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Music licensing group BMI sues Pandora, deems radio station purchase a 'stunt'
Music licensors didn't waste any time in characterizing Pandora's acquisition of an FM radio station as an underhanded attempt to cheat performers out of royalties, but the rhetoric has now hit the courtroom, as Broadcast Music Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the streaming service in the New York federal system. Key to the action -- which casts Pandora's move as "an open and brazen effort to artificially drive down its license fees" -- BMI asks for a blanket determination of licensing rates for all music broadcast by Pandora. According to BMI logic, the lower royalty rates that terrestrial providers enjoy shouldn't apply to the online segment of Pandora's business. As the flip side to that argument, however, Pandora argues that it deserves equal footing with online competitors such as Clear Channel's iHeartRadio service, which pays the terrestrial rates. It's a murky decision, for sure. Hopefully the judge has a good supply of Advil.
Pandora buys FM radio station to lower royalty rates for streaming music
Pandora has complained for years that royalties for internet-only radio stations are too steep. It may have found an end run around the problem, however: it just bought an FM radio station in South Dakota. The company's Chris Harrison argues that the deal will make ASCAP and music labels offer Pandora the same songwriting licenses that they do to rivals like iHeartRadio, which allegedly gets better terms through its traditional broadcasting roots. Opponents argue that Pandora is simply trying to dodge fair compensation through the buyout, although the streaming service claims to have been forced into more than one unfair rate hike with current licensing. Whatever the truth, Pandora is racing against the clock -- competition won't get any easier when built-in services like iTunes Radio are on the way.
Slacker debuts weekly top 40 chart based on 'Engagement Quotient' of songs
Slacker will start offering a weekly top 40 chart today, joining the likes of Spotify, Stitcher and Twitter Music. Unlike those services however, the list isn't necessarily filled with the most popular tracks. Instead, it's comprised of what's deemed as the 40 "most engaging tracks" in that particular week. Compiled using an algorithm the company calls the "Engagement Quotient," each song is dealt an "EQ" score of one to 100 based on a number of data points. We list what those criteria are after the break, along with quotes from a brief talk with Jack Isquith, Slacker's senior VP of content programming and strategic development.
WWDC 2013: the rumor roundup
It's that special time for Apple devotees: WWDC 2013 is next week, and that means a customary glimpse of where iOS and the Mac are going next. However, we're getting everything but business as usual this year. The crew at 1 Infinite Loop has shaken up its software strategy, putting much of its emphasis on Jony Ive's design chops and tighter collaboration between teams. Is Apple about to deliver major OS refreshes that some say are long overdue? And what about hints of new hardware introductions at the same time? We've gathered together some of the more notable rumors to help understand what Apple may introduce on June 10th -- and what's likely to remain wishful thinking.
Pandora for Android loaded with lock screen controls
A fresh release of Pandora's Android app hit Google Play, and it carries a light, but welcome changelog. New lock screen controls for hardware packing Ice Cream Sandwich or later flavors of Google's confection-themed OS headline the update. In addition, the revamp brings shortened startup times for the application and a track progress indicator that sports elapsed and remaining timestamps. Naturally, assorted bug fixes and enhancements round out the tweaks. Click the bordering source link to snag the download.
iHeartRadio slips local news into streams, hopefully without the used car ads
The advent of internet radio let many of us tune into music we never would have heard without packing our bags for a trip. However, it often keeps us isolated from events just outside our door -- a disconnect that Clear Channel wants to end through its newly launched Add-Ins for iHeartRadio streams. Check the right boxes and hourly local news, traffic and weather will appear between tracks, whether for the nearest city or a manually chosen favorite. Add-Ins don't have much mystery involved as a result, but they could keep us grounded in the real world... minus some of the all-too-real commercials.
Reports: Apple's internet radio service delayed by slow-going music licensing negotiations
According to folks in the know who've spoken to Bloomberg and The New York Times, Apple's oft-rumored streaming radio service is set for a late arrival. The reason is because of snails-pace negotiations with the publisher Sony/ATV for music licensing deals. As the Times notes, Sony no longer lets outsiders like ASCAP dole out licenses, leaving itself as chief point of contact for such agreements on its content -- this apparently got Pandora locked into a twenty five-percent increase on royalty payments to Sony. Prior to today's reports, Bloomberg stated that Cupertino was aiming for a Q1 release for this year, and the NYT notes Apple hoped that launch would've happened near the Grammy Awards. If you'll recall, Apple's service is said be direct competition to others like Pandora rather than Spotify, as it would be ad-supported for revenue. As usual, take all of this with a grain of salt, and don't get too thirsty for an Apple-curated streaming music service just yet. More info at the source links.
