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Rdio adds free live radio stations to its streaming library
Apple Music has Beats1, and now Rdio has live radio, too. Rdio announced today that in addition to its library of 35 million songs and curated stations, it's tacking on live broadcast radio with access to "nearly 500 stations." You can browse the full list here, but for starters you can expect 93.9 The Beat in Indianapolis, 95.5 KLOS in LA, 95.5 NASH Icon in Nashville, NASH FM 94.7 in New York and KFOG in San Francisco thanks to Cumulus Radio. Westwood One is also chipping in, which means you'll be able to listen to 24/7 sports talk and game coverage of events like NCAA March Madness. What's more, there will be on-demand access to those talk shows (The Jim Rome Show, The Doug Gottlieb Show and others) in what we'd surmise is a podcast-like repository. You'll be able to stream your local favorites and stations broadcasting in other cities, too.
A guy in the UK called the ISS from his backyard and you can too
For most of us, visiting the International Space Station is little more than an impossible dream -- but if you know what you're doing, talking to the orbiting laboratory is surprisingly plausible. No, really: just ask Adrian Lane, a Gloucestershire UK Ham radio operator who called up an ISS astronaut from the comfort of his own backyard shed.
AT&T will require working FM radios in its Android phones (update: just a request)
You might think that conventional radio is becoming less relevant as time marches on, but AT&T begs to differ. It's requiring that Android phone makers not only include active FM radio chips in their devices from 2016 onwards, but that they switch on chips in as many existing phones as possible. There's no immediate explanation for the throwback, and we've reached out for more details. However, it may boil down to matters of efficiency and utility. FM radio reduces the need for streaming audio if you're not picky about content, and it can be an important source of news during emergencies, when data networks might be down or oversaturated. We're sure that manufacturers won't be happy, since they'll have to work on FM support just to get handsets on AT&T's store shelves. All the same, it's nice to see providers enabling features for a change... even if they're ones that you're not very likely to use. Update: We've since learned that this isn't as strict as it sounds -- it's a request from AT&T, not a rule. If an Android phone maker declines to include FM, it won't get the boot. [Image credit: Getty Images]
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.
BBC iPlayer Radio app will soon let you download shows
One of the reasons why podcasts are so popular is because, unlike live radio, you can download episodes and listen to them when you don't have a connection. The BBC has long understood their popularity, offering both dedicated podcasts and shows cut from its daily broadcasts. Now, however, it's going one step further and adding radio show downloads to its iPlayer Radio app. The feature should blur the line between the two mediums, making it easier for listeners to catch up with their favourite shows and DJs.
iHeartRadio brings its streaming app to U-Verse TV
Even though AT&T's busy trying to merge with DirecTV, the company is still focused on improving its current home entertainment product, U-Verse. Starting today, customers who are subscribed to a television package can access iHeartRadio, the popular radio-streaming service. Once you tune in to the new channel (532 or 1532), you'll be able to listen to thousands of stations based on genre, keyword or location. There are also ways to save your favorite content and get personalized recommendations -- the more you listen, the more the app knows what you like. iHeartRadio says it's the first live-streaming radio application available to U-Verse TV subscribers, which also highlights AT&T's ongoing efforts to make the platform better for people.
Apple Music is now available on iOS and the desktop
Apple's entry into the music streaming fray has arrived. Apple Music is now available for download via the iOS 8.4 update for mobile devices, and you'll be able use it on the desktop on both Mac and Windows machines, too. In addition to iTunes' library of over 30 million tracks, you'll also be able to stream Beats 1: Apple's 24-hour internet radio station that'll be driven by Zane Lowe, St. Vincent, Drake and others. Like Beats Music, the app will serve up suggestions based on your preferences alongside curated playlists from the likes of Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and more.
BBC trials a way to explain complex backstories in its shows
Most of the BBC's programming is only available for 30 days on iPlayer, so trying to keep up with long-running and complicated TV shows can be a pain. Want to remember how River Song fits into the Doctor Who universe, but don't have the DVD box sets to hand? Your best option is normally to browse Wikipedia or some Whovian fan sites. To tackle the problem, the BBC is experimenting with a site format called "Story Explorer," which could explain storylines and characters for some of its most popular shows. Today, the broadcaster is launching a version for its Home Front radio drama with custom illustrations, text descriptions and audio snippets. More importantly, the key events are laid out as simple, vertical timelines so that you can easily track the show's wartime chronology.
Pandora buys analytics company to get more out of your streaming data
In order to serve up its song suggestions, Pandora collects listener data based on those thumbs up and thumbs down votes you tap in. The music streaming option announced today that it acquired Next Big Sound: an analytics company that will help turn that data into valuable marketing (read: ad) fuel. Next Big Sound offers the tools to properly break all of that user info down -- especially in regards to social media chatter -- for artists, labels and others. You may not have heard of Next Big Sound, but you may have seen its work: the company provides the stats for Billboard's charts, including the Social 50. Pandora already had its own tools for artists to examine user data, and now it joins the likes of Spotify and Apple by bringing in outside help to make its stockpile of info more useful. If you'll recall, Spotify swiped Echo Nest last year, a company that uses music analysis to power radio options for Rdio and others -- similar to Pandora's Music Genome Project.
