If you go out and hunt for a DJ app that lets you mix together two different tracks, you’re going to come across a lot of really, really, bad design. Even the best stuff is a hell of fake spinning turntable skeuomorphs. After playing with Native Instruments’ Traktor DJ for iPad, we’re sure there’s a better way. It takes advantage of the iPad’s tabletness—rather than pretending the iPad is a Technics deck. More »
Billboard has been offering up charts that show which songs are the most popular in the country and around the world for decades. The company has had its Hot 100 chart for 55 years and the formula used to determine which songs go on that chart has now been changed. Billboard has announced that it now takes a number of plays a song has had on YouTube into account when figuring Hot 100 rankings.
This change in the formula will have significant impact for a lot of artists and their music. For instance, the song Harlem Shake from Baauer has become a YouTube sensation with thousands and thousands of users each day uploading videos of themselves dancing to the tune. Thanks to the change in the Hot 100 formula, Harlem Shake will debut at number one this week on the chart.
According to the New York Times when Harlem Shake was first released last May as a free download the track received little attention. However, the song and videos of people dancing to it have gone viral via YouTube and its popularity has exploded. Reports indicate that over 4000 videos of people dancing to the song were going up on YouTube every day.
Reports also indicate that download sales and people listening to this track on streaming on services like Spotify have increased massively. According to the New York Times, the incredible online activity for Harlem Shake is what led Billboard to quickly move forward with changing how it ranks songs on the Hot 100 chart. Apparently, Billboard had been talking with YouTube for nearly 2 years on integrating metrics from the video sharing service into its Hot 100.
[via NYT]
Billboard now takes YouTube views into account in its Hot 100 formula is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
You might not know it, but the melody from Happy Birthday To You is actually copyrighted, owned by Time Warner, and won’t enter the public domain until 2030 at the earliest. That’s why the Free Music Archive set out to find an alternative—and this is officially the best choice. More »
Spotify, the ever-popular music streaming service, is apparently in talks with major music labels to negotiate reductions in royalty fees in order to offer free access to the service’s mobile offerings. Currently, users have to pay $9.99 per month in order to access Spotify on their smartphones or tablets.
The Verge reports that “several music industry sources” are saying that Spotify is already in negotiations with Warner Music about lowering fees and changing rights to its music, and Spotify is said to begin similar negotiations with Sony and Universal soon. If such negotiations are successful, Spotify would see a growth in profits, as well as the ability to give more users access to free content.
Spotify’s free offering only gives users access to the desktop app with advertisements, but paying the monthly $9.99 fee will get rid of ads and allow users to access their Spotify library on their mobile devices. Even though, Spotify boasts 20 million users, 5 million of which are paying subscribers, the company is currently breaking even financially.
While free access to Spotify’s mobile offerings would certainly be fantastic, it’s hard to say if the negotiations with the music labels will go well. Streaming music services have a tense relationship with music labels and even individual artists. Several major artists, including Coldplay and Adele, have refused to allow their music to be streamed by Spotify because of extremely low royalty fees and rights to the music.
[via The Verge]
Spotify reportedly aiming at free access for mobile users is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The Verge is reporting that Spotify is in talks with major music labels to negotiate substantial reductions in the royalty fees it pays—as well as extending rights so that it can roll out its free pricing tier to mobile devices. More »
We’re here live at today’s HTC event where they have officially announced the new HTC One smartphone. Of course, it has all the goodies that any fan would love, including “UltraPixel” camera technology. However, the company also introduced what they’re calling BoomSound: two front-facing speakers — one on the top near the earpiece and one on the bottom near the mic.
The speakers feature true stereo audio when listening to music or watching videos on the HTC One without headphones. Plus, it’s enhanced with Beats Audio (obviously). Of course, this is one of the big features of the new phone, and it truly revolutionizes audio on smartphones, where in the past most devices only have a mono speaker on the back.
Along with the speakers are dual microphones that allow for HDR sound recording in order to produce clear and undistorted audio. HTC says you’ll be able to take this thing to a concert and record great live audio from the event, something that most smartphones today have a serious problem with. Of course, we’d have to test that theory out before we believe it.
HTC has also made a new music player that uses the cloud to deliver lyrics and other song information to users. It seems pretty straightforward and self-explanatory, but that seems to be all the info on that at this point. HTC’s current music player isn’t terrible, but it’ll be nice to have a fresh new look and more features added on.