TuneIn launches TuneIn Live, hopes to encourage radio station discovery through custom UI
With around 70,000 stations from around the world in its database, TuneIn is rightly one of the more popular radio apps out there. Unfortunately, it also means customers don't always have the easiest time finding what they want, something the Palo Alto firm plans to fix with a new update it's rolling out today. The key new feature is TuneIn Live, which aims to encourage content discovery through a customized interface. By culling eight favorite genres from about 100, users can build a custom tile layout that, when activated, hunts down a station playing the appropriate tune -- be it in Los Angeles, New York or even Iceland. On top of that, the company introduced integration with Google+ Sign-in so you can immediately place a reminder for scheduled audio events on your Google Calendar. Radio stations broadcasting live sporting events or special in-studio concerts can add "@tunein" to their tweets to prompt TuneIn's servers to add them to the roster. This move towards improved discovery also includes a recently launched Trending feature that lets listeners know the most popular audio content at any given time. TuneIn marketing director Ryan Polivka and director of product Kristin George told us that the refocus toward discovery will get users addicted to new stations they would never have heard of before. "What's best about radio [instead of algorithms like Pandora] is that there's a human on the other end hand-picking those songs," Polivka said. "Hopefully this will bring a bigger fanbase to those stations, no matter where they are in the world." The new TuneIn features should be available on the iPad app and TuneIn.com today, while other platforms will get them later in the year. For more information about the update, check out the press release and a full gallery of TuneIn Live screenshots after the break.
Pandora establishes 40-hour mobile listening cap for free users
Remember the good ol' days of Pandora? Well, it turns out that you were living in it until today. Just this afternoon, the music streaming service revealed that it's become necessary to return to the 40 hour caps from times long ago -- only this time around, it applies only to mobile users. If you may recall, Pandora dropped these caps in September 2011, but steeper royalty costs have forced the company's hand in the matter. What does this mean for you? Well, unless you fit within the four percent of Pandora listeners that jam out on a mobile device for more than 40 hours per month, you're unlikely to ever notice the change. Meanwhile, heavy users will need to pay $0.99 to continue listening for the remainder of the month. Naturally, you can also lay down $3.99 per month (or $36 per year) for Pandora One, which will kick both those limits and pesky ads to the curb.
Slacker now streaming tunes on Xbox 360
After receiving a pre-Valentine's Day makeover, Slacker has officially made its way to the Xbox 360. Free to download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers in the US and Canada, the 116.17MB app brings the internet radio station's revamped color scheme, music guide and a posh set of voice controls via Kinect. So, if you're ready to bombard your TV with high-res slideshows of Diddy while rapping along to "Bad Boy for Life," then navigate your console's tiles to the Xbox Live Marketplace to add this app to your dashboard.
Google reportedly in negotiations with music labels to launch streaming service
Surprise, surprise: Apple isn't the only company that's rumored to be developing a music streaming service. According to Financial Times, Google is working to augment its current download store with a streaming service that could take on the likes of Spotify, Slacker and Nokia Music. The outlet's sources suggest that Google is currently in the negotiation stage with record labels, and that its service would likely feature both paid and free, ad-supported components. Naturally, while this news remains in the realm of rumors for both Apple and Google, it seems that the race is now on for which company is both willing and able to supplement its music store with a streaming service. Anyone care to place bets on which company is first to the starting line?
Pandora cranked out over 13 billion hours of music in 2012
Springing into the new year, internet radio heavyweight Pandora has released some of its major statistics from 2012. The company states that 1.6 billion personalized radio stations were created and that it played over 13 billion hours of music. These hefty stats translate to the service's users listening to over one million different songs from more than 100,000 artists. Wrapping up last year's scorecard, around 10,000 artists reached about 250,000 unique listeners. While these numbers are impressive, we can't help but wonder how many audio commercials had to be endured so people could continue listening to countless hours of One Direction. In any case, we're sure it was worth it.
iTunes refresh delayed till 'end of November'
We were all a little shocked when Apple failed to deliver a redesigned iTunes at its last keynote. The company promised a major revamp of the service would land in October yet, here we are with one day left in the month, and no iTunes overhaul in sight. Today Tom Neumayr, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm, confirmed to AllThingsD that the software release had indeed been pushed back by a month. Only a few short days ago CFO Peter Oppenheimer was touting the refresh during the company's earnings call saying, "We look forward to looking to launching a redesigned iTunes. The new iTunes has a dramatically simpler and cleaner interface." But he made no mention of a delay. Neumayr says the goal now is to release the update before the end of November stating that development is "taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right." While the issue primarily cited in Neumayr's statement is "seamless integration with iCloud" we wouldn't be shocked if it's rumored internet radio service also is playing a role in the delay. Read the complete statement below. "The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November."
Apple nearing deal with labels for internet radio service, says Bloomberg
Rumors of a music streaming service from Apple have been circulating since the dawn of the iPod age. Bloomberg is reporting that an internet radio platform from Cupertino is nearing reality, as talks between Apple and the major music labels have "intensified." The negotiations center around how to share revenues from an ad-supported service that, according to reports, would pose more of a threat to sites like Pandora than it would Spotify. In fact, after Bloomberg reported that the new Apple service could launch during the first quarter of 2013, Pandora stocks plummeted over 17 percent and trading of the company was briefly halted. According to sources Cook and co. are seeking much more flexibility than its potential competitors enjoy and earlier access to new releases. The shift towards ad revenue and a new platform for helping listeners discover music is considered by most involved to be an essential evolution of the iTunes ecosystem as sales of digital downloads have slowed. For more, hit up the source links.
