To many listeners, one benefit of purchasing physical music is the ability to learn who was responsible for the behind-the-scenes production, like the names of songwriters, background vocalists or song producers and engineers. Unfortunately for those music fans, often-used digital players today now only include basic information like song title, artist name and album. Now, though,… Read More…
Twitter unveils sleek new #music discovery app for web, iOS

There’s a new way to find the tunes and tracks everyone is talking about. Twitter today debuted a new music discovery platform for both browsers and iOS devices. The service uses Twitter activity to aggregate the most popular music. You’re also able to preview the songs right through the app via iTunes, and subscribers to… Read More…
Music sales up, illegal downloading down as people turn to streaming services

There was a point in the past decade when it seemed as if technology, largely by way of illegal peer-to-peer downloading, was going to ruin the music industry. But recent numbers show otherwise. According to the industry trade group IFPI, global music sales rose 0.3 percent last year to $16.5 billion for the first time since 1999…. Read More…
Rhapsody app arrives for Windows Phone 8

Less than a week after Spotify jumped onto Windows Phone 8, Rhapsody is doing the same. Seattle-based Rhapsody just debuted its new app for Windows Phone 8, which was built specifically for Microsoft’s newest mobile device. Though the app is free, only members who pay $10-$15 per month can stream the 13 million tracks. So… Read More…
Windows Phone 8 gets Spotify, still waiting on Pandora

Spotify, the popular streaming music service, was released this morning for Windows Phone 8, adding an important music app to Microsoft’s mobile lineup. Spotify was previously available for Windows Phone 7 but hadn’t been issued for Windows Phone 8. The download is free but the mobile version of the service requires a Spotify Premium account,… Read More…
Across the pond: Rhapsody launching in Europe
For the first time, Rhapsody is going international. GigaOM reported that Seattle-based Rhapsody will launch in 16 European countries in the second quarter of this year. It’s a move that will keep Rhapsody, the longest running music subscription service in the U.S., competitive with Spotify, which hit one million paid U.S. users last month. In December… Read More…
Xbox Music: Windows 8 plays lead as Microsoft debuts new service

It’s called Xbox Music, but make no mistake — the frontman in this band is Windows 8. Microsoft is taking another run at digital music with a new service called Xbox Music, unveiling the details tonight. Xbox Music will include free, ad-supported music streaming on Windows 8 PCs and tablets, starting with the Oct. 26… Read More…
Paul McCartney returns to streaming music sites

In February, we reported that Paul McCartney had pulled his music from streaming sites, like Rhapsody, Spotify and Rdio. It appears that the Beatle’s camp has changed their minds — some of McCartney’s music is back online. Spotify has added his solo album, Ram (1971). Memory Almost Full (2007) and this year’s Kisses on the… Read More…
Spotify’s secret to adding 8,000 paying subscribers a day

Ever since its U.S. debut last year, the popular music listening service Spotify has been adding 8,000 subscribers a day. And I’m not just talking about free subscribers. That’s paid subscribers. What’s their secret? It’s all in the marketing. I’ll show you what those strategies are and how to use them to promote your own product,… Read More…
Rhapsody tops 1M paying subscribers, and its president has the shaved head to prove it

Rhapsody says it has surpassed 1 million paying subscribers — leveraging its MetroPCS partnership, its recent acquisition of Napster and the rise of mobile devices to solidify its position as the largest premium music subscription service in the United States even as new rivals enter the market. The milestone represents substantial growth for Rhapsody, which… Read More…































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