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MOG to close in April as subscribers offered (small) incentive to move to Beats Music
We don't know how many subscribers MOG has managed to hold onto since it was acquired by Beats in 2012, but soon the number will be zero. Following yesterday's launch of the all-new Beats Music streaming service, MOG is effectively defunct: users will stop being billed after March 15th and those with an annual subscription will get a refund for unused time once the service closes finally on April 15th. Anyone expecting Dr. Dre to ring the doorbell and offer them a chauffeur-driven ride to the replacement service may be disappointed: the main incentive on the table is a month's free trial of Beats Music, and playlists won't be transferable. In other words, it'll almost be like starting from scratch, which means this is as good a time as any to start shopping around.
RIAA now counts online streams in Gold and Platinum Digital Single Awards
After years of fighting against the digital tide, the RIAA announced it'll now factor online audio and video streams when considering tracks for its Digital Single Award. The certification has heretofore been given to digital tracks that have gone Gold or Platinum, but only for downloads: 500,000 for Gold, 1,000,000 for Platinum and 2 million-plus for multi-Platinum. But under its new policy, 100 streams count as one download, meaning that it could reach those thresholds with a mix of streams and downloads, not just the latter. The new approach is "an approximate barometer of comparative consumer activity; the financial value of streams and downloads were not factored into the equation." All told, these include streams from services like MOG, Rhapsody, Slacker, Spotify and Rdio along with video sites like VEVO, YouTube and MTV.com. Under the new system, 56 titles have already gone Gold and beyond, with 11 receiving their first ever digital song cert. A couple of first-timers include Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" which went Platinum and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" that went multi-Platinum. While we can't say if music services will make everyone happy, it's clear streaming's here to stay. Hear that, iTunes?
Patch 5.3: Transmog to be available from bank and void storage
If you're a fan of mogging whose bags are already full to bursting, then MMO-Champion brings good news: in patch 5.3, you'll be able to transmogrify using items that are currently in the bank or void storage. The ability is actually already in the game for void storage, but there's no UI elements that let you access it. However, anyone wanting to get ahead of the curve can download the VoidTransmog addon, and transmogrify away without the bother of actually pulling your items out of storage. While it's a small change, we're sure transmog fans will appreciate the convenience of this tweak. Of course, patch 5.3 is still far on the horizon and it's likely that eager transmogrifiers will be waiting on this for quite a while.
Breakfast Topic: Would you be caught dead looking like this?
Would you be caught dead in this outfit? Apparently, the answer is emphatically a yes for Rubedo of Draenor (US). With his rather flavorful mog, Rubedo seems willing not only to be caught dead but also to be caught in public and caught with his pants down. "That's uh, quite an outfit," remarked an admiring Community Manager Daxxarri about Rubedo's flamboyant outfit. "The socks with sandals are a nice touch." Personally, I love Rubedo's game sense of humor, but not everyone can pull off such a look. Check out this Darkmoon Faire-esque look on Mathryn of Wyrmrest Accord. There's nothing overtly goofy about it, but I'm afraid my main would feel foolish questing and doing business in town looking like a carnie. I'd wear it in a heartbeat on the right alt, but wearing something this offbeat on a full-time basis feels awkward to me. How far are you willing to take your daily mog? Do you want an look that lends your character dignity or deepens your immersion, or are you more interested in poking a bit of fun at the whole thing? How silly do things have to get before you start feeling a little ridiculous?
Beats Electronics announces project Daisy music service, appoints new CEO
Beats snapped up music service MOG back in summer for a tidy sum of $14 million. Since then it's been unclear on what it intended to do with it. Today we learn that Dre and Iovine have appointed former Topspin boss Ian Rogers as CEO, specifically with the task of taking what was MOG, and developing it into a new project that the firm has dubbed "Daisy." In a conference, the team assured that they will use everything Beats has (we assume that's its brand strength and marketing ability) to push Daisy through to what is, to be fair, a very busy market space. Trent Reznor is also involved in the project, acting as a connection between the artist and the consumer. Rogers will reportedly remain involved with Topspin in an executive chairman capacity. Interestingly the firm says it will be focusing on mobile first, with iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 all getting some love. No details on the business model, though it's been suggested that a $10 per month subscription service could be on the cards. MOG is still staying as MOG for now, but any new branding and product direction will be sure to be outlined soon. Full press release after the break.
