Harman Kardon is releasing new wireless whole-home audio system
Whole-home audio has become popular recently thanks to products like Sonos making it easy. In the old days speaker wires had to be fished through walls, but those days of cables and intense labor are gone. Now it can be done via a wireless means and almost everyone has a home network -- something else that was once the domain of geeks and experts.
Now one of the top-tier makers of home audio equipment is getting in on the act as Harman Kardon announces its newest offering at the Consumer Electronics Show taking place this week in Las Vegas.
Spotify reveals numbers after 3 days of Beatles music availability
'Twas the night before Christmas and....the Beatles came to streaming services everywhere, making the rounds quicker than old Saint Nick. Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, Google Play Music and several others were the lucky recipients of this amazing catalog of tunes.
Now Spotify is revealing just how successful this launch has been, and the numbers revealed prove the band is still relevant 45 years after the members parted ways.
In the end the Beatles finally come to streaming services
It's been a long and winding road to get the Beatles on your devices and streaming services, but you've finally reached your destination and the iconic band has given in to demand. Sadly two members of the Fab Four won't be around to experience this blockbuster event, but you can still enjoy the magical mystery tour of the group's catalog of hits and more obscure songs.
At 12:01am local time on December 24th the Beatles music officially launches on streaming services Spotify, Apple Music, Slacker, Tidal, Groove, Rhapsody, Deezer, Google Play and Amazon Prime.
Rdio shuts down December 22nd, provides a way to save your music
Recently streaming music service Rdio was purchased by Pandora which plans to merge it into its own offering. That process is about to become complete in the next few days, but there is good news for Rdio users, or at least as much as they can expect.
The streaming service will cease operations on December 22nd. The good news, if there is any in this, is that users will be able to save their music.
Holiday 2015 Gift Guide: Stocking stuffers
Here we are, days before Christmas, and you're thinking about last-minute stocking stuffers. I've got an eclectic selection of things I would want to get or give for December 25th. Some of them will demand rushing online to take advantage of last-minute shipping offers. Others require no shipping at all, like music subscription services. Confession: Some items will require a larger stocking but no wrapping.
I present the list alphabetically, and in no order of preference.
Holiday 2015 Gift Guide: Headphones
As Christmas comes closer, it's time to think about rewarding your ears, or someone else's, with exceptional audio experience—headphones that I would ask Santa to bring for myself or deliver to another. If big, booming bass is your thing, read no further. Buy Beats, Sony, or another brand boasting barreling lows that shake your skull as well as eardrums.
My picks deliver broader audio range, each with warmer mids and highs and amazing detail, depending somewhat on the source of your content. Highly compressed AAC or MP3 tracks lack lots, but these cans will get a little more fidelity from them. CD or lossless source might change how you listen to music forever.
Listen up! Pandora arrives on the new Apple TV
The brand new Apple TV is now on the market, and it is receiving some attention. Capability is in the eye of the beholder, but of course, being Apple, it has its fans. This time around the platform has opened up a bit more and slipping in now is music darling Pandora.
The streaming service is announcing that it is now launching on the the new Apple TV. The service already supported many different devices, but this adds one more to the arsenal.
Google Play Music family plan is here -- share with Uncle Dick, Nana, your mom, and more
Music is one of the most important parts of my life. Listening to it is much more than a hobby -- it is with me throughout the day. Whether relaxing, working, or even napping, I often have some music playing in the background. Streaming services, such as the wonderful Spotify, have been a godsend for me, as I can consume all I want for a paltry monthly fee.
If you have a family, however, the subscription fees can really add up. The rise of family sharing plans should greatly alleviate this pain point. Today, Google announces that its previously announced family option is finally available. As much as I love Spotify, this deal may be too good to pass up.
Spotify lets you create your year in music
As the year winds down it becomes time for retrospective thoughts. There will be a lot to look back on 2015, some of it pleasant, some sad, some just plain scary. Moments are sometimes defined by music -- you remember what was popular when you were in high school, for instance.
Now Spotify would like to provide you with some reminders of the year that's almost gone. This is your year in music and it's tailored to each individual user.
Adele '25' blows the roof off of digital music sales
Hello from Adele. The artist has had two critically acclaimed albums already in her young career, but nothing prepared anyone for the latest offering. 25 is the new album and it seems to be an incredibly hot commodity right now, at least according to new statistics released for the first week of sales.
Unsurprisingly, digital was at the top of the list with iTunes leading the way with 1.5 million sales. It was followed by Amazon at a distant 243,000 and Google Play at 55,000. In between were physical locations Target and Walmart.
Happy holidays! WebRadio launches Christmas stations
It's that time of year with the weather turning cold, shopping lists in mind and a general feeling of...well, it depends on the person. However, many folks like a bit of spirit for the season and holiday music purveys that, frequently bringing back memories of youth with the likes of Bing Crosby and Burl Ives.
Now WebRadio, a BRS Media company, is trying to bring you the best of the holidays with a long list of channels to choose from.
Pandora plans to make Rdio part of its music empire
Pandora and Rdio are two of the major forces in the streaming music industry. It's a growing market now that CDs have become part of the past. Yes, sales of them still exist, just not what they once were.
Now Pandora is planning to acquire Rdio and consolidate the two services. It's an interesting proposition and will certainly have implications. Pandora and Rdio are different in certain ways. Pandora simply lets you create stations based on taste and does an excellent job of it. Rdio allows for streaming individual songs.
Zune is dead
The writing has been on the wall for some time now, but Microsoft has today officially killed Zune. After nine years, the music service is no more, driven to the grave by the competition.
Zune players just never managed to fight off the iPod, and with smartphones taking on the role of music player in addition to everything else, it didn’t take long for Microsoft's player to become surplus to requirements. Microsoft is not learning from history, though; the company continues to try its hand at music with Groove.
Apple Music arrives on Android as a beta
In a few short months, Apple Music has picked up millions of followers, and it has managed to do this whilst remaining exclusive to iOS. Now that changes. Today Apple's music app makes the jump to Android.
Currently in beta, Apple Music for Android is a free download, and includes a three-month free trial of the service. After this, should you want to continue using it, you'll have to cough up $9.99 per month. For the most part, this is a direct port of the iOS version of the app, but as it is in beta there are some notable differences.
Pandora makes music discovery even easier
Music services are an ever increasing market, with new ones popping up all the time. There are a few that have distanced themselves from the pack, though. One of those is Pandora which takes a song and analyzes it in an effort to create a station with similar music. You can argue if this works, but it does in most cases, at least based in my experience,
Now Tim Westergren's little hobby is launch an enhanced discover service in an effort to make it even easier to find music.
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