Tag Archives: streaming music

Apple’s iRadio Service is Ready to Launch – All Three Major Music Labels are Onboard

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Apple’s iRadio service took another step toward release readiness as Sony cut a deal with the Cupertino-based tech giant. Sony Music Group was the last of the big three music companies to take this step, which paves the way for Apple to announce plans to release iRadio at the upcoming WWDC next week.

Sony ATV, the part of the Sony Music Group that controls music publishing rights has yet to sign on with Apple. The lack of agreement between Apple and Sony ATV could present an obstacle for iRadio’s release.

Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have already put agreements in place for both recorded music rights and music publishing rights, leaving Sony ATV as the last company that must sign on to make iRadio feasible.

If Apple ends speculation about iRadio with an official announcement at WWDC, developers in attendance will learn about the radio streaming service, but the service itself will likely not be ready until the release of iOS7.

What will iRadio be like? We’re not even sure if that’s what Apple is going to call this service, so thoughts on the service’s structure remain speculative. It is likely that iRadio will resemble Pandora, in that it will be a free, ad-supported service. Perhaps iRadio users will have more freedom to control the stream than they do with the free version of Pandora, but less freedom than an on-demand service such as Spotify.

Apple’s plans for the release of a music streaming service have been stymied by the record companies’ collective desire to get paid. Apparently the most recent hang up was with Sony, who wanted payment for songs that an individual skips during a streaming session.

Paying for skipped songs is a bit of a conundrum. What if the user plays everything but the last 10 seconds of an eight minute song, but finally skips over the tail end? Should the music company get paid? Maybe Apple should pro-rate payments based on how much a user listens.

Are you excited for iRadio? Do you still use Pandora? If you do, do you think iRadio is a Pandora killer?

[Via All Things D]

» Related posts: Is Apple’s New Music Streaming Service Almost Ready? Apple’s iRadio Service May Launch This Summer Apple in Talks to Launch Ad Supported Streaming Music Service

Twitter #Music app helps you find tunes by who you follow

With so much competition already existing in the streaming music world, the Twitter #Music app faces the same problem as every new service -- how do they set themselves apart from the competition? The answer for Twitter is discovery; more specifically helping users discover new musical artists along the lines of the ones they already follow.

It takes a few minutes to learn how to navigate the app, but once you understand the ins and outs you'll be flying. There are four screens: Popular, Emerging, Suggested, and #NowPlaying.

Popular features the artists who are currently trending on Twitter. Emerging showcases smaller artists who are building twitter buzz, although at the moment it's not clear how they judge if someone is "emerging" or not. Suggested compiles artists based on who you already follow. And #NowPlaying is based on the music your followers are listening to.

Music is displayed on tiles with the artist's picture or logo. Simply click on the tile and hear the song by that artist. It's a little disappointing that you're limited to only one song per artist to listen to, especially if you're using the most basic function where the music is simply an iTunes preview clip. The service allows you to connect your Spotify or Rdio account to listen to full songs however. Using the app with just iTunes clips feels like a waste of time, but when given access to the full song the potential for music discovery increases dramatically. For instance, I had no idea M83 recorded new music for the upcoming film Oblivion and now I do. Thanks, Twitter #Music.

#NowPlaying is the most actively social component of the service. It shows you what your friends are listening to and specifically which friend recommended it. Given the limited use of the service right now there weren't a lot of recommendations available for checking out, but it was neat to see what one of the obscure rock bands I like was sharing at the moment.

Whether this service strikes you as merely a fun distraction or an exciting new way to discover music will probably depend on how much you use your Twitter feed to discover music. I tested it with two different Twitter accounts, one for a music blog I write for that mostly follows bands, and my own personal account that basically only follows a punk band and rappers I think are funny.

The end result is easy to predict. The more artists you follow on Twitter the better the suggestions proposed for you are going to be. Otherwise you're going to find the to-be-expected list of Top 40 and popular indie rock acts you find in every streaming services recommendations.

