its long-expected US operation. “We’re massively excited to be here”, the company wrote in a blog post. Spotify has been a huge hit in the UK and several other European territories such as Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden, with a total number of subscribers in Europe topping 10 million people. The company is planning a major push to get the word out, lining up exclusive launch partners such as Coca-Cola and Sprite, Chevrolet, Motorola, Reebok and Sonos. “These brands will be launching innovative campaigns in partnership with Spotify in the coming weeks and months”, Spotify says.
Spotify lets you stream songs free of charge, with adverts, to your computer or pay a single-digit monthly fee for unlimited, ad-free streams in high fidelity (384Kbps). A Premium account is required to stream music via the Spotify app on smartphones. Music streams on demand via wireless hotspots or 3G cellular networks so you don’t have to have gigabytes of free storage to keep the files on your device.
The company celebrated launch in the United States with the release of the free Spotify for iOS app. While Spotify for Android is not yet live in the US Android Market, we expect it anytime soon so stay tuned. Why you’ll love Spotify? Because for just ten bucks a month you can play songs from their catalog of more than fifteen million tracks to your phone or computer. That’s a sizable collection even by iTunes’ standards.
And for half the price you get a Spotify Unlimited account which removes ads, but lacks other features and encodes audio in standard quality. Premium accounts can mark entire songs, playlists or albums for offline listening when there is no network coverage.
