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Spotify finally comes to Windows Phone 8

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Music, Software,

Spotify Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 users have been patiently waiting for Spotify to hit the platform, and the day has finally arrived. You can download the beta Spotify app to get your subscription music streaming on while simultaneously kicking Xbox Music to the curb. The wait was due to the Windows Phone 7 Spotify app being built by a third party and paid for by Microsoft, in an attempt to just get Spotify onto its phones, and since Windows Phone 8 is a totally different platform, the app needed to be rewritten from scratch. Not sure why that garish pus-yellow background needed to be included, but we guess beggars can't be choosers.

Read More | Windows Phone Blog

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Rdio steaming music subscription

rdio subscription holiday gift

They say music is the universal language, and as music lovers ourselves, we think it's one of the best gifts that you can give, and we're putting it in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Rather than grabbing an iTunes gift card, or worse, a random CD from the bargain bin, we recommend hitting your loves ones up with Rdio gift subscriptions. Why? It allows the user unlimited access to the entire Rdio music streaming catalog. That means on-demand access to millions of tracks from the web, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and even your Sonos system. Rdio costs $9.99 per month for full access. We love it--check out Gear Live on Rdio!

We are giving away three 3-month subscriptions to Rdio to our readers as well! To enter, all you need to do is:

Good luck to all entrants, and be sure to look through the rest of our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide for more giveaways!

Read More | Rdio

Apple set to launch Pandora-like streaming music service

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Music, Rumors,

iTunes Streaming music

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is working on a streaming music service that would give iTunes, Spotify- or Pandora-like functionality. However, the details are scarce at the moment. Here's a Tweet from Dennis K. Berman:

Click to continue reading Apple set to launch Pandora-like streaming music service

Read More | WSJ

Spotify 0.5.4 appears with iOS 6 support

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, App Updates, iPad Apps, Free Apps,

Spotify iOS 6The most recent Spotify update has appeared in the App Store with iOS 6 support in tow. Typically, Apple rejects app releases that mention compatibility with beta versions of iOS until they put out to official call. Spotify is what we'd consider a high-profile app, so we thought it was interesting to mention. Aside from iOS 6 support, Spotify 0.5.4 also brings the ability for iPad users to show more channels at once, fixes Facebook login issues, and improves app stability. You can get it now. iOS 6 launches in the fall.


Rdio for Mac 2.08 released with Mountain Lion support

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Software,

Rdio Mountain Lion

Rdio released a small updated for the Rdio for Mac app today, bringing with it Mountain Lion compatibility. In short, the OS X media keys will now perform as expected with Rdio when running the newly-released OS X 10.8. The changelog:

  • Media key support for Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
  • Layout bug fixes

If you haven't tried it, Rdio is our pick for the best streaming subscription music platform available in the US. In fact, you can follow the Gear Live Rdio channel for our song picks and recommendations.

Read More | Rdio

Beats Electronics acquires MOG music service

Beats Electronics acquired MOG

The rumors have been swirling for months, and now it's official--Beats Electronics has acquired MOG. Beats Electronics is the force behind the Beats by Dr. Dre headphone line and the Beats Audio profile, while MOG is a fledgling streaming music service that, while popular, has been in an uphill battle against services like Spotify, Rdio, and Rhapsody. The purchase means that Beats Electronics now has an end-to-end solution, controling both the hardware for listening to music, and the service to consume it as well.

Click to continue reading Beats Electronics acquires MOG music service

Read More | USA Today

Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Internet, Music,

Cloud music services comparison

We sat in on a panel where Pandora's Jackson Gates, Daren Tsui of mSpot, and Kevin Wortis were interviewed by Gartner's Mike McGuire about the future of cloud music services at SXSW. It was an interesting discussion, focusing on what the benefit of the cloud brings to music, and the problems associated with expecting users to pay for something that they've been used to getting for free for at least a generation. It's an interesting time, and obviously the models differ substantially for companies like Pandora and Spotify, for example. Click on through for the highlights of the discussion!

Click to continue reading Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?


Spotify launching on July 14 in the US, invitation-only

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Music,

Spotify US launch

We know a lot of you were expecting OS X Lion tomorrow, and while we aren't saying it's o ut of the question, we do know one long-awaited product that'll definitely be launching tomorrow, and that's Spotify. It took them a hell of a long time to get everything signed, sealed, and ready to deliver, but the Spotify folks are ready to roll:

We were really adamant about bringing the service to the US, which means a really great, free experience. We wanted to be really careful about the way we did this, and the rights holders felt the same way. It took some time, but we're absolutely thrilled that all four major labels and a ton of indies are behind us, and we'll be bringing that Spotify experience to the US tomorrow.

The free service will be invite-only at first, so you'll wanna head over to the signup page now to get your email address in the hat. From there, there will also be two paid tiers--a $4.99 per month service that does away with the ads, and a $9.99 per month service that allows you to use Spotify on a mobile device like the iPhone or an Android smartphone, with the ability to cache tracks for offline access. The European version of Spotify boasts 15 million tracks, but there's no word as of yet on how many tracks they'll be launching with in the US. We'll know tomorrow!

Read More | Spotify US signup

Spotify is finally, officially, coming to the US

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Music,

Spotify US invite

Looks like Spotify has finally gotten those US record labels in check, as it has put up a page on its site inviting US users to submit their email addresses in order to gain early access! Spotify is the super-popular music streaming service that has taken Europe by storm, offering free access to millions of tracks on-demand from your computer or smartphone. The company has been trying to launch in the US for quite some time, but has seen numerous hurdles and delays. It looks like that's all been turned around now though, and you'll soon be able to ditch your Rhapsody, MOG, and Rdio subscriptions for another service that pretty much does the same thing.

Read More | Spotify US

Slacker Premium brings unlimited on-demand music streaming

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Music,

slacker premium radio

Slacker finally launched their Slacker Premium Radio service yesterday, a new tier of the popular streaming audio service that gives music lovers on-demand access to the individual songs, albums, top charts, station playlists, and single-artist radio stations in the Slacker library.

The $9.99-per-month Slacker Premium can be accessed on the Web, as well as through apps available for the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android, and BlackBerry platforms.

Slacker Premium Radio lets listeners search, play, and replay specific songs and entire albums from the 8 million songs in Slacker's library. In addition, users have the ability to create playlists and cache songs and albums for offline playback. Slacker Premium Radio also features all-new artist pages that contain artist biographies, all songs by the artist, discographies, and related artists.

Click to continue reading Slacker Premium brings unlimited on-demand music streaming


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