It's also worth noting that suggested songs tend to pick older tracks for some artists. The band Alkaline Trio is represented by their newest single "I Wanna Be a Warhol" while indie rocker Kevin Devine brings up his 2005 song "Cotton Crush." "Cotton Crush" is a great song, but Devine has put out three solo albums since then. On one hand I appreciate including deeper cuts in an artist's discography; on the other it seems strange for a new music discover service to reach that deep when it only offers one song by an artist at a time.

Twitter #Music is a clever new way to discover music based on the stuff you already like. It's hard to judge the suggestions too harshly when you take into account they are largely based on the suggestions of mainstream Twitter users. The app more than makes up for it with their personalization based on your own personal use. I'd like to see future updates add the ability to listen to more than one track by a single artist, but even in its current form Twitter #Music is going to be getting a lot of use on my iPhone.

Twitter #Music app helps you find tunes by who you follow originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s Cloud Player App Now Optimized for iPad

Amazon Cloud Player iPadLast summer, Amazon launched their Cloud Player app for iPhone and iPod touch. The app allows users to stream music from their Cloud Player account directly to their device, or download the songs for offline listening. In January, Amazon announced AutoRip, which is a service that automatically sends an MP3 copy of any album you’ve purchased on CD dating back to 1998.

Today, the company has updated their Cloud Player app to be compatible with the iPad. Finally, I can listen to that Sarah McLachlan album I forgot that I bought for my best friend’s mom on my iPad.

“We introduced our Cloud Player app for iPhone and iPod touch last summer and it’s been incredibly popular with our customers so we’ve now expanded it to iPad,” said Steve Boom, Vice President of Digital Music for Amazon. “Our goal is to make Cloud Player the most widely compatible cloud playback solution available, giving our customers the ability to buy their music once and enjoy it everywhere.”

Cloud Player for iOS allows users to stream music from Amazon’s cloud service, download songs to listen to offline, create and edit playlists, control music from the lock screen, stream audio to Bluetooth-enabled Speakers.

Version 2.0 also changes the look of the user interface and takes full advantage of the iPad’s larger screen for a clean and smooth experience.

Cloud Player is available for free in the App Store. If you already have the app on your device, you can update to version 2.0 by visiting the Update section in the App Store app.

» Related posts: Amazon Cloud Player Hits the iOS App Store Amazon Introduces AutoRip Service, and Yes it Still Works With Your iOS Devices Amazon Makes it Official – Optimizes MP3 Store in Effort to Attract iOS Users

Slacker music service relaunches, takes aim at Spotify with new iOS app

Just shy of its sixth birthday, streaming music service Slacker flipped the switch on a major relaunch today that it hopes will put it ahead of competitors like Spotify and Pandora. The company is maintaining a free-to-stream, radio-style model for all users but also has two paid tiers that allow for more listening options.

The new service is built on a library of more than 13 million songs, which Slacker is saying makes its offering 10 times that of Pandora's. (But it's a bit shy of Spotify's 15 million tracks as of last summer.) Another of Slacker's biggest new selling points: More than 200 "stations" of curated music in various genres.

While all users are able to stream an unlimited number of tracks with commercial interruption, a US$3.99-per-month Slacker Radio Plus subscription removes ads and restrictions on how many songs can be skipped in a row. For those who want more, a $9.99-per-month Slacker Premium subscription offers direct access to every song in the service's library and the ability to create custom playlists.

We'll have a deeper look at the new service soon, but for now you can check out what it has to offer via the web or the redesigned Slacker iOS app now available on the App Store.

Slacker music service relaunches, takes aim at Spotify with new iOS app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Introduces AutoRip Service, and Yes it Still Works With Your iOS Devices

Amazon AutoRipIf you have been buying music since the mid-nineties, then you probably have a fairly large collection of compact discs. Even though technology had moved beyond the CD, it is still the most popular way to buy music. Today, Amazon has announced a way to make the act of transferring your CDs to your computer (and then your iPad) easier with AutoRip.

