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Justin Bieber’s New Song Is About Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez and Justin BieberJustin Bieber's new love ballad is about Selena Gomez.

The 20-year-old singer posted a teaser for the track "Life Is Worth Living Again" on his Instagram account on March 15 and it is reportedly one of many new songs the "Boyfriend" hitmaker has written about his 21-year-old on/off girlfriend.

"Yes, 'Live Is Worth Living Again' was all for Selena and that's not the only song he's written for her. He's written a bunch of stuff for her, she's his biggest inspiration," a source said.

Justin, who has been dating Selena on/off since 2010, also dedicated a song to the brunette beauty during a surprise performance in Texas earlier this month. He turned up at the Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin for the South by Southwest festival and sang his hit "As Long As You Love Me" for his "baby," who was standing in the wings. After his romantic gesture, the pair reportedly hung out together for an hour after everyone left the venue.


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Austin Refused to Let Lady Gaga Perform in a Vending Machine

Lady GagaLady Gaga has been refused a permit to perform in a giant vending machine.

The "Do What You Want" hitmaker was hoping to entertain fans at the annual South by Southwest festival (SXSW) held in Austin, Texas between March 7 - 16 on the Doritos Stage, which has been designed to look like a huge snack machine, but due to concerns over health and safety she's had to reconsider.

"Our conclusion was based primarily on public safety concerns ... We look at the size and capacity of the location covered by the permit being sought and how it fits with the anticipated attendance, based on event capacity and promotion. At the end of the day, it's a parking lot," said Don Pitts of Austin's Music And Entertainment division.

Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - is still set to play at the nine-day festival but has been urged to find a location with "the necessary permanent infrastructure" to support her performance.


OnStar, RelayRides partnership allows GM vehicle owners to rent out vehicles to strangers for cash

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Transportation,

RelayRides OnStar

We reported on the RelayRides OnStar partnership back at CES, with RelayRides using the OnStar API to broaden its network of available vehicles. RelayRides allows its members to rent cars on a short-term basis directly from the car owners. It's a peer-to-peer car-sharing network. The partnership with OnStar will allow owners of cars equipped with the OnStar service to add their vehicles to RelayRides, giving them the opportunity to rent out their vehicles for cash. Locking, unlocking, and starting the vehicle can all be performed using the RelayRides smartphone app, and OnStar has made it easy for owners to add their vehicles to the service.

It may seem a bit unorthodox to make your personal vehicle available for rental to strangers, but RelayRides does have protections in place as they look to compete with the likes of Zipcar. What do you think? Would you use a service like this?

Read More | GM

Rdio unleashes new lightweight minimalist design

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

Rdio redesign

We gave you an early look at the New Rdio redesign back in March during SXSW 2012, and then it was released to the masses just last month. Well, we've gotta hand it to the Rdio team, as they continue to improve the design for the enjoyment of the users. Today, Rdio has refined its design again, bringing more white space and a flatter profile to the forefront. The company says that this makes it lighter, brighter, and easier on the eye. What else? Speed improvements. We've been playing with it for a bit over on the Gear Live Rdio channel, and we invite you to do the same. It's good stuff.

Read More | Rdio

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?


Bleeding Edge TV 445: MyStream iOS app shares music wirelessly between devices

In this episode we give you a look at MyStream, an iOS (and soon, Android) app that lets you share your music with multiple devices, eliminating the need to share headphones. Sharing of content happens over Bluetooth, streaming to up to 5 devices, or Wi-Fi, which will stream to up to 30 separate devices.

Big thank you to GoToMeeting for sponsoring Bleeding Edge TV. GoToMeeting provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings - be sure to check them out!


Hands-on with New Rdio redesign: More social, much faster

New Rdio

Last week at a press event in Austin at SXSW, Rdio gave us a look at its brand new, completely overhauled music experience. We got a look at the new Rdio, and we walked away impressed by the beauty of what the streaming music company is attempting to pull off. There are a lot of changes, and we think that most people will think they're all good.

New Rdio isn't just a visual makeover though. Wilson Miner, head of design for Rdio said, "We want back to ground zero and rethought the whole user experience from the groud up to put the focus 100% on music and people." That people part is a big deal, because social integration is a big part of the new Rdio. When you log in, you've got a constant bar on the right-hand side that shows your online contacts and what they're listening to. There's also another tab that gives recommendations of who to follow (oh, and you should definitely follow the Gear Live Rdio profile!) Wanna share a track or album with a contact? The old way still works, but now you can just drag and drop content onto contacts as well. Very fluid.

Click to continue reading Hands-on with New Rdio redesign: More social, much faster


Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW

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

SXSW 2012 Downloaded Sean Parker Shawn Fanning

The revolutionary promise of digital music became reality with the rise of Napster. The file sharing network pioneered a functional and comprehensive catalog of music with its enthusiastic users. Developed by then-teenaged Shawn Fanning in 1998, Napster became a worldwide phenomenon in less than a year. Co-founder Sean Parker helped develop Napster into a company. Mass acceptance came quickly, but legal challenges ultimately doomed the original service. Despite the controversy and lawsuits, Napster changed the music business and paved the way for iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, and other music services. The divide between the cultural establishment and technology innovators was defined by the disputes raised by Napster. After more than a decade of declining sales of recorded music and imperfect attempts to present a licensed alternative, the influence of Napster continues to be felt.

At SXSW, I listened in on a discussion with Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning where they discussed these issues in an effort to promote their film Downloaded. The panel opened with a montage of clips from the VH1 rockDocs Downloaded film. The trailer touched on the start of Napster, the revelation of how easy it was to get music based on a search term, how quick the results were in the age of dial-up, and the growth of Napster as a company. There are a couple of gems there as well, such as when Fanning said back in 1999 that he believed the future was instant music access from multiple devices, including stereos and smartphones (well, he said "cell phones," but still.) this is a movie about kids revolutionizing an industry they knew nothing about.

Click to continue reading Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW


Why Turntable.fm matters, and how it enhances music discovery

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

Turntable.fm music discovery

Right now I'm at SXSW, sitting in on the Turntable.fm DJ Battle that's taking place over the next two hours. There are a few DJs on stage playing their best tracks in an attempt to rock the crowd, and as things are unfolding, I can see some real potential for Turntable.fm to bring something to the table that the Spotifys, Rdios, and Rhapsodys of the world just aren't able to deliver at the moment, especially now that Turntable has secured licensing rights from all four of the major record labels here in the U.S.

Click to continue reading Why Turntable.fm matters, and how it enhances music discovery


Filmaster for iPhone to be the Foursquare of film

Posted by Reza Malayeri Categories: Entertainment, New Apps, Free Apps,

Filmaster

Filmaster is a brand new application that was released at SXSW this year. The app is developed by a Polish development team, and their aim is to position Filmaster as the "Foursquare of film". Filmaster is a free application in the app store, and it offers lots of features for movie goers around the globe. The main idea of the app is to recommend films based on users likes and preferences, and allow them to interact with their friends and fellow movie goers. Some of the Filmaster features listed on the App Store include:

  • Personalized movie recommendations in your area
  • Check into screenings, and see who's sitting next to you
  • Find film buffs with similar tastes where you live
  • Manage your personal film collection, and your wish list

There are many more features of Filmaster on the app store for you to explore, so head on over and check out this awesome new app. Filmaster promises to bring Foursquare integration, TV showtimes, and live-walls for events really soon. What do you think of apps like Filmaster and GetGlue? Do you check into TV shows with IntoNow? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Read More | Filmaster

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