Spotify is not the first internet music service. There’s Pandora, Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio, Zune, iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Music, and plenty of others. Yet despite not having a product in the US, Spotify became legend. A musical unicorn. More »
We just received word from Spotify’s chief content officer Ken Parks that the much-loved music streaming service is finally coming to the US tomorrow. Asked about the final hurdles leading up to release, Parks told us:
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.
Parks wouldn’t announce an exact time for launch, but did tell us that the service will offer three pricing plans, including the free, ad-supported version that made it such a hit in its native Europe. The executive wouldn’t shed light on any particular concerns that labels may have had with the free version as previously reported either, but told us confidently that, “with each passing day, the model proves itself even more… It’s a great way to engage people and get them to invest in it, and if it weren’t, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.” For those who want to invest right away, the $4.99 tier gives users an ad-free experience and the $9.99 level makes it possible to use Spotify with mobile devices, including an offline caching feature. The latter version is compatible with Android and iOS devices, as well as a number of streaming media products from companies like Sonos and Logitech. The US version will be largely identical to its European counterpart and will feature access to at least part of the company’s global catalog of 15 million songs. No word on the actual number of tracks in US version, but Parks promised that it would offer, “a huge catalog.”
Spotify launching in the US tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ever since Nintendo’s GDC announcement in March we’ve been waiting for Netflix streaming on the 3DS, and it appears tomorrow’s eShop update will do the trick. This may be too late for those that followed through on threats to cancel after the new rates were announced yesterday, but all other 3DS owners can get their Parks & Rec (in 3D?) anywhere in range of a WiFi signal. Joystiq also points out there’s also two Game Boy games coming in tomorrow’s update, Game & Watch Gallery and Baseball, just in case you’re interested in using your portable game machine to actually play games.
Netflix streaming comes to the Nintendo 3DS tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You probably know Netflix raised its prices. And, like everyone else, you’re probably outraged at the death of $10 1 disc + streaming plan. But the $6 price hike doesn’t have to be the end of the world. More »
Yesterday Netflix did something pretty big: it cut the umbilical cord on its streaming video offerings. What was once a funny little niche offering, a rag-tag collection of canceled TV shows you never watched and ’80s movies you never rented, had grown into something big, something that still wasn’t quite great but was legitimately very good. As such, that service deserved its own plan, to stand tall and apart from the red envelopes that made the company famous.
But there’s one problem: after cutting Instant loose, creating a new $7.99 streaming-only plan, Netflix stuck the dagger right in its own side by not re-thinking its disc-based rentals — plans that looked a lot more valuable before than they do now. Netflix has succeeded in making its on-demand offerings so good that those unlimited snail mail samplings can’t quite stand up on their own two feet anymore. At least, they can’t stand up tall enough to support their $7.99 and up prices. Maybe, Netflix, it’s time to go back to the fundamentals.
Continue reading Editorial: Netflix was too cheap before, but now it’s just wrong
Editorial: Netflix was too cheap before, but now it’s just wrong originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HDTV manufacturers have used a variety of tactics to attract customers to the 3D segment, bundling free glasses, discounting Blu-ray players, and nearly eliminating unsightly bezels, but with content selection still incredibly limited, there’s been little incentive for consumers to shell out extra cash for a 3D set. Sony’s new 3D Experience sets out to expand those content offerings, streaming on-demand sports highlights and select movie trailers to Bravia LCD TVs, and eventually Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The Experience launches with just 30 clips in the US, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK today, but will eventually grow to include more movie, music, sports, and documentary titles. There’s no word on whether or not we can expect full-length films (or anything else we may actually be interested in watching) in the future, but with a commitment from Samsung to launch paid content later this year, we imagine Sony won’t follow too far behind.
Sony 3D Experience brings free on-demand movie trailers, sports clips to Bravia TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Steve Ballmer revealed a new service yesterday that should be, ahem, music to your ears when it starts spinning this fall. During Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, the Windows chief mentioned Xbox Music — a MS-branded music streaming service, with over 11 million songs and Kinect compatibility. That last feature will let you shout your music selections across the room, and could result in some pretty gnarly sibling battles whenever music tastes don’t match. Unlike the console’s current last.fm offering, we can only hope that Music will support multitasking, allowing you to settle those musical differences in the virtual boxing ring as the beat goes on, rather than on the living room floor.