Patch 5.1: Transmogrify your cloak with your guild reputation cloaks
Many people think their cloaks are ugly. Blizzard acknowledges this by allowing players to turn the display of their cloaks off. Now in patch 5.1, cloaks can be mogged to look like the cloaks awarded via guild reputation. This change is not included in the patch notes, but game designer Dave Maldonado tweeted the news. Do you have a cloak you're going to mog into your guild tabard? If so, which cloak? Editor's Note: Post contents updated for accuracy. This new feature uses guild reputation rewards in transmogrification.
Townsquare Media buys what's left of MOG
Beats' acquisition of MOG ultimately carved the company into two pieces, if not quite evenly: it left both the blog content as well as a music-oriented ad network that's popular, if without nearly as much cachet for the technology crowd as the streaming audio. Entertainment outlet Townsquare Media must have seen a bargain in the making given that it just swept in to buy MOG's remaining parts. The deal, which AllThingsD understands is worth $10 million, will see the MOG name wiped for good as the ad network and sites slip into Townsquare's collection. While anti-climactic, it still marks the formal end to a significant chapter in cloud music -- MOG at one point was going toe-to-toe with the likes of Rdio and Rhapsody, and it now exists only as a memory.
Beats buyout of MOG worth $14 million, splits company not-so-neatly into two
More official details are emerging from Beats Electronics' acquisition of MOG, and they paint a considerably messier picture of the deal than we saw just a day ago. HTC (which has a big stake in Beats) has confirmed that the move into streaming music was worth $14 million -- not a whole lot considering that MOG had raised $33 million through its entire independent lifetime. The low price might come as the result of Beats being very surgical with its deal. The Jimmy Iovine- and Dr. Dre-founded outfit is taking control of the core audio service as a separately-managed company, while the ad and music blog components are mostly left untouched. MOG's loss of independence is coming on a very ignominious note as a result, but it could be good news for subscribers anxious about the service's future as well as HTC phone owners wondering just where Sense UI's Beats integration might go next.
Engadget Giveaway: win a Beats-enabled HTC One X, courtesy of AT&T!
What's the best way to celebrate Beats Electronics' acquisition of MOG? How about giving away a phone that offers both? AT&T sent us a brand new HTC One X for the sole purpose of handing it out to one of you, our beloved readers. This is currently one of our favorite phones money can buy, so revel in the fact that you have an opportunity to get it without digging that card out of your wallet. As always, just leave your comments below to enter to win. Note: since this is an AT&T-branded phone, this giveaway will be for US only.
Beats Electronics gets official with MOG acquisition, makes it an honest music streaming service
The writing's been on the wall for some time now, with this having been considered a done-deal back in March, but now the two parties involved are going public. Beats Electronics, the house that Dre built, is acquiring the MOG music streaming service, adding a little content to its brightly-colored can offerings. No word on cost, but MOG is said to have raised $33 million in funding to date, so that might give you a ballpark figure. It's also unclear how or whether Beats-investor HTC might be involved in this new relationship, but if recent happenings are any indication, don't go expecting too much on that front.
