Google Amps Up Competition with Free Version of Play Music

A week before Apple was set to unveil its streaming music service, Google came out with a free, albeit limited, version of Play Music, which began as a $9.99-a-month subscription service in 2013. Google is offering the service to lure more listeners to its subscription version, which loses potential customers when they are asked to input credit card information. Whether this strategy pays off is unclear, and some industry analysts wonder if Google is cannibalizing its own services or amping up its music creds in a competitive streaming music environment. Continue reading Google Amps Up Competition with Free Version of Play Music

Apple Music to Pay Royalties During New Service Trial Period

Apple Music, the highly-anticipated $10 per month streaming music service, is launching this month with a free three-month trial for music fans. Last week, Apple’s Robert Kondrk said that the company was planning to pay 71.5 percent of subscription revenue to all music owners. However, Kondrk also noted that Apple would not be paying owners during the three-month trial period. Following criticism by Taylor Swift and others, Apple changed its plans. Apple’s Eddy Cue quickly explained via Twitter that Apple would make sure that artists are paid. Continue reading Apple Music to Pay Royalties During New Service Trial Period

Splice Fosters Music Collaboration with its New Cloud Service

More than 100,000 music producers and artists are reportedly now using a cloud-based service called Splice to produce music tracks on-the-go. Users store their tracks in the cloud and provide collaborators with access to edit the tracks with compatible music editing software such as GarageBand or Ableton Live. Splice’s technology helps manage how each user has tweaked the tracks. The startup, which officially launched in September, makes money by selling add-ons for music editing software. Continue reading Splice Fosters Music Collaboration with its New Cloud Service

New Apple Music Service to Feature Ping-Like Social Features

Latest reports suggest that Apple’s anticipated Beats-based streaming music service will be called “Apple Music” and will feature social networking integration for artists. According to those briefed on feature plans, Apple Music will enable musicians to maintain pages within the service to post content such as photos, videos, sample tracks and concert info. Performers will also be able to cross-promote by sharing content from other artists. Additionally, users will be able to like and comment on the artists’ posts. Continue reading New Apple Music Service to Feature Ping-Like Social Features

Apple Needs to Secure Key Music Deals Before Beats Launch

Apple is expected to launch its Beats Music streaming service at next month’s developers conference, but the tech giant has not been able to finalize deals with several of the major music labels yet. Originally, Apple tried to negotiate favorable deals with music labels that would allow the company to sell Beats Music for $2 to $5 less per month than the industry standard $10. Meanwhile, Jay Z’s new streaming service, Tidal, claims its deals give artists four times the royalty rate of Spotify. Continue reading Apple Needs to Secure Key Music Deals Before Beats Launch

Apple’s Upcoming Beats Music Relaunch Has Spotify In Sight

Apple’s revamped Beats Music streaming service will debut later this year and will be looking to take on other popular streaming services such as Spotify. Originally, Apple intended to offer Beats Music at $8 per month, instead of the competition’s standard $10 per month, by using its leverage in the music industry to secure cheaper rights. The negotiations fell through, and with no plans for a free version of Beats Music, Apple may have to work harder to attract customers. Continue reading Apple’s Upcoming Beats Music Relaunch Has Spotify In Sight

YouTube Upgrades Support Music Artists and Virtual Reality

YouTube has made some compelling new changes in the last week. The video site just announced the launch of its “Cards” system, which is designed to eventually supplant annotations. The company also announced its new site, “YouTube for Artists,” essentially a resource guide for music artists promoting their work on YouTube. In addition, YouTube now supports 360-degree video formats in most of its mobile and Internet platforms, a move the company promised earlier in the year to address the growing interest in virtual reality content. Continue reading YouTube Upgrades Support Music Artists and Virtual Reality

Milestone: iHeartRadio Exceeds 60 Million Registered Users

Last week, iHeartRadio announced that it had reached over 60 million registered users. The streaming service is distinct from its competitors such as Pandora and Spotify in that it also allows users to access stations for free without the need to register. Only those who opt for listening to playlists and accessing more personalized features need to register with the service. This unique model makes it difficult to compare to Spotify’s 60 million active monthly users or Pandora’s registered 250 million users. Continue reading Milestone: iHeartRadio Exceeds 60 Million Registered Users

