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Spotify has 100 million Premium users
Spotify has 100 million Premium users, the company has announced in its most recent financial figures. In total, the streaming service has 217 million users, 117 million of which are enjoying the free, ad supported tier.
Amazon may be working on a high-fidelity music streaming service
Amazon could be preparing to set itself apart from rivals like Spotify and Apple in the music space, as it's said to be working on a high-fidelity streaming platform. It might arrive later this year for around $15/month. Amazon Music Unlimited starts at $4/month, while Amazon added a free, ad-supported music service to Alexa devices last week.
Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' hits Spotify and Apple Music three years late
Three years after Beyoncé's Lemonade dropped with little warning, the album is at long last available on Spotify (at which she has taken jabs in the past), Apple Music, Deezer and other streaming services. Until now, it was only available to stream through Tidal -- the star is one of many artists who have a stake in that service -- and Pandora.
Alexa can finally control Apple Music on Sonos speakers
Amazon may have been a little optimistic when it said Alexa would "soon" control Apple Music on third-party speakers, but that feature is here at last. Listeners in the US, UK and Ireland can now use Alexa to steer Apple's service on Sonos speakers like the One and Beam, giving you the convenience of voice control while providing more oomph than most Echo speakers. Think of it as a more frugal alternative to owning a HomePod.
Apple Music code hints at Chromecast support
Whether or not Apple Music is coming to Google Home, there are signs you might get to use it with some Google-powered devices. The 9to5Google team has found multiple lines of code in Apple Music's Android app that reference Chromecast support, including some added through recent updates. While there's no guarantee this would be implemented any time soon, it suggests you could soon pipe Apple's latest Drake exclusive to a compatible Chromecast dongle, speaker, smart display or TV.
Apple Music is on Amazon Fire TV
Apple Music users in the US can now listen to their tracks on Amazon Fire TVs (or sticks). The news comes only months after Apple Music became available on Echo devices stateside. Apple's streaming service is also expected to come to Echo users in the UK in the coming weeks.
Why has Spotify filed a complaint against Apple to the EU?
"After careful consideration," wrote Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, "Spotify has filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission." The Swedish streaming company believes that it is the victim of discriminatory practices by the iPhone maker, regarding its app store. After what it describes as years of poor treatment, the company is going to regulators to ask, or force, Apple to "play fair." Confused? Here's a little context.
It looks like Apple Music is coming to Google Home
Over two months since Apple Music landed on Amazon Echo, it's now set for another smart speaker that isn't the HomePod. A listing for the music streaming service has been spotted inside the Google Home app for iOS by a Mac Rumors reader. Though it's currently not live, the update (Apple Music was previously slotted in the app's "limited availability" section) indicates that it could be imminent.
SoundCloud lets artists distribute music to Spotify and Apple Music
SoundCloud is helping artists distribute uploaded music to other services, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Instagram, Pandora and even Napster. The Premier distribution tool will be available in open beta at no extra cost for eligible Pro and Pro Unlimited subscribers. SoundCloud won't take a cut of the earnings artists make from other platforms, and it pledged to streamline payments for them. Musicians will also keep all of the rights to their work.
Apple Music subscribers can gift friends a month of free access
If you're an Apple Music subscriber who's feeling pretty generous right now, check out your notifications for a new referral promo. You can send your non-Apple-Music-using friends an invite that'll give them a month's worth of subscription for free on top of the service's standard three-month trial period. Simply tap on that notification to open a page, which gives you a way to send the free access as a gift via text message.
Qobuz's hi-res music streaming service comes to the US
Another music-streaming service has entered the game. French company Qobuz (pronounced ko-buzz) has announced it's now available in the US and plans to take on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music by focusing on sound quality, making hi-res streaming available to everyone without the need for proprietary gear.
Google iOS search now finds streaming movies, music and TV
Finding streaming content on your iPhone is getting easier. Google announced on Wednesday that the newest update to its search app on iOS devices will enable users to find TV shows, movies and songs on streaming services. That includes iTunes, Hulu, Amazon Video, Google Play, YouTube and Spotify.