Amazon’s newest attempt to stay on top of the retail market is all about music. These days, most people buy (or steal) digital music by downloading it from various websites or from music services like iTunes. However, you can still walk into a brick-and-mortar store and purchase a CD. You can also order them from online retailers like Amazon. Most people will immediately stick their CDs into their optical disc drive (the thing that plays your CDs on your computer) and copy the album so it can be transferred to various devices, like an iPhone or iPad.

As technology advances, things like optical disc drives are becoming obsolete. Apple’s MacBook Air and even the new line of iMacs are missing the feature. How are people supposed to rip their CDs without one?

Amazon is taking care of that problem with AutoRip. The new service automatically gives customers an MP3 version of any eligible CD they’ve purchased from Amazon dating all the way back to 1998. The MP3 is stored in your Amazon Cloud Player account and can be accessed from any device, including the iPad.

If you’ve purchased music from Amazon in the past 15 years and any of them are AutoRip eligible, they will be waiting for you in Amazon Cloud Player, even if you’ve never used the service. Just visit the website and log in. All eligible songs will be there for you to play. The best part is that, even CDs you’ve bought as gifts for other people will be in your Amazon Cloud Player. It’s like buying one and getting one for free.

[Via: TechCrunch]

» Related posts: Will Google’s New Scan and Match Service Hurt Apple or Amazon? Amazon Cloud Player Hits the iOS App Store Neil Young Trying to Stick it to Apple, Amazon with New Music Service?

Rhapsody Finally Comes to iPad

rhapsodyUsers of Rhapsody’s subscription music service will be thrilled to know that the much-anticipated iPad specific app has finally been released! Featuring a catalog with a mere 13 million songs (with new releases available every Tuesday), Rhapsody delivers on their promise to be a premium music streaming service for your home audio systems, or using mobile apps.

If you are new to Rhapsody, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to see what you have been missing!

Other services exist, but Rhapsody has been credited with being among the very first to offer streaming, on-demand music to subscribers. While others certainly exist, Rhapsody has the strongest diversity in supported devices and is well regarded for having the most meta-data on artists (meaning you have the best chance of finding new favorites while using their service).

This new iPad-centric version of Rhapsody’s app takes good advantage of the extra screen real-estate on the iPad but the most exciting difference is the promise by the developers of significantly improved playback speed. The iPad app also supports downloading music for on-the-go-with-no-active-Internet-connection listening pleasures, a feature not offered by many competing apps.

Airplay support, high bit rate streaming and an easy to navigate ad-free interface round out the reasons you should give this app a try!

RhapsodySS

You can download Rhapsody for free directly from the App Store.

» Related posts: iOS 6: iTunes Match Now Supports Music Streaming on iPad and iPhone MOG Quietly Introduces iPad Native Music App Rdio Launches Redesigned Music App for iPad

Microsoft’s Xbox Music to challenge iTunes, others

Microsoft has announced Xbox Music, a digital music service designed to work initially with the 67 million Xbox gaming consoles that have been sold since 2005. With Xbox Music, Microsoft wants to challenge the dominance of Apple's iTunes and services like Pandora.

The service debuts on the Xbox tomorrow, and will be expanded to Windows Surface and Windows 8 on October 26. Eventually, Microsoft plans to provide Xbox Music software for iOS and Android devices as well.

Xbox Music features cloud music storage similar to Apple iTunes storage in iCloud and Amazon's Cloud Player. For fans of Spotify and Pandora, Xbox Music will provide an artist-based radio function. If you can put up with ads, Microsoft offers a free music streaming service; otherwise, you can pay $9.99 monthly for a subscription to ad-free streaming.

Xbox Music will initially be available in 22 countries, and provides a download-to-own music store containing over 30 million songs -- more than the iTunes library of over 26 million songs. Xbox console owners also have exclusive access to more than 70,000 music videos.

