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'David Bowie Is' AR exhibit puts Ziggy Stardust on your phone
Sony Music has a fitting tribute for David Bowie on what would have been his 72nd birthday: its promised virtual museum exhibit dedicated to the music legend. David Bowie Is has launched for both Android and iOS, giving you an augmented reality tour of memorabilia that previously required a lengthy physical visit. You'll see famous costumes, photos, handwritten notes and videos, including items that were either limited to the Brooklyn Museum appearance or are exclusive to the app. You can see documents and props from the Blackstar era, watch live performances and glimpse at footage from the experimental DIamond Dogs movie.
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.
Prince's 1995-2010 catalog is streaming for the first time
More of Prince's music has been gradually making its way online since his passing, and that now includes a large chunk of his later catalog. Sony Music's Legacy Recordings has released 23 (!) of the late, great musician's albums on major streaming and download services for the first time, in addition to a new Prince Anthology: 1995-2010 collection that highlights songs from the period. Many of the albums are either rare or completely out of print, so this may be your only (legal) way to listen to Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic or Musicology without tracking down the CDs... assuming you still have devices that play CDs.
Sony will make almost $1 billion on Spotify's IPO
Spotify finally realized its IPO, after going the road less travelled and listing directly. Shares have already increased in value from $132 initially to settle around $140 for now. For those that already owned some Spotify stock, it was a good day. Like Sony: It held 5.7 percent of the streaming service through its Sony Music Entertainment arm, and sold under 20 percent of that when Spotify was listed, resulting in a payout of roughly $177 million. Good day is putting it mildly.
YouTube deals with Sony and Universal pave the way for music service
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that YouTube's subscription music service could launch as early as March, but that ongoing and unsolved negotiations with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group could prevent that launch date from happening. Bloomberg now reports, however, that both music labels have signed long-term agreements with YouTube.
SoundCloud inks deal with Sony Music as streaming service looms
Back in January, SoundCloud and Universal Music Group came to terms on a licensing deal and now the popular music site has inked another agreement. SoundCloud announced today that it has a deal in place with Sony Music Entertainment, which means that the company now has agreements will all three major labels. In late 2014, the audio repository revealed its licensing deal with Warner Music Group and added 20,000 indie labels last summer after hashing out royalty terms with Merlin.
Spotify's deal with Sony reveals the high costs of streaming music
Labels and streaming music services have spent ages bickering over payments for streaming music, but it's never really been clear who was getting the short end of the stick... besides the artists, that is. We may have a better sense of things now that The Verge has leaked details of Sony Music Entertainment's 2011 contract with Spotify, however. The two-year licensing deal asked Spotify to pay Sony a total of $42.5 million in yearly advances, and a "Most Favored Nation" clause meant that Sony would always get advance rates as good as any competing label. None of this cash is likely to have reached the musicians themselves, though -- sources say that advances typically go straight to the record company.
Apple signing deals, may introduce internet radio service as soon as next week
According to an article in yesterday's New York Times, Apple is trying hard to ink licensing deals with music companies so it can introduce a streaming internet radio service as soon as next Monday -- the day of the WWDC 2013 keynote. Apparently Apple hasn't made much progress since rumors about the service first surfaced last summer, as record labels and music publishers aren't happy with the deals they currently have with Pandora and want higher royalty rates and guaranteed minimum payments as well. The Times notes anonymous sources who say that Apple has signed a deal with Universal Music Group for recorded music rights, but not for music publishing. Over this past weekend, Apple apparently also signed a deal with Warner Music Group for both recorded music and publishing rights. The company is still negotiating with Sony Music Entertainment and the Sony/ATV publishing company, although representatives from all of the music companies and Apple refused comment on the deals. When it finally arrives, Apple's internet radio service is expected to be free, but supported by advertising. Music companies love the fact that unlike Pandora, Apple can sell music as well directly through the iTunes store -- a potential boon for listeners who can choose to buy a song that they hear and like.
Apple reportedly has two labels signed for radio service, may reveal it at WWDC
Apple's long-rumored internet radio service didn't materialize as quickly as some thought, but we're getting a sudden rush of hints that it may be close at hand. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal both claim that Apple has just signed a music licensing deal with Warner, giving it two out of the big three labels it needs to start streaming -- Universal being the first, Sony being the holdout. Despite lacking one of the necessary deals, Apple is reportedly optimistic that it could unveil the radio feature as soon as WWDC. We're not counting on any music news from Apple execs when they take the stage next week, but it's good to be prepared... you know, just in case.
Google reportedly signs deal with Sony and Universal ahead of launching music streaming service
Sure, Google I/O may not focus on new products, but it might just take a moment to unveil the firm's take on music streaming. According to The Verge, Mountain View has inked licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment for YouTube and Google Play. With Fortune having reported that a similar deal with Warner Music Group is already in the can, it's entirely possible that the search titan could reveal its Spotify-like service at the developer event, now that it's reportedly reached critical mass with major music labels. If things pan out as the Financial Times sees them, the tune streaming would complement Google Music, and likely sport paid and free, ad-supported experiences. Page & Co.'s dev shindig may not have skydivers this year, but on-demand music may be on the program.
Sony Music Unlimited now streaming tracks to the US
Let's hope Sony's new streaming music service -- just launched today for the US, Australia, and New Zealand -- isn't as unwieldy to use as its "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" moniker suggests. The service features six million tracks from Sony Music Entertainment, Universal, EMI, and Warner and is available on Sony's own devices including the PS3, Blu-ray disc players, Bravia televisions, and VAIO PCs. It'll also be available on Android smartphones soon with an iOS app coming later this year, assuming Apple's new subscription debacle doesn't derail Sony's plans. A basic membership provides an interactive radio experience for $3.99 per month while a premium $9.99 per month service gives subscribers on-demand access to the Music Unlimited library with the ability to manage your music through playlists and the like. Sony also provides a useful service that scans your local library and playlists to "jump start" the organization of your Music Unlimited collection. Wonder how it'll work on the NGP and PlayStation tablet?
