Napster
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Napster has a new owner
The saga of Napster has taken an interesting turn, as the piracy-turned-streaming site been acquired by the VR experience company MelodyVR.
Sony and Rhapsody prep an audiophile streaming service for Japan
It's notoriously difficult for streaming music services to get a foothold in Japan -- this is a country where CDs still reign (72 percent of music revenue was for physical media in 2017). All the same, Sony and Rhapsody are giving it a shot. They're launching Japan's first audiophile-grade streaming music service, Mora Qualitas, in early 2019. Pay ¥1,980 (about $17.50) per month and you can listen to lossless FLAC files at up to 24-bit/96kHz quality as long as you have the audio hardware to do it justice.
Sean Parker says Facebook ‘exploits’ human psychology
Napster cofounder Sean Parker appears to have some regrets about the role he played in bringing social media to the world. Before speaking at an Axios event yesterday, he told reporters that he was now "something of a conscientious objector" on social media, according to Axios, and he shared a few thoughts on how he and others designed sites like Facebook to suck people in.
Prince's music returns to Spotify and other services this weekend (updated)
Prince removed his music from every streaming service except Tidal in July 2015, but the artist's catalog returns this Sunday. Spotify and HeartRadio have confirmed the return of works like 1999, Purple Rain and Diamonds and Pearls. You can see all the albums that Spotify will offer right here. Engadget has learned that Amazon Music will also offer the tunes and BBC reports Prince's music will be available on Apple Music and Napster as well. However, there's still no word from Google or SoundCloud as to whether their services will offer the artitst's discography.
IHeartRadio app gets on-demand features through Napster partnership
Massive conglomerate IHeartRadio, which owns over 800 radio stations in the US, is getting into the on-demand music streaming market, just as it promised earlier this year. The company just added two paid plans to its iOS and Android app that bring many of the streaming features found in competitors like Spotify and Apple Music. First and foremost is the ability to search for and play any track you want, any time you want, without being beholden to whatever IHeartRadio's FM stations are playing. That music library will be powered by Napster, which had been operating in the US at Rhapsody until recently.
We were stealing music way before the internet and millennials
When I was 13, my babysitter showed up with a box of 12 new cassettes. I was amazed that she had been able to afford all this music. I grew up poor and even one new purchase was news; a dozen purchases was cause for celebration. Had she robbed a bank? Found a wad of twenties in a misplaced wallet? Been blessed by the benevolent lottery gods? Seeing the wonder in my eyes she grabbed the TV Guide sitting on the coffee table and opened it up to an advertisement for Columbia House, and there it was in bold letters: "12 tapes for a penny." Thus began my life of crime.
Rhapsody now goes by Napster
Ah, Napster: the brand that just won't go away. In fact, you're likely about to hear the name a lot more often. Rhapsody revealed today that it would use the Napster moniker going forward in a brief blog entry. The company did say that nothing about its music streaming service would change, other than the name and logo inside its apps. If this sounds a bit odd, you might've missed the news that Rhapsody bought Napster back in 2011. The latter had transitioned from a peer-to-peer file-sharing hub to a full-on (legal) subscription service following its shutdown in 2001, changing ownership on more than one occasion.
Rhapsody's music-streaming service comes to the Wii U
Rhapsody doesn't often beat Spotify to the punch, but today it did. The streaming service has announced that its music catalog, which features over 30 million songs, is now available on Nintendo's console. While the app is free to download from the eShop, you'll need a Rhapsody account to get access to any tracks. That said, people who don't have a subscription can sign up for a 30-day trial directly from the Wii U. This includes those of you who live outside the US, too, where Rhapsody operates under the Napster brand.
Napster founder is making a day-and-date movie release service
Sean Parker, Napster co-founder and ex-Facebook president, is cooking up another big project. According to Variety, he and Prem Akkaraju (an exec at SFX Entertainment, Inc.) have recently pitched a premium day-and-date movie release service to studio representatives. It's reportedly called "the Screening Room," and the duo promised studios that it can protect the movies with a secure anti-piracy technology.
George Harrison's solo catalog is available at most streaming services
If you enjoy listening to solo work from members of The Beatles, the library of options just got larger. The solo catalog of guitarist George Harrison hit most music streaming services today. This means that you'll be able to access the musician's tracks on the likes of Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play, Rdio, Spotify, Tidal and others, including albums like Living in the Material World. If you aren't familiar with Harrison's solo music, now's a good time to get acquainted. The newly-posted albums join those of former bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on streaming services, but the music of the group as a whole remains off limits there. To make things easy for you, we've embedded All Things Must Pass on the other side of the break. [Image credit: AP Photo/Brich]
Rhapsody for Android gets prettier, more powerful music controls
Don't worry, Rhapsody isn't sitting idly by as it faces both fresh competition and renewed rivals. The streaming music service has rolled out a redesigned Android app (as well as a Napster counterpart) that brings some needed boosts to both the looks and features. The highlight is the new mini player, which lets you change and favorite tracks without losing your place, but you'll also get a simpler, flashier full-size player that looks right at home next to what you find in other modern apps. You'll also get more personalized album launches to make sure that you catch releases when they show up. No, this won't make you ditch Spotify, but you'll probably feel better about sticking with Rhapsody if you're happy with what it offers. And if you're an iOS listener, don't fret -- you should get a matching update soon.
How a file format brought an industry to its knees
MP3. It's the format that revolutionized the way music's been consumed since the late '90s. When Karlheinz Brandenburg, a German acoustics engineer, discovered that an audio file could be compressed down to one-twelfth of its original size without distortion, he created the file-shrinking technology. Stephen Witt's debut book, How Music Got Free, traces all digital music piracy back to the invention of that format, which inadvertently made it possible for people to download and share music illegally. The book details the science and struggle behind the widely used audio technology. And his investigation uncovers the politics and the manipulative men who kept MP3 files from seeing the light of computer screens for years.