Microsoft is replacing the failed Zune device and service with Xbox Music after discovering that Xbox users were spending more than half of their time on entertainment services -- music and movies -- rather than gaming.

Microsoft's Xbox Music to challenge iTunes, others originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Working on Pandora-Like Service?


Apple, whose iTunes store is already a dominating force in the digital music industry, apparently now has plans to shake up the competition in Internet radio by developing their own service similar to Pandora that would stream music customized to users’ tastes.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Apple is in the early stages of negotiating with record labels for the service, although the full scope of their plans are unclear.  Three people involved leaked the information, but asked to remain unidentified since the negotiations are private.  Apple has declined to comment.

According to the sources, the streaming service will be available across the board on iOS and Mac OS devices, and possibly also PCs.  It will likely have the option to create virtual stations on request and could potentially link to users’ iTunes accounts to determine preferences.  Apple is also rumored to be seeking licenses directly with music labels that would let them air songs more frequently and allow for additional interactivity.

A customized streaming music service like this would directly compete with existing Internet radio services like Pandora, who pays royalties based on rates set by the federal government to get limited access.  If Apple is able to offer additional features through better licenses with record companies, it could potentially crush the competition.

As negotiations are ongoing it is unlikely anything will be launched for months at least, but even just the rumors of a rival service from Apple are already having an impact as Pandora’s shares in the market tumbled 14 percent in premarket trading this morning.

[via Wall Street Journal and NY Times]

» Related posts: Apple Launches iTunes Match Service with New iTunes 10.5.1 Release Google Links Music Store/Service Goes Live this week? Neil Young Trying to Stick it to Apple, Amazon with New Music Service?

Apple is developing Pandora-like music service, Wall Street Journal reports (updated)

A tweet from the Wall Street Journal's Dennis Berman states that Apple is developing a streaming-music service that is similar to Pandora. The news comes six days before Apple's September 12 media event.

Berman said details will be posted on the Wall Street Journal's site shortly. We'll update this post when those details come out.

Update: The Wall Street Journal piece is thin on the details, but said that Apple is in talks with music providers to secure the additional licensing needed to proceed with the service. The paper's source said it would work on all Apple devices and possibly PCs running Windows.

The WSJ has a good history of being credible, and such a move is a logical next step after picking up the pieces of Ping, Apple's failed social network that was tied into iTunes. It's possible that if this goes through, it could be part of next week's announcements and would fit in well with the traditional fall slate of iPhones and iPods. It's more likely we'll see something related to this than to the Apple TV.

Apple is developing Pandora-like music service, Wall Street Journal reports (updated) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pear Bluetooth Accessory Turns any Speaker Dock into a Wireless Speaker


Do you already have an iPod or iPhone speaker dock and don’t want to invest in a brand new one just for your iPad? Maybe you’ve grown attached to your current set of speakers and, although would appreciate the technology of a Bluetooth-enabld set of speakers, don’t want to get rid of your current ones. Maybe you have an Android device, but your speakers only have Apple’s proprietary connector. Product development engineer Brendan Keslo has come up with the solution for you. He has developed a Bluetooth device that plugs into any 30-pin docking station and lets it sync with your iPhone or iPad, wirelessly.

The technology is not new. Bluetooth enabled speakers do exist. However, not everyone has them and they don’t come cheap. Kelso’s pairing device, cleverly named “The Pear,” turns any set of speakers into wireless ones. All you have to do is connect the, approximately two-inch squared, device into the 30-pin dock connector of your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad speaker doc and it will pair with your device in a matter of seconds.

You will no longer have to keep your iPhone or iPad sitting in the docking station. You can keep your phone in your pocket, or use your iPad to browse the Internet. You can continue playing music through the speakers, uninterrupted, while using your device for emails, texting and other non-sound tasks.

The Pear allows you to play any audio from your device to the speakers. You can listen to streaming music from Pandora, talk on the phone through the speakers, even ask Siri a question and have her respond in surround sound.