Voice control comes to MOG's music streaming service with Ford SYNC AppLink
Good news for those who like music on-the-go, Ford had just added a new heavy hitter to its AppLink platform, and this time it comes from none other than MOG. The streaming service boasts a catalog of 15 million tracks, which is available to mobile devices for a monthly subscription fee of $9.99. With the Ford SYNC integration, users may access this vast library either through voice commands or in-dash controls, and as another nice touch, one's music queue will automatically resume from wherever they left off. Voice commands include "artist only" and "similar artists," along with "downloads" for situations when you aren't able to stream and "shuffle favorites." Finally, users may also create presets based on what's currently playing, simply by pressing and holding one of the in-dash preset buttons. This availability is solely for iOS users, but if you'd like to learn more, check the full PR after the break. %Gallery-157259%
Facebook places 'Listen' button on artist pages, now takes you to your go-to streaming app instantly
If navigating away from a musician's timeline on Facebook to get a quick listen isn't your favorite activity, you're in luck. The folks in Palo Alto dropped a "Listen" button on artist pages today, giving you access to popular tracks instantly. Situated right beside the ever important "Like" button, the new feature first asks if you'd like to open your favorite music-streaming app -- either Spotify, MOG, Slacker Radio or Rdio. If you've yet to link a service to FB, it'll ask which you'd prefer to use. Once prompted in Spotify, for example, the app heads to the band's library and begins playing selections from the Top Hits category. The "Listen" button then becomes a play / pause control and clicking one on another artist's page makes the change in the app in a flash. To grab a look at the new control in action, head to your band of choice to give it a try.
MOG launches iPad app, adds to the list of slate-streaming options
Looking to bring that MOG subscription to your new Apple slate? You're in luck. The music streaming service that has been making headlines over the past week is now getting cozy on the iPad. Via the tablet app, you can enjoy unlimited downloads, access to "all the music you'll ever want," personalized radio, and built-in AirPlay compatibility. To get started, just hit the source link below -- once you have a $10 monthly subscription in hand, of course.
MOG opens its doors to Windows with new desktop application
Been aching to get your MOG on, now that music streaming service is all over the news, after all that acquisition talk? The proposition just got a bit easier with the introduction of a new application for Windows. The desktop-bound version of the service features built-in AirPlay support, a native audio decoder and a UI that should prove familiar to browser-based users. To get the Windows version like the blue fuzzy fellow above (or the boring old Mac app), click the source link below.
Beats Audio is buying MOG music streaming service
Looks like the rumors were all too true -- according to All Things D, Beats Audio is picking up MOG. For those unaware, MOG is yet another music streaming / subscription service, and while the feature set bests even the vaunted Spotify in many ways by including a Pandora-like playlist generator, it's had a tough time procuring the same hype machine. Regardless, there's no more hiding under the radar now, and you can bet that anything with a Beats label on it will soon be using MOG as a musical pillar (hello, HTC Sense?). We're reaching out for comment and will update when we can.
Music Smasher searches Spotify, Rdio, MOG and more in one shot
When it comes to streaming music services are you something of an agnostic? That's not necessarily a bad thing -- Spotify, Rdio, MOG, Grooveshark, etc... all have their strengths and weaknesses (Spotify, for example, is a great source for Norwegian black metal). The trouble is, it's neither fun nor easy to jump from app to app, web site to web site just to find what you're looking for. Music Smasher simplifies things by letting you search most of the big sources in online streaming tunes simultaneously. It trolls the four services mentioned earlier, as well as SoundCloud and Bandcamp. Well, it searches Grooveshark in theory, but every query we tried simply returned undefined results. Hit up the source to try it out for yourself.
The man who gave away 1,000,000 gold
Since the launch of patch 4.3, transmogrification has been big business for players on the Auction House. But it's a hard market to get a logical handle on, like building an empire on selling classic oil paintings or finely aged wines. How do you know what a piece of gear is worth based on looks alone? How can you make money by dealing, essentially, in random world drops? Instead of muddling through the topic myself, I decided it would be smarter to go straight to the expert. No one knows more about making money in the transmogrification market than Keelhaul of Proudmoore (US) -- or as he's affectionately known around the internet, the Mogfather. His goal was simple: Prove that the transmogrification gear market was profitable. Forty-five days and 1 million gold later, it's safe to say his point has been successfully proven. But if you think banking a million gold in 45 days is remarkable, wait until you hear what he did next: He gave it all away.