Arms control and free speech go to court over 3D-printed guns
Cody Wilson fundamentally altered the way we produce and distribute firearms in 2013 when his company, Defense Distributed (DD), first published the plans for a 3D-printed pistol, dubbed The Liberator, on its website. The State Department didn't take too kindly to this revelation and sent DD a letter demanding the instructions be removed as they violated a number of US Arms Export control laws. Now, two years later, Defense Distributed and the State Department are going to court over the matter in a lawsuit that potentially holds far-reaching implications for both the First and Second Amendments.
Sean Parker's post-wedding punishment includes making a beach-finding app
A few things happened after Napster co-founder and former Facebook president Sean Parker got married in a gorgeous redwood forest in Big Sur, California. The California Coastal Commission took him to task for creating a bizarre fantasy realm without the proper permits. Journalists gleefully jumped into the fray. He wrote a nearly 10,000 word defense of his wedding that also served as a meandering takedown of "internet journalism". As it turns out, Parker's penance wasn't just limited to a $2.5 million charity payout -- SFGate reports he's working on a beach-locating app for the very agency that he ignored when creating his dream wedding.
Rhapsody bets on carrier partnerships to grow its music service
Rhapsody International, the parent company of music-streaming services Rhapsody and Napster, has just announced it is now home to two million paid subscribers. That sum may not seem like a lot at first glance, especially when compared to the 10 million figure Spotify revealed back in May, but Rhapsody still sees this as a great accomplishment. Even though it continues to play catch-up to crowd-favorite Spotify, Rhapsody claims this makes it the clear "number two" streaming service in terms of adoption, ahead of others like Rdio, Deezer and Beats Music. The two million premium subscribers to date, which combines accounts from Rhapsody, Rhapsody unRadio and Napster, have been made possible largely by the company's international expansions and partnerships with carriers -- in the US under the Rhapsody brand, Napster everywhere else.
Rhapsody and Napster leave Echo Nest following Spotify's takeover
Echo Nest must have developed cooties after Spotify bought it. Just days after Rdio said it would stop using the song recommendation provider to avoid sharing data with a rival, Rhapsody has announced that it's ramping down its own Echo Nest deal (which also applies to Napster) within several months. The company doesn't characterize the split as a defensive move, though. Instead, it's a chance to stand out. Rhapsody says it has "never been completely satisfied" with leaning on others for music personalization -- independence theoretically lets the company improve its advice to listeners. Whether or not things pan out as planned, it's clear that Echo Nest has lost at least some sway over the streaming radio industry.
Rhapsody announces Napster launch in 14 countries across Europe
As part of its Napster (and Napster International) acquisition from a while back, Rhapsody promised it would spread the music service across more places worldwide, with one of the many focuses being to have a stronger presence in Europe. Well, staying true to its word, Rhapsody's announcing today that it's bringing the ripened Napster to more countries in The Old Continent, such as France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and more. For those Euro folks interested, the Napster membership is set to cost €9.95 per month, which includes, among other things, offline features and unlimited streaming of over 20 million tunes on both desktop and mobile apps. But, hey, if you'd rather see how it stacks up against similar services first, then maybe you oughta take up Rhapsody on its 30-day free trial offer at the source link below. Psst... you'll find the full list of new countries where Napster's now available in the PR past the jump.%Gallery-190196%
Deezer, Eurosport and Napster coming later this month to LG Smart TVs in the UK
Over the past few months, we have seen LG slowly but surely increase the amount of entertainment content in its Smart TV platform, with apps such as Verizon FiOS (in the US) and Disney rentals among the latest inclusions. Today, the Korean outfit announced there are more of applications coming to its 2012-range television ecosystem, although these newcomers won't be available worldwide -- that said, owners in the UK will soon be able to enjoy what Napster, Deezer and Eurosport have to offer from the comfort of their own couch, which should make a nice addition to LG's current app repertoire. All three new applications are said to be available in "mid-December," so you should expect 'em to show up on that sleek TV of yours any moment now.
Sean Parker and Lars Ulrich talk Napster vs. Metallica, hug it out with Spotify
One of today's many, many Spotify announcements was that legendary thrashers Metallica would be coming to the streaming service. As part of the announcement CEO Daniel Ek brought out the bands notoriously outspoken drummer Lars Ulrich and Spotify board member Sean Parker who, as you might remember, had a hand in founding Napster. While there was some broad discussion about the direction of the music industry and the future of music consumption, a large chunk of the half hour-long conversation revolved around the shared history of the two and the legal feud between the pioneering file sharing service and the band. The two were surprisingly cordial, if slightly uncomfortable looking, and delved deep into the details of what both described as a "street fight" between the parties. Ultimately, both admitted that things got blown out of proportion and escalated unnecessarily. But there also seemed to be some admission by Lars that there was an element of Luddism to his band's reaction. To see the entire, extremely interesting conversation, check out the video after the break.
Rhapsody officially acquires Napster International, eyes European launch
After having already acquired Napster here in the US, Rhapsody has taken its expansion one step further, with the acquisition of Napster International. Under the deal, announced today, Rhapsody will continue to offer Napster-branded services across the UK and Germany, as promised, and will eventually migrate Napster subscribers to its own infrastructure in March, with existing personal libraries remaining intact (Napster is already live in the UK, but has yet to make its official German launch). The move will also bring changes to Napster users' mobile apps and web clients, with Rhapsody promising improved offline playback and enhanced library management tools "in the coming months." For more details, check out the full PR after the break.
