spotify

How to make Spotify more like Pandora

Spotify is a fantastic music service, but it takes time to create your playlists. Sometimes, you just want to click Play and listen to songs based on your musical taste. You know, like Pandora. With a new Web service, you can make Spotify act a little more like Pandora. Here's how:

Step 1: Launch Spotify on your desktop or mobile device.

Step 2: Open your Web browser and go to http://echofiapp.com.

Step 3: Enter the name of an artist and click the Play link.

Step 4: When your desktop browser prompts you to allow Spotify to launch, … Read more

Ford kicks off Hackathon contest with Spotify integration

Ford inspired developers for its AppLink contest at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon last weekend by demonstrating Spotify integration. The demonstration showcased how easily Spotify developers were able to use Ford's Sync API to integrate the online music service into a Ford vehicle.

Developers modified the Spotify smartphone app, using Ford's Sync API, so that a driver could use the car's stereo controls and voice command to control the service. Information about the currently playing track appears on the car's stereo display.

Ford clarified that this demonstration was not meant to indicate a production version of Sync … Read more

Get Spotify on Linux

Linux isn't officially supported by the Spotify music service, but if you're a premium or unlimited subscriber, you can get the Spotify for Linux preview version onto Ubuntu. Here's how:

Step 1: Open up a terminal window (CTRL+ALT+T).

Step 2: Add Spotify to the list of repositories by adding the following line in /etc/apt/sources.list, deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free

Type command:

sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

Step 3: Add Spotify's public key to verify downloaded packages.

Type command:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 4E9CFF4E

Step … Read more

Syncing music to Android wirelessly with Spotify

Google's recent doodle reminded us of the incredible talent that was Freddie Mercury. If you go to Spotify to listen to his music, you'll notice that his first solo album, "Mr. Bad Guy," is somehow missing from Spotify's immense music library. If you happen to own the album, or other music that you want to wirelessly sync to your Android device, here's how to bring it to Spotify:

Add local music to Spotify

Step 1: Log in to Spotify on your computer.

Step 2: Click on Edit, then Preferences or type CTRL+… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1544: Of lost iPhones and shrimp ceviche (Podcast)

Apple, evidently, has a lot of employees with drinking problems, and it keeps letting those employees take iPhone prototypes out of the building. Really? Wow, dudes. Also, T-Mobile tries to pump up its employees over the merger situation, you can finally legally play Doom in Germany, tablet makers try everything but the easy solution, and China is going to kill us all. Or give us $99 tablets, hard to say. And Buzz Out Loud is getting out of the daily deals business.

Is Facebook launching music service next month?

Facebook is said to have plans to launch a music service in September, according to a report by CNBC.

I'm checking with my sources now but remember, we've heard these reports about an imminent music service from Facebook before and so far not much has emerged.

According to CNBC, "a source familiar with the plan" said the service would launch September 22 at the company's F8 conference. CNBC offered few details about what the service would look like.

But separately, Mashableis reporting a Facebook music service will "rely on partners" by Pandora, … Read more

The 404 881: Where we sweat it out (podcast)

CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg (not that one) is back on the show and telling us why iPod docks, Beats Audio, and Spotify are ruining the music industry. Steve also has a few ideas on how to make one last buck off said music industry, and advises us on the rules of listening to music in public.

He still also has a pair of V-Moda earplugs to give away to a few lucky 404 listeners, so be sure to add him on Twitter and mention both of us in a Tweet for a chance to win!

The 404 Digest for Episode 881

Spotify and the search for meaning in music. Steve says: " They should stop making CDs." Do people really care how their gadgets sound? Planet Money podcast: Manufacturing the song of the summer.

Episode 881 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Digital City 137: Glasses-free 3D laptops, 20 years of the Web, and back-to-school PC buying advice

This week: Toshiba's glasses-free 3D laptop has gone from prototype to release in record time; we pick our favorite back-to-school systems; and the World Wide Web hits 20 years old. The gang ponders the recent success of Xbox Live games such as Fruit Ninja Kinect and Bastion, and we take an informal poll on Google Plus and Spotify use.

Special guests this week are TJ Allard and Josh Goldman. You may remember TJ as one of Dan's co-panelists on the cult favorite video game shows Play Value and Best Game Ever. Check out some old Play Value episodes on YouTube, and we've embedded one below for kicks.

Bonus: Download the show's jaunty theme song as a free MP3 here.

They should stop making CDs

Thanks to streaming services and file sharing, there's little incentive to purchase music anymore. Everybody knows CD sales have been falling for years, but as soon as the record labels stop making CDs, their value will skyrocket.

Sure, there's still a sizable market for CDs, but if sales continue to decline I think the labels should offer a very limited run of each CD title on its original release, say a few thousand discs, with beautifully printed booklets and packaging, and auction them on eBay. When they're gone, they're gone. Prices would go through the roof, … Read more

The 404 874: Where two sticks make a fire (podcast)

Joey guest hosts The 404 Podcast today again; not because of all the Joey-related fan mail we've received, but because nobody else in the office knows how to operate the camera switcher. Just joking. Joey brings his refreshingly positive sense of humor while Jeff cools off.

Today's stories include a quick review of Spotify and the new Sonos small network speaker, a California ruling that makes Facebook trolling a crime, and a Web site that reveals previously deleted tweets of any Twitter user.

The 404 Digest for Episode 874

Sonos ships new smaller Play: 3 speaker. That story about the IQ of Internet Explorer browser users was fake! Undetweetable collects tweets you thought you deleted. California judge: trolling with someone else's Facebook is identity theft. My fake Facebook birthdays. A video voicemail from Kokesh on top of a mountain!

Episode 874 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more