The Pear is currently available for preorder through Kickstarter. A single unit costs $40 and additional ones can be ordered at a reduced price. This project has already met its goal of $40,000 and still has nearly two months to go. It is available in two colors, arctic white and jet black. Visit Keslo’s promotional website, PairwithPair.com, for more information on specifications and to check out additional photos.

» Related posts: Soundfreaq Releases Sound Stack Bluetooth Speaker Dock HiddenRadio & BlueTooth Speaker: Functional, Elegant, and Funded — An Approved Kickstarter Project Sony Announces New Speaker Dock Compatible with iPad

BBM Music Goes Live with RIM’s Last Attempt?


BBM Music

BBM Music launched Wednesday, offering BlackBerry users the same benefits seen already by other smartphones and tablets. The music service merges social networking with music by allowing users to choose songs to profile in their library which can then be shared to all of their friends who can then listen to the full tracks, discuss the music they are listening to or even enjoy them offline. In turn you can do the same with the lists created by others in your circle.

There are neat things with BBM Music such as the ability to make new friends who may have similar interests based on the music they are listening to. Keep your content new and fresh by changing out songs on your playlist each month sharing your most recent favorites or old classics you have rediscovered You can store up to 50 songs on your profile as long as they are available in the BBM Music catalog (which currently sits at over a million titles) and you can swap in and out up to 25 songs each month.

The BBM Music service differs greatly from those music services offered currently by Apple and Google because neither is subscription based. It will be difficult to tell this early on which model is preferable though both allow for considerably more than 50 songs.

The service will eventually cost users around US $5 per month but RIM is currently offering a 2 month free trial. While the cost may seem low and fairly reasonable, iTunes Match is soon to be released to the public and offers access to your entire music library for US $25 per year which is quite a bit less.

So the question is, do you actually need more than 50 songs at a time if they are 50 -good- songs?

Google Links Music Store/Service Goes Live this week?


Google+In Google’s next attempt to be a little more like Apple, it appears they are launching a new music download service. This new offering, tentatively named Google Music, is expected to function much like the iTunes store and provide users with the ability to purchase and download music.

It is also expected that this new service will be tightly integrated with Google+, allowing users of the social media system to recommend and share music with their friends who would then in turn be able to listen to the track once before deciding whether to make a purchase.

If songs are purchased they will be in MP3 format and available at a cost of around $0.99 each. This makes sense given the pricing structure seen (and successfully deployed) by Apple already.

The library available is already setup under Google Music Beta which functions much like iCloud by allowing users to upload and store their personal music collections for access remotely by multiple devices.

News reports currently indicate that Google only has agreements in place with 2 of he 4 major record labels, which could prove to be a real problem for the search giant. If users hit their store and aren’t able to find the song they are looking for, chances are they will be turned off and may never return. (particularly when iTunes is likely to have it) The two holdouts are Sony Corp.’s Sony Music Entertainment and Access Industries Inc.’s Warner Music Group, both with considerable and desirable catalogs.

The question remains whether Google can compete and be successful in this arena. Other services such as those provided by Spotify have seen marginal success (when compared to iTunes), but continue to grow in popularity. Spotify in particular operates as more of a subscription-based service and is tied directly to Facebook which means their success is hinged on the social media site remaining at the top of their game. This may mean they are actually more direct competition for Google Music if the Google+ integration becomes their key selling point.

Are you likely to give the Google Music download service a shot? Are you happy with iTunes?

[via Wall Street Journal Online]

Muzine Creates Personalized Music Mag for iPad – iPad App Review


Rejoice, music devotees of the iPad world, for there is no longer a need to try to read every blog or publication in existence. Muzine for iPad streamlines music news into two broad categories: Features and My News, which allows the user to follow keep current with all the top entertainment news, while ensuring he doesn’t miss anything important about his favorite bands.

The app also offers a customizable Artist section, a Friends section, as well as the ability to automatically add in artists of interest from the music stored on the user’s iPad.