Amazon Music's iOS app infiltrates CarPlay
Amazon Music subscribers who own a CarPlay-enabled dashboard unit are in luck. Amazon's streaming service is now available via the iOS Amazon Music app for Apple's in-car infotainment system.
T-Mobile adds Apple Music, Fox Now and more to Binge On
T-Mobile's adding a whole bunch more entertainment services to its 'Un-carrier' plans today, meaning lower data bills for customers that just can't bear to switch off Quantico while out and about.
Apple Music recruits 11 million trial users in six weeks
Over 11 million people are now using Apple Music following the June 30th launch. "We're thrilled with the numbers so far," Apple senior VP Eddy Cue told USA Today. The service is in a free trial phase until September, so nobody has paid for it yet. The number of users is actually higher, though, as Apple said that 2 million of those folks are on the family plan, which allows six people to use it at once. Still, is 11 million free subscribers a lot? Everyone who updated an iPhone or iPad to iOS 8.4 was nagged to sign up, and it remains to be seen how many will opt out once they have to pay.
Apple services down for some, including Beats1, iTunes and App Store
This morning isn't turning out to be a great one if you lean heavily on Apple's media ecosystem. According to the company's status page, a whole of host of Apple services have been plagued by issues since a little before 10AM Eastern time today, to the point where some users just can't access them. The full list of impacted features is a pretty hefty one at this point — it includes both the iOS and Mac App Stores, Apple Music, Apple TV, the iBooks Store, iTunes in the Cloud, the iTunes Store, iTunes U, iTunes Match, Radio, OS X Software Updates and the Volume Purchase Program. Basically, good luck trying to buy anything that isn't an attractive hunk of aluminum or plastic from Apple right now.
A closer look at Apple Music: feature-packed, but a bit disjointed
Apple Music is here. Finally. Now that the company steered the streaming service to a successful launch, it now has to prove to the world that it's actually something worth paying for — after all, there are like 80 other streaming-music services (maybe not, but it feels like it) fighting for the subscription revenue in our wallets. Apple's master plan: Make Apple Music a one-stop shop by kitting out it with gobs of features. We'll follow up with a longer write-up once we've had more than a few hours to play with it, but for now, let's take a quick peek at what Apple came up with.
Apple Music in the UK: what you need to know
After months of waiting, Apple Music is finally upon us. The company is now ready to take the wraps off its new streaming service, which will deliver millions of tracks on demand, host a free 24-hour radio station with slots from some of the world's biggest artists, and include a bevvy of social features. It'll go live in over 100 countries today (June 30th), but as is often the case with new Apple services, there's still some uncertainty around what you get and how much it'll set you back. Fear not, for we've pieced together everything you need to know about Apple Music in the UK. Read on to find out.
Apple is bumping the iTunes Match limit to 100,000 songs
When Apple first revealed iTunes Match -- the service that lets you add your own, non-Apple purchased music to iTunes -- the 25,000 song limit probably seemed huge. That was way back in 2011, however, and Apple VP Eddy Cue has revealed that when iOS 9 arrives this fall, Match will support up to 100,000 songs. Cue reminded followers that Apple Music will also get Match-like capabilities, meaning you can fill in any missing streaming music with your own tracks. Though the service will launch tomorrow with a 25,000 song limit, it too will support 100,000 songs when iOS 9 comes out.
Pharrell, Drake and Elton John will DJ on Apple's Beats 1
With Apple Music launching in less than a week, much of the focus has been on its relationship with artists and the royalties it pays. Thanks to Taylor Swift, it appears to have weathered its minor storm, allowing it to focus on other parts of its upcoming launch. Beats 1, for example, will begin broadcasting on June 30 and will be fronted by ex-Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. When Apple's first live radio station was announced, it wasn't known how the company intended to fill the programming gaps between the three main hosts. However, the New York Times reports that it has lined up a number of high-profile musicians to do their part, with Dr. Dre Pharrell Williams, Drake, Jaden Smith, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Disclosure and even Elton John due to present their own shows.
