Spotify Beware: Grooveshark Testing Its Own iPhone App…
Who says the lawyers get to call the shots, anyway? Under the weight of a major label lawsuit, Grooveshark is still pressing ahead with an iPhone app. Grooveshark vice president Josh Bonnain tipped Digital Music News to the app on Thursday evening, and offered a pre-release version ahead of an Apple approval.
An Orange Mobile Monkey Appears In Britain…
Think that Spotify is the only thing buzzing in mobile music? Not quite. Universal Music Group, Orange UK, and Channel 4 are now joining forces on an unconventional mobile music offering in Britain. Instead of a mobile-screen menu and an exhaustive song selection, the ‘Monkey’ service will allow Orange pay-as-you-go customers to dial up playlists and stream music over the [...]
Want Close Fans? You Might Want to Check Out This Flick…
Perhaps the phrase ‘direct-to-fan’ has been a bit overused, though bands are well-advised to establish tight fan relationships. Indeed, that is a major focal point for a number of startups, whether Polyphonic, ReverbNation, or TopSpin.
Exclusive: Got Gigs? AppliedSB Delivers Post-Show Monetization…
Some of the biggest opportunities happen after the gig is done, and for the right fans, memories last a lifetime. Indeed, the live recording is a well-known staple for fans and artists, though several companies are trying to perfect a completely different recording and distribution process.
Try This ‘Cocktail’: Apple, Labels Talking Album 2.0…
What happens when albums get smartly bundled with interactive extras, instead of positioned as one-off, flat downloads? Good question for a recording industry still reeling from the implosion of its once-prized physical bundle, the CD-based album. But according to a report surfacing Sunday in the Financial Times, Apple and the majors are discussing the possibility of offering interactive album bundles [...]
SoundCloud Slowly Making It Rain…
Popkomm may be taking a rest, but action is still bubbling in Berlin. That includes SoundCloud, a company that is gradually roping marquee users and growing its base. SoundCloud is focused on more controlled transfers of music between different parties, essentially replacing more traditional promo CDs and less-targeted distributions like MySpace Music. It also aims to supersede other delivery methods [...]
That Distant API Rumbling… Is a New Renaissance Afoot?
In February, a funny thing happened. Not only did EMI Music sue Seeqpod, they also sued Ryan Sit, just one of several developers using the Seeqpod API to create a variant app. In a nutshell, Sit’s ‘Favtape’ was a software mash-up that combined elements of Seeqpod, Last.fm, and Pandora using available APIs. Seeqpod was used for its decentralized, web-based music [...]
TopSpin’s Self-Serve Platform Scheduled for ‘Early 2010′…
So far, TopSpin has been focused on boutique solutions for mostly established artists. That makes it difficult to determine whether the TopSpin special sauce is something that can work for more obscure acts, or whether the TopSpin model itself is scalable.
The World’s First Portable HD Radio Receiver…
The dashboard is the most critical piece of turf for terrestrial radio, though other forms of portability remain important. This week, Best Buy and Insignia joined forces to introduce the first portable, HD-compatible receiver.