Update: The Business Insider editor who reported the quote tweeted a correction and updated the article, explaining “No new Xbox Music service coming this fall. Just voice command to existing service. ‘Xbox. Music.’ Correction posted.”
Ballmer: Microsoft will launch Xbox Music this fall (update: not true) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Netflix hadn’t hinted at any upcoming plans to change the services it offers, but NewTeeVee spotted an unadvertised DVD-only plan on its site a few days ago, and an anonymous tipster from within the company indicates that’s just the start. The DVD.Netflix.com page offers unlimited DVDs by mail, per month (one at a time) for $7.99, which slots it between the standard DVD & streaming combo plans and a $4.99 offering that gives just two DVDs per month. According to the tipster we spoke to, Netflix is planning to change its pricing entirely, by also implementing a streaming only plan with no discs for $7.99, and jacking up the minimum pricetag for combined services to $15.98 from the current $9.99 it has charged since November. They indicated the change would take place tomorrow night around 9 p.m., with customers notified by email and no plans to grandfather any of the old pricing setups along. With aggressive expansion plans pressing forward and its costs to acquire content rising sharply, hiking the price by 50 percent on many of its 20 million+ subscribers could be the easiest way to make the numbers add up, it could be just those subscribers who are left to determine exactly what Watch Instantly streaming (or DVD access) is worth to them.
Update: Just that fast, Netflix has officially announced these changes to its pricing plans. Just like our information indicated, DVD only or streaming only unlimited plans are available for $7.99 each per month, or $15.98 together. Existing members can float on their current plans until September 1st but new members will see these rates effective immediately. According to a post on the official blog, the change replaces the DVD plan’s existence as a $2 surcharge over streaming and from now on it will no longer unlimited discs and streaming as a single package. Two discs at a time will cost $11.99 by themselves now, but there’s no mention of higher plans just yet. Fans of the plastic platter should be at least a bit encouraged however, as there’s a new team devoted solely to that service — here’s hoping they can get the stagnant Blu-ray catalog refreshed.
[Thanks, Anonymous]
Continue reading Netflix officially separates DVD, streaming pricing; $15.98 and up for both
Netflix officially separates DVD, streaming pricing; $15.98 and up for both originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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20,000 songs? Not nearly enough. $24.99 a year? Way too spendy. Unlimited and $20 a year? That’s a little better, at least, and that’s what Amazon just moved to. Taking a step up from its previous $20 for 20GB plan, the former bookseller is now letting new subscribers get any amount of storage they want for that price — unlimited for .mp3 and .m4a files, anyway. Naturally this means any songs purchased through Amazon MP3 will also be stored for to an infinite extent, not counting against your all-important quota. This is a “limited time” kind of deal, so if you’ve been on the fence now’s the time to click that cart, but there’s another new feature that isn’t going away: Cloud Player for Web on iPad. This lets you play your cloud tunes through Safari and that, combined with the whole unlimited storage thing, should ease any nagging feelings of regret you’ve been suffering since budgetary pressures talked you into the 16GB model.
Amazon Cloud Player hits iPad, adds unlimited storage, scoffs at constrained competition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s happening. The music streaming service that has won over the collective heart of Europe is finally making the puddle jump that we’ve been waiting for. Spotify just threw up a US landing spot, inviting eager Americans to jump in line for a table at the party. Meanwhile, we just received confirmation on our own end that things are finalizing for testing here in the States, and we’ll be sure to report back just as soon as our credentials clear. We should note, however, that there’s still no definitive time table to report, but it’s fairly obvious that those final record deals are close enough to done to call this thing a victory. Now, the real question: are you signing up in the source link below, or are any of those other guys still tugging at your heartstrings?
Spotify is coming to the US, invites are open now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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