First glimpse at Spotify’s iPhone app: easy mobile streaming to rival iTunes?
Spotify, the Swedish streaming music startup which has racked up more than 6 million users in Europe, has released a first glimpse at its much-awaited iPhone application. Spotify’s mobile efforts have been talked about as a potential iTunes killer, or even a rival to piracy, because of the application’s ease-of-use and comprehensive library of more than 6 million tracks. It resembles iTunes, although users stream the songs instead of owning them.
”We want to be better… Continue Reading
Sad news hits the airwaves: Layoffs at NPR
It’s a sad day. We saw Yahoo! go through its second mass layoff in under a year. And now it’s being reported that National Public Radio — of which shows including All Things Considered, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me and Car Talk have attracted a wide audience via iTunes — has eliminated 7 percent of its workforce, or 64 positions, and canceled two shows, News & Notes and Day to Day, in what is the organization’s first major… Continue Reading
Universal to remove anti-piracy technology
The Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music label, plans to sell a significant portion of its catalog without copy protection software for at least the next few months, according to the New York Times.
It’s one more sign that the industry’s united stance behind digital-rights management anti-piracy technology may be falling apart.
Universal will offer the rights-free music through retail services like RealNetworks, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Google, and other sites, the Times said, but won’t be offered… Continue Reading
Pandora goes mobile
Internet radio site Pandora announced tonight the launch of a new service for mobile phones, finally taking the popular music site beyond its core internet audience.
Pandora’s site is a favorite among music lovers: It lets you discover new music based on your tastes and create custom playlists. However, until now, it hadn’t offered a decent mobile service — which raised questions about how it plans to maintain its edge, given the emergence of the Apple… Continue Reading