MixRadio's music-streaming app heads to iOS and Android
After a long exclusive spell on Windows Phone, MixRadio is finally expanding outside of Redmond's mobile platform. The music-streaming service, which Microsoft sold to messaging company Line last year, announced today that its app will be available on iOS and Android starting today. MixRadio's main feature is serving up personalized playlists to listeners for free, across hundreds of genre- and artist-based channels, slightly similar to what Pandora does. Interestingly enough, the service has also revealed a partnership with HTC; what this means is you'll start seeing MixRadio curate stories for BlinkFeed, the smartphone maker's customizable news stream.
Norway will lead the effort to switch off FM radio
Some countries are already stepping up their transition to digital radio, but Norway thinks it can one up them all. The nation's Ministry of Culture has revealed plans to switch off FM radio across the country in 2017, making it the first country to scrap conventional broadcasts. The staged shutoff (which begins January 11th that year) is focused on improving channel choice and quality, according to the government. While there are just five national stations on FM, there's room for roughly 42 using cleaner-sounding DAB technology. It's about eight times more expensive to use FM, too, and digital radio is more reliable for getting messages across in an emergency.
Musicians and Congress join forces in fight for royalty reform
Fair artist compensation from internet radio and streaming services is quite the hot topic of late, and now members of Congress are joining the debate. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, alongside the musicFIRST Coalition, introduced the Fair Play Fair Pay Act today that would end regulations that don't require terrestrial radio stations to pay royalties to artists and labels. As it stands, those AM/FM stations available in your car only pay licensing fees to songwriters and publishers. Organizations like ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) handle those agreements, collecting fees every time a copyrighted song is played on the radio or during a public performance. For its part in managing those agreements, ASCAP brought in over $1 billion last year.
Amazon Prime Music now offers radio stations on iOS
Dig Amazon Prime Music on your iPhone, but would rather not go sifting through songs or playlists when you just want to start streaming? You don't have to after today. At long last, Amazon has updated Prime Music's iOS app to bring in Prime Stations, ad-free radio feeds based on artists and genres, much like what you'd get if you paid for Pandora or Spotify (minus their larger catalogs, mind you). And if you do want more control, there are also personalized recommendations that suggest playlists and tracks based on what you've listened to in the past. While this probably won't get you to switch to Amazon's music service if you weren't already a fan, it will give you one more reason to keep that Prime subscription going.
TuneIn brings internet radio to your Android Auto-ready car
If you're part of the fortunate group that can use Android Auto now that it's up and running on Pioneer head units, you may be looking for fresh internet audio sources to keep you entertained during your commute. Well, TuneIn is happy to oblige -- the latest version of its app supports Android Auto from day one, letting you play radio stations and podcasts without taking your eyes off the road for more than a brief moment. It's going to be a long while before you can listen to virtually anything without reaching for your phone, but this should cover the bases for those times when FM radio or your personal music collection just won't cut it.
Samsung's Milk Music service now streams in your web browser
Samsung's Milk Music is no longer tied to its devices -- well, sort of. As promised, the service now lets you stream stations in your PC's web browser instead of having to rely solely on your phone or TV. The interface will look familiar if you're a veteran, with an emphasis on easy channel fine-tuning and giant artwork. This addition probably won't get you to switch to Milk if you aren't already a fan (you might as well use Slacker, the provider under the hood), but it will give you a chance to keep listening when you're chained to your desk.
Plans are afoot to boost the number of local DAB radio stations in the UK
DAB radio was originally sold as the natural successor to AM and FM radio in the UK, providing better audio quality, easier tuning and extra station information. It's been a mixed bag though, with patchy coverage and many radio stations broadcasting in low bit-rates. The problem partly lies in the UK's infrastructure -- the existing transmitters and data streams lack the capacity to offer so many stations at a higher audio quality. The first commercial, national "multiplex" for DAB radio is already full and while a second is in the works, Ofcom wants to explore how service can be improved at the local level. It goes beyond the UK government's promise to part-fund new transmitters by 2016.
Joystiq Presents: That's a wrap
Our final Joystiq Presents podcast gives members of the staff a moment to thank the Joystiq community and say a final farewell. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Joystiq Presents: Close project
Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) talks with Joystiq's Editor in Chief Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK) about the site's history as well as a newfound opportunity to grow. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Joystiq Presents: Can't stop
In this episode, Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) takes his turn in the hot seat as he tells Features Content Director Xav de Matos (@Xav) about the rant that landed him the job of his dreams. He also talks about barely surviving his first PAX and what Joystiq and video games mean to him. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Joystiq Presents: Team spirit
In this episode, Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) chats with News Content Director Alexander Sliwinski (@Sliwinski) about Team JOY and Team Joystiq. He also discusses the "Internet dating" side of working in the industry. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