IK Multimedia Showcases iRig Mic Field for Audio and Video

IK Multimedia is shipping its $100 iRig Mic Field — a tiny stereo condenser field microphone that faces two ways. The company says it is the first such ultra-compact solution for field recording on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The iRig Mic Field is an easy way to record high quality interviews or video. It features a rotatable enclosure that works in landscape or portrait mode, especially useful for video with Lightning connector equipped devices. Additionally, the iRig Recorder app is available on the iTunes Store. Continue reading IK Multimedia Showcases iRig Mic Field for Audio and Video

Neil Young’s High-End Pono Music Player Available Next Week

Musician Neil Young’s high quality Pono music player is slated to hit retail stores next Monday retailing at $399. Young designed the music player to exceed the audio capabilities of any MP3 player currently on the market. The PonoPlayer will have a limited release, initially hitting about 80 locations throughout the U.S. Audio files for the Pono will be available from the PonoMusic Store that went live earlier this week. Young made his announcements in front of an enthusiastic crowd at CES in Las Vegas. Continue reading Neil Young’s High-End Pono Music Player Available Next Week

New Live Music App Combines Social Media and Crowdfunding

The startup appLOUD has created an iOS app that allows fans to support their favorite musicians by sharing videos of live performances. The video posts are tagged with the artist’s Twitter handle, and then the app generates links to the band’s music on iTunes and upcoming concert dates. Fans can even directly tip bands just like they do for street musicians. The app not only allows people to discover new bands, but also directly pay an artist for a great performance. Continue reading New Live Music App Combines Social Media and Crowdfunding

Live Nation Teams Up with Vice to Launch New Digital Network

In order to create and distribute new original music programming, Live Nation Entertainment has launched a joint venture with Vice. Live Nation is a concert promoter, while Vice is a media producer that primarily targets younger audiences. Planning to launch in early 2015, the digital network will target millennials on the Internet, on mobile devices, through television, and in theaters. Hundreds of hours of music shows and editorial content will be featured with an emphasis on live music. Continue reading Live Nation Teams Up with Vice to Launch New Digital Network

Pandora Introduces AMP, Brings Listener Data to its Musicians

Pandora’s Artist Marketing Platform will now offer listener data to the artists whose music is featured on the Internet radio service. This data will include number of plays and thumbs up for each song, how many fans have created stations for the artist, along with the listeners’ geographic and demographic breakdowns. Co-founder Tim Westergren uses his experience as a musician to detail how the service will eliminate guesswork and allow musicians to more effectively target their audience. Continue reading Pandora Introduces AMP, Brings Listener Data to its Musicians

Music Industry: Rulings Could Have Long-Term Consequences

In a 57-page decision issued this week, a New York federal judge ruled against music streaming service Grooveshark in a copyright infringement case. The judge ruled that the service’s parent company, Escape Media Group, and co-founders Samuel Tarantino and Josh Greenberg, had uploaded almost 6,000 songs without licenses, and urged their employees to do the same. Meanwhile, a California judge ruled in favor of musicians Flo & Eddie in a suit against SiriusXM, and now the duo is taking on Pandora. Continue reading Music Industry: Rulings Could Have Long-Term Consequences

Musician Releases Album via BitTorrent Bundle with Pay Gate

Thom Yorke, the lead singer of the rock band Radiohead, recently partnered with file-sharing company BitTorrent to release his new solo album directly to fans. Yorke’s album, “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes” is the first record to be released as part of a BitTorrent Bundle with a pay gate, a feature that BitTorrent is testing as it tries to shed its reputation for pirated content. So far, the gamble for BitTorrent and Yorke has proved successful with 400,000 downloads in the first three days. Continue reading Musician Releases Album via BitTorrent Bundle with Pay Gate