MMO Community Spotlight: Gamebreaker's Gary Gannon
What would an MMO be without its community? Development is only a fraction of what makes an MMO successful; the passion of its players is what really makes or breaks any massively online game. So we're excited to spotlight those members of the MMO community who we think are particularly passionate about our favorite hobby. If you don't know the name Gary Gannon, you will soon enough. Gary has created or helped create everything from a successful MMO podcast to a social media site for gamers, but he's now looking to boost his Gamebreaker media network into the "CNN or ESPN of gaming" in the near future. Sound like a pipe dream from yet another in the sea of overly enthusiastic game-journalist wannabes? Not if that person has spent his entire adult career actually working for some of the largest news organizations in the U.S. We caught up with Gary to talk about his gaming roots, his passion for the community, and the future of his Gamebreaker network.
Daily Mac App: Spotify
Now that Spotify is available on both sides of the pond, it's about time we took a quick look at it. Free streaming music apps don't get much better than Spotify. Right now you can stream any track in the Spotify library for free with a pretty decent desktop Mac app. It's not available in the Mac App Store, but that doesn't matter -- it's just a simple old-style app install, drag-and-drop like any other app (remember when Mac programs were called applications and they were all installed like that?). Once installed you can sign-up for a free ad-supported Spotify account. If you've never used Spotify before I suggest you start there, you can always upgrade to "Unlimited", which gives you unlimited streaming without adverts for US$4.99 a month; or "Premium", which gives you ad-free unlimited streaming plus offline caching and Spotify access on your smartphone for $9.99 a month. Log into the Spotify app on your Mac and you're presented with a fairly familiar interface. Search in the top left, find an artist you want to listen to and hit play. Where Spotify differs from most of the other free streaming music services is that it allows you to pick and choose tracks, not just artists or genres -- it's not just radio-style streaming, it's like playing music in iTunes. Spotify will also play local music files, so your entire iTunes library is also accessible from within the app -- you don't have to forgo your original music collection or juggle two programs. Spotify is relatively social too -- you can share playlists with anyone with a Spotify account. Recently there's been a bit of controversy over the company's use of Facebook integration. Spotify was essentially spitting out status updates about each track you played to your Facebook account. Thankfully you can switch that off -- and I suggest you do -- to avoid annoying the hell out of your friends. Spotify also provides radio-style streaming, if that's what you're after. Pick from a list of genres or styles of music and Spotify will chew through a curated selection of tracks. If you're interested in reading-up on a key artist, Spotify also includes biographies on some of the bigger artists. Each artist page also includes links to similar artists, but if you're after music discovery Spotify is relatively weak compared to some of the other streaming services available like Last.fm, Pandora, MOG or Rdio. The recent unveiling of Spotify's App Finder, which essentially allows you to use curated plug-in-style apps within the Spotify desktop client, should help the service improve in that regard. There's already an app for Last.fm available, so with a bit of luck Spotify could end up as one of the best one-stop-shops for both music discovery and playback. If you're a Spotify user who's interested in testing out the App Finder early, Spotify's made available a preview client, which you can test out right now. Spotify is a new comer to the States, but it's the dominant music streaming service in Europe and for good reason. It combines a decent sized library, the ability to play your own local tracks, and free, ad-supported, streaming. With the single track and artist selection that you're used to in iTunes, it could best some of the more popular streaming services in the US, if you're after a pick'n'play-type experience. Whether you're a die-hard iTunes user, or you're hooked into Rdio, Mog or Pandora, it's worth grabbing yourself a free Spotify account and giving it a whirl, if you haven't already. The free Spotify desktop Mac client is available directly from the Spotify website, where you'll also find sign-ups for Open (free), Unlimited ($4.99) and Premium ($9.99) services.
Daily Update for November 17, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
