House sends key music royalties bill to the Senate

Posted on 26/04/2018 by Engadget RSS Feed

Today, the Music Modernization Act passed the House of Representatives in a unanimous vote (there were no negative votes, but 16 representatives did not cast a vote). The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate, but considering the overwhelming s...

The iTunes influence, part two: Setting the music free

Posted on 30/04/2013 by Brad Hill

DNP The iTunes influence, part two Giving the people what they want

"I think the consumer is going to be driving this train for quite a long time."
-- Casey Rae, deputy director, Future of Music Coalition

In 2003, the iTunes Music Store established an environment for downloadable music at exactly the time when consumers needed a safe and stable online music store. iTunes sold a million songs in the first week, 10 million in five months and 25 million songs after eight months.

But the consumer demands of one era do not necessarily hold sway in a different cycle. iTunes is facing powerful competition from Amazon, Google and Microsoft in the pay-per-download business. Meanwhile, streaming platforms like Spotify, Rdio and YouTube are establishing a widespread attitude that music is free, and that downloading from a store isn't as compelling as accessing a service. Apple is still making plenty of sales in the music store (15,000 downloads per minute), but users are also flocking in different directions.

With the state of music industry still in flux, 2013 could be as pivotal as 2003, and the next 10 years could be as eventful as the last 10.

Filed under: Software, Apple

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The iTunes influence, part one: How Apple changed the face of the music marketplace

Posted on 29/04/2013 by Brad Hill

"iTunes is a stepping stone along the way."
-- Jim Griffin, OneHouse LLC

On April 28th, the iTunes Store basked in a milestone 10th birthday. Two years before its 2003 launch (as the iTunes Music Store), Apple introduced the iTunes client as a desktop music management program and implemented it as the device manager for the first iPod later in 2001. In those two years, Apple laid the groundwork for what can reasonably be called the iTunes era of music.

Apple did not invent digital music, even though for many iTunes embodies 21st century music buying. However, during the past 10 years, it has become the US' top music retailer, with customers currently downloading 15,000 songs per minute from the app's library of 26 million songs, according to an Apple spokesperson. Since its launch, it has evolved into the hub of a powerhouse media / tech ecosystem that turned Apple into the world's most valuable company in 2012.

As a symbolic milestone, the iTunes anniversary encourages reflection on the past, a survey of the present and predictions of the future. Digital music continues to evolve, for businesses, consumers and musicians.

Filed under: Software, Apple

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Samsung partners with Spotify, brings streaming music to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe

Posted on 10/10/2012 by Daniel Cooper

Europeans who have been pining for a(nother) way to bring Spotify into their living rooms can rest easy, now that Samsung is on the case. The pair have teamed up to bring 18 million tracks to Sammy's 2012 E-Series Smart TVs with a new app designed for the platform. The software will arrive later this year, with existing Premium users finding their playlists already syncing, while those new to the service will be offered a short free trial to coax them into signing up. If you've yet to make an investment in one of the displays, the company is also planning to add the functionality onto its Blu-Ray players and Home Theater systems in short order.

Continue reading Samsung partners with Spotify, brings streaming music to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, HD, Samsung

Samsung partners with Spotify, brings streaming music to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PBS draws link between digital music ethics and magic spells, somehow makes it look simple (video)

Posted on 29/09/2012 by Jon Fingas

AAC files and the arcane don't have much in common on the surface. After some digging, however, PBS' Idea Channel has found that magic is an uncannily good analogy for digital music rights and explaining the thorny ethical issues that come with them. Both music and spells stem from grassroots cultures that give away their content for free, but (at least until an anti-magic clampdown at eBay) have since become businesses. That nature poses a key ethical question: when we're used to a free experience and can copy songs or spells as much as we like, what does it take to keep us as honest customers? As show host Mike Rugnetta suggests, it's a matter of personal responsibility -- if we want more of either, we have to think of the commerce as showing support for future work. You can catch Mike's clever train of thought after the break, and ponder what constitutes DRM for a potion while you're at it.

Continue reading PBS draws link between digital music ethics and magic spells, somehow makes it look simple (video)

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Alt

PBS draws link between digital music ethics and magic spells, somehow makes it look simple (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesco recruits Andy McNab’s e-book firm Mobcast to help win the Supermarket content war

Posted on 04/09/2012 by Daniel Cooper

Hot on the heels of purchasing Blinkbox and Peter Gabriel's WE7, Tesco has purchased Andy McNab's e-book publishers, Mobcast. It seems clear that the British supermarket heavyweight is currently engaged in a phony war with rival Sainsburys, which snapped up Rovi, Global Media Vault and Anobii for its competing online content service. McNab's company is rather small, only offering around 130,000 titles in the UK, but like the earlier purchases, its infrastructure and resources will most likely be cannibalized to boost the company's forthcoming digital platform.

Continue reading Tesco recruits Andy McNab's e-book firm Mobcast to help win the Supermarket content war

Tesco recruits Andy McNab's e-book firm Mobcast to help win the Supermarket content war originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onyx Ashanti’s beatjazz music machine does everything, looks good too (video)

Posted on 02/08/2012 by Jamie Rigg

Onyx Ashanti has sent us over a demo of his beatjazz controller, and we have to marvel at the direction he's taken with this custom electronic music machine following more modest efforts. Onyx's 3D-printed interface receives inputs from a voice / breath-operated synth in the headgear, while the two handheld controls incorporate accelerometers, joysticks and pressure-sensitive buttons. Using this kit and his own software, Onyx is able to create live digital music with an amount of control you would only expect from desktop-based production software. We've embedded two videos for your attention after the break -- a demo of his latest flashy build complete with lightsaber-like effects, and an earlier live performance that really shows what the beatjazz controller can do.

Continue reading Onyx Ashanti's beatjazz music machine does everything, looks good too (video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables

Onyx Ashanti's beatjazz music machine does everything, looks good too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow

Posted on 31/07/2012 by Joseph Volpe

Samsung's come a long way from the days of its first Galaxy S device. Relying back then, out of necessity, on third parties like 7Digital and Kobo to provide a white label content platform. Time, fortune and the popularity of its Android devices has changed the company's tack and with the unveiling of the Galaxy S III, it's heading for a streamlined user experience that integrates hardware with in-house software. Although Music Hub has already launched overseas in several European countries as part and parcel of its latest flagship, that service is now finally ready for primetime in the US.

Built upon the mSpot tech it acquired this past May, the company's freemium service combines the best of both worlds, offering non-paying users access to a digital storefront loaded up with millions of tracks from all four major labels (and some indies, too), a web-based player, as well as the ability to store purchased music remotely and offline for "registered devices." Whereas, the subscription version builds upon those gratis goods by adding personalized radio stations, free streaming and an iTunes-like "Scan & Match" feature to the mix for $10 monthly.

Ever cognizant of the already crowded digital music platforms provided by rivals, Samsung's tricking out this stateside debut with some goodies for the curious: a 30-day trial and one free album of their choosing. It's a nice incentive, for sure, but with so many already entrenched in the musical realms of rivals -- iTunes, Google Play and Spotify, for starters -- adoption of this new ecosystem's going to be a hard sell indeed. Click on past the break for the lowdown on this me-too, mobile music offering.

Continue reading Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software

Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.