WSJ: Apple developing competitor to Pandora, could launch within 'a matter of months'
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is engaged in talks with record labels to create a Pandora-like music streaming service. According to the outlet's sources, the service will be ad-supported and will be accessible from Apple's wide array of hardware -- there's even hope that PC users may be able to catch some of the action. However, it's said that Android devices will be left out in the cold. The sources also say that the company had previously toyed with the idea of a service similar to Spotify with a monthly fee, but that this effort appears more serious. Licenses supposedly being sought by the House that Jobs Built could let them air songs more frequently than competitors and allow for additional interactivity. Since Apple's negotiations are at an early stage, it's expected to take months before the service materializes. At any rate, if you're still jonesin' for something fresh from Cupertino, we hear that something's been cooked up for next week. Update: The New York Times is now chiming in with a similar report citing three sources of its own.
Pandora Android app update: new UI, song history and song lyrics for impromptu cubicle concerts
If Pandora for Android is your go-to service for music streaming while you're out and about, you're in for a bit of a treat. The internet radio outfit has updated it's app for the Google OS with a number of enhancements that should make spinning those Music Genome Project selections even more satisfying. First, a redesigned UI and navigation takes some cues from the Android design standards in order to liven up the aesthetics. A retooled song history allows users to review, rate and bookmark their previously played tracks for future reference. When a particular artist is playing, album art can now be minimized to reveal bio information, song lyrics and Pandora's regular similar artist / track recommendations. If you're jonesin' to grab the new look for yourself, hit the source link below to update.
Stitcher List burrows into Radio app, gets you in the loop quicker
Like web peanut butter, the Stitcher List site is a tasty way to find popular radio streams but was begging to be stirred into the chocolate of the main Stitcher Radio app. Luckily, that confection is now done and can be downloaded in iOS or Android flavors from each platform's store. The list addition lets you see popular podcasts or streams ranked in their category's top 50; new programs trending fast; and the most popular shows on social media. All that will work together with the main app, which serves up internet radio choices based on your personal fancies -- and of course, will still let your friends admire your software-enhanced sense of taste via Twitter.
Spotify marks its first anniversary in the US with 13 billion listens, a whole lot of sharing goin' on
They grow up so fast, don't they? Spotify's US launch was just over a year ago, and the streaming music outlet wants us to know just how big its baby is getting. Americans listened to more than 13 billion tracks on the service in the first 365 days, and they shared more than twice as many -- 27,834,742, to be exact. Not surprisingly, just over half of that socializing went through Facebook, as you can see in the company's sugar-coated chart. Spotify is likewise flaunting 2,700 years' worth of time spent skulking around its app platform. Don't feel any pangs of regret if you forgot to buy something for Spotify's birthday, by the way: the company isn't holding any grudges and says you'll "love" what it has gift-wrapped for year two. We're hoping that involves more free radio stations and fewer holdout musicians.
Sirius XM gives Google TV a Stern look, plans radio app for this summer
Sirius XM has long had a love affair with Android, going so far as to build an Android-powered satellite radio just a few months ago. That flame is burning for at least a little while longer with plans for a Google TV app launching this summer. Much in line with Sirius XM's more recent internet options, subscribers can soon tune into virtually anything from the satellite radio lineup, including the obligatory Howard Stern, as well as online-only bonuses like ESPN SportsCenter. The radio provider tells Reuters that it worked "closely" with Google to build the app, but what secret sauce that adds (if any) is left to the imagination: the live pausing and five-hour content storage don't exactly break the mold of what we've seen so far. We'll find out very soon just how category-busting Sirius XM can get when we get a full reveal of the Google TV app in sync with the start of Google I/O.
Onkyo mid-range networking home theatres flaunt 4K image, multi-source PIP
We've seen the high and low ends, and now Onkyo has thrown its alphabet soup of networking and A/V tech into its mid-range HT-S6500 5.1 surround ($799) and HT-S7500 7.1 ($899) home theater systems. For starters, the systems will support 4K displays, and use a Marvell Qdeo to automatically upscale HD to the higher resolution. Audio-wise, they'll pump out 80 watts of WRAT sound with 192Khz 24-bit TI DACs and a 32-bit DSP processing chip, and 120 watts of thump through the subs. There's a plethora of connectivity options with up to seven HDMI inputs -- and PIP to see them all at once -- along with direct iDevice connections, optional WiFi adapter and other digital and analog I/O. On top of full DNLA support and most internet radio options, Onkyo will also allow iPhone or Android handsets to control either receiver with its remote control app. So if you've been jonesing on TrueHD 5.1 Audio or those new 4K displays, now you'll have two more options to play them through.