HTC One features new BoomSound front-facing speakers is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Inventor Paul Vo has developed an entirely new way to modify the sound of instruments. Stringed instruments for now, at least. Before I twist your brain into knots trying to explain how it works, take a moment to listen to the Vo-96 acoustic synthesizer in the video above. Moog teased this concept as the LEV-96 back in November, but this is our first really comprehensive look at what it sounds like. More »
After 275 consecutive weeks of DLC that produced over 4,000 songs, Harmonix is tuning up Rock Band for its final content release on April 2nd. As the once-prominent rock star sim walks up the Stairway to Heaven, its studio will release additional tracks and pro guitar upgrades. This final planned run of new content will include music from unnamed artists who have yet to be featured in the Rock Band series. Sure, this news is a bummer, but not all hope is lost. Harmonix clarified that this isn’t the end of the Rock Band franchise as a whole, only its weekly DLC releases. So, don’t go listing your plastic axe on eBay just yet, because you never know when or where Harmonix could announce a reunion tour.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Rock Band Forums
This week we’ve had a look (or a listen, rather) to the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 over-ear headphones, the newest in a line of hardcore solutions from the team that brought you some of the best ear-blasting sound machines we’ve got in our review archives. This newest design is what the company calls “crowdsourced” as they’ve made the creation process one where more people were involved than on any previous project in the company – audiophiles, producers, editors, and DJs alike. The end product is a pair of headphones that sound just as good or better than the Limited Edition LP2s we saw last year (and the original LPs back in 2010) in a slightly more compact setup – a win win!
With the Crossfade M-100 model you’ve got 50MM “Dual-Diaphragm” Drivers with dual inputs at the bottom of either shell. You can plug your cord into the bottom of your rightphone and on the left you’ve got a real-deal V-CORK to seal the deal. Unlike most solutions that simply leave the second port open, V-MODA provides a couple of rubbery plastic corks you can use to keep your innards safe from environmental harm – simple and useful!
You’ve got hardcore quality with this set of phones as well, bringing on some rather extreme promises from the V-MODA crew, starting with kevlar-reinforced detachable cables complete with 45-degree plug strain relief – on both cords, mind you. These cords can withstand bends “more than 1 million times” according to V-MODA, this being, again according to the company, “over 100x industry standards.”
Both cords are rather fabulous to work with, also, one of them a “SharePlay” audio cable that’s able to bust out another port right through the first, the other a SpeakEasy mic cable that allows you to work with a built-in microphone solution. The color scheme here is black and orange – if you didn’t already notice – this a rather unique way of providing differentiation at first glance from earlier models and bringing on one of three different color combinations.
You’ve got a choice between Matte Black, Shadow, and White Silver combinations – and like previous V-MODA over-ear solutions, you also get extra shield customizability as well. While there aren’t replacement shields in the box like there were for the LP2 Limited Edition model, you can order extras when you head to the V-MODA online store – and get custom engravings, as well. You’ll be paying $310 USD for the phones themselves, then a shield kit will cost you an additional $25.
These phones extend out for the largest of heads and fold up and in with V-MODA’s own “CliqFold” system to get as small as possible for easy mobility. You also get a shell for extra protection and portability, this holding every bit of gear you get in the box. You’ll also find that you’re getting a 2 Year + Immortal Life 50% deal with this purchase as well – that’s V-MODA’s way of saying “thank you” for joining their team – discounts forever.
These phones work with frequency response between 5 and 30 kHz and have a sensitivity of 103 dB @ 1kHz 1mW. The Crossfade M-100s are the highest quality headphones V-MODA has ever offered, audio and all. Here you’ll find that the biggest difference between the LP2 model we’ve heard before and the M-100 is the base, first of all – when the deepness matters the most, a round punch in the drum is what you’ll heard the hardest on the M-100s.
In the end, it’s all about refinement. V-MODA’s Crossfade M-100 headphones are the finest combination of sound quality, tactile quality, and comfort I’ve experienced at this price range in a pair of headphones – only the LP2s come close. These headphones will be your go-to choice for everyday listening and will be the pair you grab when you’re about to board a 10 hour overseas flight – I know I will.
V-MODA Crossfade M-100 Review: over-ear excellence strikes again is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Just because Rhapsody is an old hand at online music doesn’t mean it has to lag behind: the company just posted a new version of its app tailored to Windows Phone 8 listeners. Besides the native OS tie-ins, it adds offline downloads and access to the personalized My Music section. Windows Phone-focused listeners who’ve stuck to Rhapsody’s $10-plus service through thick and thin — or just aren’t wedded to options from Microsoft, Nokia and Spotify — can hit the source for the new jukebox.
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Windows Phone Store
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