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Lawsuits claim Amazon, Apple and more are streaming unlicensed music
When you walk into a bar, hotel or store, you probably hear music. The same goes for when you tune into a TV channel or radio station. Those businesses are supposed to pay royalties to the artists for using their music. Collection firms like Pro Music Rights (PMR) are tasked with monitoring these things. And they've had a lot more work on their hands, now that they need to keep track of streaming services which must properly license the songs they add to their libraries. PMR -- which sued Spotify last year -- alleges that 10 of the biggest services have been streaming unlicensed music from artists the company represents, and has filed lawsuits against each.
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.
Apple's idea for music royalties could stick it to Spotify
The Copyright Royalty Board, a three judge panel that sets licensing rates, is trying to figure out what the statutory rate music download and streaming services will pay publishers between 2018 and 2022. Now, the New York Times and Billboard report that Apple has a suggestion on how to figure out those rates that oh-so-coincidentally would negatively impact services with free streaming options like Spotify (heating up their back-and-forth battle) and YouTube. The statutory rate is what services pay unless they make a direct deal with a publisher, and can shape negotiations between them.
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 VR app is a hub for live music videos
The tech world is obsessed with virtual reality. It should come as no surprise, then, that music-streaming service Rhapsody wants a piece of it as well. The company took a step forward today by introducing Rhapsody VR, an iOS and Android app that offers access to 360-degree videos from music concerts. The content is free for everybody to watch (preferably through a headset like Google Cardboard), meaning it's not limited to people who subscribe to Rhapsody.
Rhapsody's Listener Network makes finding new music easier
All of the big music services have pretty much the same catalog, high profile holdouts like Taylor Swift aside. At this point, most of the innovation happening in streaming music is around trying to surface songs from those massive catalogs that users haven't heard before. Apple Music has its curated editors playlists, Spotify has Discover Weekly, Google Play Music has its Songza-powered radio stations, and now Rhapsody (aka Napster) is ready to unveil its own solution. It's called the Listener Network, and it leverages all the info the company has about what music its users play to find new songs and albums you might enjoy.
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.
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's new music feature is designed for kids
Over the past few months, Rhapsody has focused on making its mobile apps prettier. But now the music-streaming service is announcing something a little bit different: a feature designed with children in mind. KIDS, which will be available via an update for Rhapsody's iOS and Android apps, is a mode for young ones to experience without parents having to worry about them running into Dr Dre's Compton -- or another album with Parental Advisory. Instead, KIDS consists of three main sections with kids-friendly, parent-approved music, like recently played songs, a tab for bookmarks and another for curated content from Rhapsody's editorial team. The company says it'll offer tracks from Kidz Bop and Disney, among others.
Dr. Dre's 'Compton' makes its way to Google Music, Rdio and others
Apple Music's exclusive grip on Dr. Dre's new album lasted two weeks. Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre is now streaming from the likes of Google Play, Deezer, Tidal, Rdio and Rhapsody based on our quick look through music services. It's still absent from Spotify, though, perhaps due to its free tier that many artists aren't too thrilled about. If you didn't sign up for Cupertino's free trial, you can now give it a spin from the aforementioned repositories -- just in time for the weekend. We're curious to see if the Apple Music exclusive period in the future remains at 14 days or if it changes with each release.
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.
Taylor Swift will be available on Jay Z's Tidal streaming service
Most people still have no idea what Tidal is, but that's likely to change if Jay Z continues playing his cards right. See, the music mogul has just convinced Taylor Swift to give the Norwegian hi-fi streaming service -- that he snapped up -- the right to stream most of her albums. As she's one of the world's best-selling artists, she certainly has the following to help spread the word about the company. But doesn't Taylor dislike streaming services? Well, not exactly. She left Spotify last year, because she wasn't happy with its free, ad-supported tier -- on the other hand, she stayed with Rhapsody and Beats Music, because they don't have a free option.
Rhapsody lets you stream over 30 million songs on Twitter
In an effort to better compete with a juggernaut like Spotify, Rhapsody is using one of the world's most popular social networks to showcase and promote its music-streaming service. Today, at SXSW 2015, Rhapsody announced that it's bringing more than 30 million songs to Twitter, allowing users of the microblogging platform to streams songs directly from it -- for free. The audio-subscription service is using Twitter Cards to let people stream and share their favorite tunes, regardless of whether or not they have a paid Rhapsody account. So, what's the catch? It's simple: Rhapsody's hoping that those who see these audio-embedded tweets, on iOS or Android, will want to hear more and end up on a landing page that's set to offer a free trial.
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.
Have a favorite music streaming service? Sound off, people of Engadget
Wrapping your head around all the various options for streaming music can be overwhelming. How do you choose between Spotify, Rdio, Beats Music, Rhapsody, Google Play Music All Access or any of the other services out there? Engadget Forums member daninbusiness is here to help, and he's done a great job breaking down the pros and cons of each music provider that he's used. But one man's opinion does not a consensus make, y'all. What's your go-to choice for music? How would you persuade your friends that the benefits of Spotify far exceed those of Rdio? Sound off in the forums, folks, your wisdom is needed.
Daily Update for November 13, 2013
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. Subscribe via RSS
Rhapsody takes major hit as music services slowly cannibalize each other
I could probably name close to a dozen subscription music services off the top of my head, which means one thing: There are far too many subscription music services. Now, just days since Pandora declared that it would do just fine in the wake of Apple's iTunes Radio debut, longtime music stalwart Rhapsody announced that its revenue is continuing its downward spiral. Rhapsody sliced roughly 15 percent of its workforce -- including top management positions -- alongside the launch of iTunes Radio in an attempt to remain competitive, but it doesn't appear to have helped. According to a statement from Rhapsody to GeekWire, part of the company's $5.6 million quarterly loss was due to severance packages paid out to departed employees. But Rhapsody isn't throwing in the towel just yet. The company is reportedly ready to roll out some new features. "You'll also see a lot of innovation coming out of a product road map in the next six months that is not just about the listening experience, but about improving the overall fan experience," the company said. We'll just have to wait and see if it's enough to change the company's fate.
Rhapsody changes its look for iOS 7, enhances radio experience with new features
It may be a little late to the party, but Rhapsody today updated its app to meet the looks of Apple's iOS 7. Aside from going the flat route on the overall design, the application has also been improved with a number of handy features throughout. Listeners will now see a swipe-to-reveal menu (much like on Android), as well as a revamped radio experience which includes brand new stations from different artists and the option to thumb tracks up or down. In addition, this version lets you favorite any song being played, making it easy to access them at any point from the My Music section. If you're a Rhapsody subscriber, expect more things to come to the web and mobile apps in the near future -- the music service says it has "a lot of great things cooking."
Qualcomm takes on AirPlay with AllPlay wireless streaming
Looks like the Toq smartwatch isn't Qualcomm's only announcement today. At the chipmaker's Uplinq conference in San Diego, CEO Paul Jacobs also announced AllPlay, a wireless audio streaming tech based on Qualcomm's Alljoyn software framework. Like Apple's AirPlay, the technology lets the user stream music from apps to compatible speakers, receivers or other devices. One of AllPlay's first partners is Rhapsody, and Jon Irwin, president of the music service company, came on stage with Jacobs to demonstrate streaming Rhapsody tunes to several different speakers in the room. Other AllPlay features include the ability to play different songs on different speakers and you can even have separate volume controls for each. According to Jacobs, AllPlay-compatible audio equipment is coming and an AllPlay SDK should be out before the end of the year. There's no word yet on which hardware maker is on board. Nevertheless, it does seem like the media streaming space just got a lot more competitive. [Image source: GigaOm]