From contemporary acts like Rihanna and John Legend to classic rocker Mick Jagger or enduring legends Nirvana, the feature section included a wide range of musical styles. Reading Muzine’s features regularly will ensure the user is au courant on the the latest in oddball collaborations (Lou Reed and Metallica) and oddballs collaborating (Devo and Yo Gabba Gabba). Plus, as one scrolls down, the features kept refreshing, creating a seemingly endless stream of content to read.

The brilliant bit about Muzine, however, is that it doesn’t limit the user to its featured content – the app fetches news about any artist you like.
 
There are more than 2 million artists in Muzine’s database from superstars such as Arcade Fire to the rising duo Zambri, so the application has nearly every artist a music fanatic could hope for. When I tried to play “stump the app,” I succeeded only when I searched for The Very Best a duo whose moniker confounds search engines thanks to its lack of specificity.

Users can stream songs or video from inside the app. I flitted from Stereogum to Prefix to Filter, popping back and forth between various Soundcloud pages without a hitch. The app is, however, only as good as its source material, so if a web site still links to a dead stream, so will Muzine.

Muzine draws from such a wide variety of media sources that I discovered new sites like Popdose, and visited old favorites such as the AV Club. It’s possible to move around within a site without leaving Muzine, or open any site on the web.

Although the vast majority of Muzine’s stories were from the last six weeks, the app also reached back several years to find news for some less newsworthy artists, so be sure to check the date on a piece before assuming that it’s truly new.
 
Individual articles can be added to favorites, or shared via Facebook, Twitter or email.

Users can import artists directly from the music stored in your iPad. Simply choose “edit artists” to select which artists are considered “favorites.” Artists must be favorites for users to access biographical information, photos, videos, tour dates, and a list of similar artists. All artist read in to the app through iTunes will show up in the users newsfeed. Artists can also be added through a manual search then selecting the “show in my newsfeed” button.

Muzine is available for download in the App Store for the introductory price of $0.99.

What I liked: The app boasts a clean design that is easy to read. I love that it remembers the tracks I streamed yesterday, and I can still access the same songs today without revisiting the articles!

What I didn’t like: Occasionally there was an in-app glitch and the wrong article would open. Usually, however, the right article could be accessed on the second try.

To buy or not to buy: Muzine is a boon to music fans who want to keep abreast of breaking news stories and follow their favorite artists as well.

App Name: Muzine for iPad Version Reviewed: 1.0 Category: News Developer: CannellaCo LLC Price: Introductory $0.99, Final $1.99 Score:

iTunes Match Now In Beta, Song Download Capable

Last night, Apple released its upcoming iTunes Match as a beta to developers and the Internet is a-buzz with demos and information on what to expect with the new service.

One question that has been on everyone’s minds is – can songs be downloaded from iTunes’ cloud into your computer? The answer is yes.

Songs that exist in Apple’s iTunes music store will be streamed to your computer or iOS device. If the music store doesn’t have it, it will be uploaded to iCloud. So, albums that you’ve ripped from CD, downloaded from iTunes, or torrented from music sharing websites will all be instantly accessible and downloadable to another computer or your iPad.

You won’t have to burn CDs, put songs on jump drives or drag around an external hard drive anymore. You now have instant access to your entire iTunes library from any computer or iOS device you have your account linked to. So far, there is little confirmation as to whether Apple will let you actually download their master copy of songs in your library or if that feature is for streaming only.

Will Apple let you have a 256kbps, licensed copy, of an album you found for free on a blog? Additionally, it is unknown as of yet whether these files are only downloaded directly to iTunes, or if the song is accessible from your computer’s internal music file.

Below you will find a video from Insanely Great Mac demonstrating iTunes Match on a Mac and an iPhone.

Spotify goes live in the US, iOS app now available

As expected, Spotify went live in the US at 8 am ET. The free service which limits the amount of time you can listen will be available via invites which will roll out gradually starting today. If you don't want to wait, you can grab a paid Spotify plan right now.

