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Ticketmaster pays $10 million fine after hacking a startup rival
Ticketmaster has agreed to pay a $10 million criminal fine to avoid prosecution over charges that it accessed a rival’s computer system without authorization
Spotify will now list virtual events on artist pages
Spotify has clearly noticed this and decided to spruce up the mostly-empty ‘On Tour’ area that lives on artist pages. Starting today, any kind of virtual event can show up there too. According to Spotify, a “select number of [presumably virtual] Ticketmaster events” will also appear automatically in the On Tour section.
The BBC can now tell you when your favourite artists are playing live
While Songkick's live event listings are already featured in some of the most popular music services on the planet, none are as illustrious as the BBC. To help the Beeb with the giant task of cataloging and listing every artist that appears on one of its TV or radio programmes, Songkick has been brought in to do what it does best: supply BBC Music's new performer pages with every upcoming concert across the UK. The good news is that the startup doesn't just catalog A-list events, meaning you'll be able to follow upcoming artists as they perform their first gigs. To access the BBC's new Songkick-powered concert listings, head on over to the new BBC Music and simply select the artist you want to see (or just download the official Songkick app).
Spotify for iOS updated with artist tour dates and faster search
Swedish music streaming giant Spotify has updated its iOS app with new features to help you find and follow artists both online and offline. Already present in its desktop counterpart, gigs and concert dates have made their way onto iPads and iPhones thanks to live music-tracking service Songkick. Spotify has also boosted the app's search features, expanding its reach to include user playlists and profiles while giving it a noticeable speed bump. Localization support for Japanese, Russian and Indonesian has also made it into the app, giving us a clue as to where the music service will open for business next.
Spotify Discover launches for all with integration from Songkick, Pitchfork and more
Spotify is making another push to help its users find more music they're interested in listening to, and find out more about the artists they like by making its "Discover" feature available to all. Initially shown off late last year, this page combines several elements that have already been a part of the music service, including apps like Pitchfork, Songkick and Tunigo with its song recommendations and followed artist pages. There's also an audio preview feature to let you easily dip into a song that seems interesting, without pulling the focus away from whatever you were listening to before. The new page is available today on Spotify's web player for all users, and is expected to come to its desktop and mobile clients "gradually." With the launch of Twitter Music and Google Play Music's All Access Spotify is facing renewed competition on multiple fronts, we'll see if this kind of one stop shopping for info is key to keeping its users tied to their subscriptions. Check after the break for a few more details in the press release, or hit the website to give it a try yourself.%Gallery-189648%
Spotify apps hands-on
The big reveal at today's "what's next" Spotify event? Apps. So, so many apps. As anticipated, the Swedish music streaming service launched its very own platform for third-party developers. The program is launching today in beta, with a number of partners, including some high profile music names like Rolling Stone and Last.fm along with some relative new-comers to the scene, like SoundDrop and Sharemyplaylists.com. We had the opportunity to play around with a number of these new apps at the event, and don't let the fact that our ears are still ringing stop you from checking out our impressions after the break. %Gallery-140703%
YouTube 'Merch Store' makes your artist channel a one-stop shop for the groupie goodies
Know what beats selling CDs (or USB sticks) and swag out of the trunk of your struggling band's party wagon? Striking a deal with Google to pitch those wares on the interwebs, that's what. Rolling out to official YouTube partners over the next few weeks, the newly created Merch Store will offer fans from all across the globe an opportunity to purchase MP3s, tickets for concerts and gatherings, and, of course, merchandise straight from your dedicated page. Helping ol' Mountain View make these coffer-filling goodies available are a handful of established online retailers like Amazon, iTunes, Songkick and Topspin. So, if you just can't wait for the Rebecca Black arena rock tour to blitz through your small town, keep clicking refresh on that artist channel for the inevitable slew of merchandising, merchandising.
