streaming music
Latest
Spotify adds a remote listening party option where everyone is a DJ
Up to five Premium subscribers can join a Group Session.
Spotify arrives on Xfinity X1 and Flex
It's available now on Flex and rolling out on X1 over the next few days.
The new Sonos app and S2 update are available now
Sonos owners can now download the company's new S2 app to control their Sonos devices.
YouTube Music will transfer your Google Play songs with one click
If you haven’t downloaded the app yet, Google Play Music will alert you to the new transition tool and prompt you to install YouTube Music. In fact, all of your Google Play Music history that built the recommendations for you on that one service will also make it to YouTube Music.
Sonos Radio is the company's first foray into original content
But today, the company is making its first foray into content with the launch of Sonos Radio.
Spotify lets you hide bad songs on playlists you didn't make
If you hide a song, Spotify will automatically skip it every time you listen to a playlist.
Sonos is releasing a new OS and controller app for its speakers this June
Back in January, Sonos made the unpopular announcement that it wouldn't be providing new features for its oldest hardware products after May of this year. Since then, the company has sought to clarify that those devices will still work as they do now; the company also promised details on how its legacy devices would work with newer Sonos speakers. Today, Sonos is making things a bit clearer by announcing that a new app and operating system, currently dubbed Sonos S2, will arrive in June of this year. Sonos says that all new products it releases after June will run on S2, as well as everything it currently sells and many of its older speakers as well. The exceptions are those previously-detailed legacy products that the company already announced wouldn't receive new features.
Streaming represented nearly 80 percent of US music revenue in 2019
Streaming is even more vital to the music industry than it was a year ago. The RIAA has reported that streaming represented 79 percent ($8.8 billion) of American music revenue in 2019, compared to 75 percent the year before. And crucially, more of those were paid subscribers. There were 60.4 million paying customers for services like Apple Music and Spotify, representing 61 percent ($6.8 billion) of the entire industry's revenue -- a big step up from 46.9 million subscribers and 55 percent in 2018.
A big library of independent music is coming to TikTok
TikTok users will soon be able to choose from a huge variety of independent music to accompany their videos. Merlin, a digital rights agency for indie record labels, has signed a global partnership with the app, bringing music from labels like Epitaph and Sub Pop to TikTok's library. According to TechCrunch, the deal is also part of TikTok's rumored music streaming service, Resso, which is meant to compete with the likes of Spotify.
Spotify’s Sleep Timer is coming to the iPhone today
Starting today, iOS users can fall asleep to their Spotify playlists without having their rest disturbed later. Spotify Sleep Timer -- which has been available on the Android version of the app since May -- lets you select a countdown timer between five minutes and an hour. After the time has elapsed, the audio fades out so that "Pure Moods" isn't playing all night.
Save $80 on a Sonos Beam this Black Friday
With just a couple of days before the official start of Black Friday, Sonos has detailed what you can expect from its sale. Later this week, you'll be able to save on the company's Beam, Playbar, Playbase and Sub speakers, as well as its Amp amplifier. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Sonos plans to offer a direct discount on its music-focused speakers -- home theater products appear to be the theme this year. You'll be able to take advantage of all deals we detail below starting from midnight ET on November 28th through to December 2nd.
Amazon Music HD expands 3D audio library with Warner Music Group tracks
Echo Studio, one of Amazon's latest smart speakers, might sound great, but until now it offered a limited library of 3D audio through Amazon Music HD. However, if you picked up the speaker and signed up for the hi-res streaming plan, you now have more 3D music options. You can listen to tracks from across the Warner Music Group empire in Dolby Atmos starting today.
Spotify’s free streaming will work with Alexa and Bose speakers
You no longer need a Spotify Premium subscription to listen to your Spotify playlists on Alexa, Bose or Sonos speakers. Last week, Spotify announced that Free users could finally listen on Sonos speakers. Today, it's extending that capability to Alexa and Bose speakers, too.
Spotify's free streaming can now be used on Sonos speakers
Early this year, Spotify passed the 100 million Premium subscribers mark. Those users were able to stream Spotify on Sonos speakers. But Spotify has 248 million monthly users, and more than half of those are on the Spotify Free plan. Until now, Free users were unable to stream music on Sonos speakers. That changes today. Thanks to a software update, Spotify Free users can now listen on Sonos.
YouTube Music now plays nicely with Siri
Siri can now play YouTube Music, meaning you'll no longer have to choose between Apple Music or Spotify to listen through the Apple assistant. The change was made possible by iOS 13, and it works with Apple CarPlay, so you'll get hands-free control of YouTube Music as you drive.
Amazon Music HD offers lossless streaming starting at $12.99 per month
Amazon is launching a new tier for its Music subscription service that will offer high quality, lossless audio streams and downloads, the company has announced. With Amazon Music HD, as the plan is called, Amazon says people are going to have access to over 50 million high-resolution tracks at CD quality and better, thanks to support for 16-bit files and sample rates of 44.1kHz and above. The service will also come with "millions of tracks in UHD," which includes hi-res audio streaming at up to 24-bit/48kHz (or 96 to 192kHz) -- in case you're a hardcore audiophile and need the absolute highest quality possible.
Pandora's new desktop app is now available on Windows
Just as Apple Music is making its way to web browsers, Pandora is moving in the opposite direction by unleashing a desktop app. The Mac version debuted in May, and now the Windows 10 app has arrived.
Get $100 off the Polk Command Bar right now at Amazon
The Polk Command Bar is one of our top picks for a solid mid-range soundbar. Usually listed for $299, it's currently discounted at $100 off. So for the time being, you can get it for just $199 on Amazon.
Snapchat is Spotify's latest music-sharing option
Spotify addicts can soon share what tunes or podcasts they're listening to with their Snapchat friends. Through the share menu on songs, albums, playlists, artist profiles and podcasts, you'll be able to post whatever's grabbing your attention to Snapchat and Snapchat Stories if you have the latter app installed.
The Sonos Move is more than a Bluetooth speaker
For its entire history, Sonos has prided itself on delivering high-quality, wireless home audio. Among other things, that's meant using WiFi rather than Bluetooth to stream music. Even as "premium" Bluetooth speakers flooded the market, Sonos stuck to its guns, convinced it was doing things the "right" way. And even though the company's speakers generally deliver an excellent audio experience, plenty of its fans still have asked for Bluetooth over the years. In the same vein, Sonos users have been asking about outdoor speakers for years now. So far, all Sonos speakers have been designed to be placed in one spot and left there; the company doesn't make any battery-powered devices, and everything is dependent on an internet connection. That all changes later this month when Sonos releases the Move, its take on the battery-powered, portable speaker. The $399 Move is the first Sonos speaker with batteries and Bluetooth, and it's built to resist pretty much any environmental situation it could be subjected to. In these ways, it's the most unique speaker Sonos has made in years, and it required the company to drop some dogmatic thinking about the technology in its products.