Subscribers in the US can sign up for either the ad-free, unlimited service (US$4.99 monthly) or the premium, mobile service (US$9.99 monthly). You can stream directly using your Mac or go mobile with the iPhone app which is now available in the US App Store.

Spotify goes live in the US, iOS app now available originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Cloud Player now supports the iPad

Amazon partially embraced iOS by adding support for the iPad to its web-based Cloud Player. The tablet version of the web app looks and performs just like the desktop version. It lets you view your songs by title, album, artist or genre, play your songs in normal, shuffle or repeat mode, and create and listen to playlists. You can even add songs to your collection by purchasing new music via the Amazon MP3 store.

Amazon also added unlimited music storage for both its free and paying customers. Customers who purchased a Cloud Drive subscription can upload as many MP3 and AAC files as they want. Free Cloud Drive users have unlimited storage for MP3 files purchased through the Amazon music store, but the upload of personal music is still limited by a 5 GB cap.

Show full PR text Amazon Announces Storage Plans for Amazon Cloud Drive with Unlimited Space for Music, Free Storage for all MP3s Purchased at Amazon MP3 and Cloud Player Support for iPad

SEATTLE - July 6, 2011 - Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced three enhancements to Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player: storage plans that include unlimited space for music, free storage for all Amazon MP3 purchases and Cloud Player for Web, now on iPad.

"Customers are already enjoying Cloud Drive and Cloud Player and now for just $20 a year, customers can get unlimited space for music," said Craig Pape Director of Amazon Music. "Additionally, we are adding free storage for all MP3s purchased from Amazon MP3, and support for the iPad. Our customers love Cloud Drive and Cloud Player and we're excited to innovate these services on their behalf."

Unlimited Space for Music
Now, for a limited time, Amazon customers who purchase a Cloud Drive storage plan will receive unlimited space for their MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files. This offer is available for even the lowest price plan: $20/year for 20 GB of file storage plus unlimited space for music. Customers can visit (www.amazon.com/clouddrive/manage) to purchase a Cloud Drive storage plan and receive unlimited space for music.


Store all Amazon MP3 Purchases for Free
Customers can now store all of their Amazon MP3 purchases for free in Cloud Drive, including future MP3 purchases as well as all purchases made before the launch of Cloud Drive and Cloud Player. MP3s purchased from Amazon MP3 and stored in Amazon Cloud Drive will not count against a customer's storage quota.


Cloud Player for Web on iPad
Also new, Cloud Player for Web on iPad. Cloud Player, combined with unlimited space for music in Cloud Drive, enables customers to play music stored in the cloud on any Android phone, Android tablet, Mac, PC, and now on their iPad. Cloud Player for Web has been optimized to offer customers streaming playback of their Cloud Drive music using the Safari browser for iPad. To access Cloud Player for iPad, customers simply open their Safari browser and visit (www.amazon.com/cloudplayer) to start listening to their music.


Storage for Music and More
All customers automatically start with 5 GB of free Cloud Drive storage to begin uploading their digital music library, and for a limited time, those who purchase any Cloud Drive storage plan will receive unlimited space for music at no additional cost. In addition to unlimited space for music, Cloud Drive allows customers to upload and store all kinds of digital files, including photos, videos and documents which are stored securely and available via web browser on any computer. Customers who qualified for 20 GB of free storage from earlier promotions will receive the unlimited space for music at no additional cost.

In March, Amazon launched Cloud Drive (www.amazon.com/clouddrive), Amazon Cloud Player for Web (www.amazon.com/cloudplayer), and Amazon Cloud Player for Android (www.amazon.com/cloudplayerandroid).

Together, these services enable customers to securely store music in the cloud and play it on any Android phone, Android tablet, Mac or PC, and now iPad, wherever they are. Customers can easily upload their music library to Amazon Cloud Drive and can save any new Amazon MP3 purchases directly to their Amazon Cloud Drive for free.

