Spotify launches on Windows Phone 8

While us iOS and Android users have been enjoying Spotify for quite a while now, the app just now hit the Windows Phone 8 store. While it’s launching in beta mode, the app is available for everyone, just don’t expect a completely smooth and snappy music app right off the bat, since the dev team is still working on it.

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This actually marks the first time that an official Spotify app has become available on the Windows Phone operating system. In the past, Windows Phone 7 had a third-party Spotify app (as well as on BlackBerry), which was actually funded by Microsoft to try and get it on their platform as soon as possible, but now the official Spotify team has released a dedicated app for Windows Phone 8.

Many of the features that you’ll find on the app are the same features that iOS and Android users have been enjoying for a while now. You can do things like create playlists, browse playlists of friends, and even discover new music. The app works in the cloud, but it also has an offline mode that allows you download your library to your device for offline listening.

The app is available for free, with a 30-day free trial to Spotify Premium, which is required in order to take advantage of the mobile app. Premium service costs $9.99 a month, and it allows you sync your Spotify library between devices, including your computer. Computer-only use is free, but you’ll also be treated with ads if you plan to go with that route.


Spotify launches on Windows Phone 8 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

At Least No One Can Hear What You’re Doing In These Musical Rhythmic Potties

In an attempt to make the often overused and undermaintained portable toilets not the worst part of a music festival in Argentina, the organizers decided to make a bank of stalls one of the musical acts. More »

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Bermuda

All hail the hypno-box! This psychedelic short film by Calvin Frederick of CalArts surprisingly uses zero CGI or other special effects. He instead relies on a Canon 5D mounted in a motion-control rig, a programmable LED board, and mirroring to create this kaleidoscopic mania. More »

Is Listening to MP3s and Vinyls Better Than Listening to Live Music?

Here’s something that should have an obvious answer for most people (some crusty folks like me who avoid large crowds and loud sounds would beg to differ), is listening to MP3s and vinyls better than listening to live music? LIVE MUSIC DUH! If you don’t listen to live music, you don’t love music. If you don’t go see a show, you have no soul. Stop being a slave to the mainstream, man. Whatever. But what if it’s… not better? More »

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: PANDA (NSFW)

Indie-electrorock group, Astro, is kind of a big deal. Already one of the most popular bands in their native Chile since forming in 2008, Astro’s summer 2012 debut album arrived to heapings of praise by the New York Times and NPR. The band has even received invites to play some of the biggest music festivals in North America, including SXSW. More »

Begun: San Francisco (NSFW)

This is what benign paroxysmal positional vertigo feels like. Director Borja V. Conde had suffered from the debilitating effects of this disease in the days leading up the shoot for Barcelona-based Begun’s first music video, “San Francisco,” so he incorporated many of the visual distortions he felt into the project. More »

These 25 Avant-Garde Concert Posters Turn Advertising into Art

Even at the going rate of 1000 words, accurately depicting the the audiological experience of a headlining band delivers is no easy feat. That may be part of the reason why epic concert posters like these—ones that really illustrate what your ears are in for—often become collectors items at show’s end.

More »

iTunes breaks 25 billion songs sold – a new record!

This week Apple has made it clear that they’re continuing to bust up the record books with a massive 25 billion songs sold. This record takes on the digital sales record with the iTunes Store having reached a 15,000 song downloads per minute mark on average – crazy stuff! The 25 billionth song sold goes to none other than Chase Buch with the song “Monkey Drums” (Goksel Vancin Remix), and rewards are in store!

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This 25 billionth song not only gets the distinction of being that mark-maker, but also has the artist winning a beastly €10,000 iTunes Gift Card. One wonders if they’ll simply purchase thousands of copies of their own music or if they’ll pick up every single song recorded in the last several years. One thing is for certain – even with that amount of iTunes cash, Chase Buch won’t be able to purchase everything the iTunes Store has to offer.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services spoke up this week about the masterful mark. Noting the 15,000 songs per minute average sales point as well, Cue spoke up on how “the iTunes Store connects music fans with their favorite artists … on a scale we never imagined possible.” It was also made clear once again that the iTunes Store is “the world’s most popular music store” complete with 119 countries on its roster and 26 million songs available for download.

In their most recent release on the iTunes Store, Apple reminded the world that they push songs with “iTunes Plus”. This is Apple’s own brand format for songs which offers DRM-free action with 256 kbps AAC encoding for what Apple describes as “audio virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings.” It’s high-powered!


iTunes breaks 25 billion songs sold – a new record! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Deezer teams up with LG, Samsung and Toshiba to bring its music service to smart TVs

Deezer teams up with LG, Samsung and Toshiba to bring its music service to smart TVs

We were already well aware of Deezer making its way toward some LG Smart TVs in the UK, but now the streaming service has announced it’ll be coming to many, many more savvy television sets in the very near future. The digital tunes provider let it be know that it’s struck a deal with Samsung, Toshiba and, yet again, LG, one that’s bound to make the Deezer application available to a “potential audience of at least 600 million people across more than 150 countries.” There’s a slight caveat, however, as the recently announced deal comes with somewhat of a limited scope — namely the fact Deezer’s set to only be usable on Samsung smart TVs in Europe that were produced in 2011, while the same goes for LG’s but with the exception of a worldwide availability. Toshiba, on the other hand, will be able to bring the music offering to its 2011-range in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, as well as the company’s new 2013 smart TV lineup to users all around the globe. This, naturally, excludes us folks in the good ol’ US of A, since, as you may know, Deezer is still trying to figure things out this side of the pond.

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Source: Deezer

RIAA copyright takedown requests to Google reach 10 million

RIAA takedown requests to Google reach 10 million

Something tells us they won’t be handing out gold watches for this milestone. Just eight months after Google added copyright takedown requests to its Transparency Report, the search firm can claim to have almost exactly 10 million such requests from the RIAA. A dive into the numbers very quickly explains just how they built up so quickly. The RIAA and the music labels attached to it have topped at least the most recent monthly requests, and they’re collectively issuing hundreds of thousands of notices every week. We certainly don’t expect the industry group to hang up its hat just because it’s at a nice, round figure: when pirate sites rarely stay down for long, and the RIAA all but accuses Google of being an accomplice to piracy despite censorship concerns, the current game of infringement whack-a-mole is only likely to continue.

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Via: Digital Music News

Source: Google Transparency Report