Amazon Cloud Player now supports the iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spotify coming to the U.S.

Spotify, the streaming music service that is well-known in Europe, is finally coming to the U.S. There's no word on a time frame, but a signup page for Spotify invites is now available for U.S. residents.

We knew this was not far off as Spotify reportedly signed a deal with Sony back in January. But, we've constantly heard nothing but great things about the service and are eager to finally try it for ourselves.

(Via The Next Web)

Spotify coming to the U.S. originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iCloud named as successor to MobileMe, will be free service

Steve Jobs unveiled the new iCloud service at WWDC today. iCloud stores a users content in cloud and wirelessly pushes that content to all devices. The services will be free with no ads and be completely integrated with the apps found in MobileMe -- and they've all been rewritten from the ground up. Contacts and Calendars that are created or modified on one device are pushed to the cloud and the changes propagate on all other devices instantly. Calendars also have had sharing features added so you can send them to friends or coworkers.

iCloud also allows users to propagated app and iBooks purchases across devices. Purchase an iBook on your iPad and tap the new iCloud button and the same book will be downloaded on your iPhone, for example. iCloud also features deep backup sets and automatically performs daily backups over Wi-Fi. Backups include music, books, apps, camera roll, device settings, and app data.

iCLoud also features an app called "Documents." When you create a new document in Pages, Keynote, or Numbers that document is automatically pushed to all the devices the user has Pages, Keynote, or Numbers on.

iCloud named as successor to MobileMe, will be free service originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Tablets Codenamed ‘Coyote’ and ‘Hollywood’


A rumor that started late last night seems to confirm that Amazon will be joining the advanced tablet market, perhaps this year.

Earlier this month, we wrote about the recent news that Amazon had order over 800,000 touch-screen tablet devices from Quanta, a Taiwan-based company. Many of us have speculated whether Amazon would launch the first real competition for the iPad, but this latest rumor confirms that Amazon is planning a family of tablets that could bring serious competition to Apple.

According to Boy Genius Report (BGR), Amazon is planning to release two models before the end of the year. The most basic model has been codenamed “Coyote”, which will probably be based on the dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 platform. The more advanced model, codenamed “Hollywood”, will feature NVIDIA’s quad-core Kal-El and will most likely be five times faster than the “Coyote” model.

As of now, no other details have been provided about the two new models. No information has been shared about screen sizes and operating system. Although, we assume Amazon will probably take advantage of Google’s Android operating system.

Some may question why Amazon is doing this? Will Amazon follow the same path as Barnes & Noble’s and simply create new color tablets to bring Amazon Kindle e-readers into a basic tablet world? Not likely.

The primary expectation is that Amazon will focus the new models to compete more directly with the iPad. Amazon’s application store and its online video assets can certainly help level the playing field (somewhat) against Apple. We must also consider Amazon’s CloudDrive service, which could offer media file storage to its new tablets.

I doubt Apple is trembling just yet. The iPad has certainly captured a huge market share and Apple seems to be gearing up once again for the second half of 2011. However, after Apple created a dent on the Kindle market, Amazon seems to be prepping to go after the iPad before year’s end. Stay tuned!

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Apple cloud music will be better than Google or Amazon says industry source

A music insider told CNET that Apple's cloud music service will be better than Google's recently announced Music Beta or Amazon's Cloud Player. The source did not elaborate on the differences between the music services, but did say the two competing services would not have the "same range of options" as Apple's iCloud service.

Apple is reportedly working with music labels to secure licensing deals for its streaming service, while Amazon and Google launched without the backing of the recording industry. Apple may already have an agreement in place with Warner Music, and it's in talks with several other labels.

Presumably, these deals could let Apple stream content from a large online library rather than rely on user uploaded tracks. Users could also share their favorite songs and playlists in an online version of Ping.

The music streaming service could be introduced as early as WWDC in June.

Apple cloud music will be better than Google or Amazon says industry source originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 12 May 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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