streaming-music

Rumor: New MobileMe to cost $20/year, include music 'Locker'

According to sources from music news site The Music Void, Apple is pushing hard for labels to get on board with Apple's new MobileMe service for music storage and streaming called "Locker." The service, the site reports, will cost $20/year and be ready for launch sometime in April.

Informed sources say that Apple has sealed its deal with Warner and has been using that agreement to leverage the other labels to get the deals done in time for the April launch....These same sources tell me that although Universal Music and EMI are more or less … Read more

Logitech launches Squeezebox app for Android

Android users will now be able to control their Squeezebox digital-music players from their smartphones and tablets.

Logitech announced today that it has officially launched its Squeezebox Controller for Android. The program actually hit the Android Market yesterday.

With the app, users will be able to control any Squeezebox player in the house from any room over their Wi-Fi network. The app lets users play music, customize tracks, sync content, and search for songs. The app also comes with the ability for users to "view files, station, or playlist album art," the company said in a blog post today.

Those hoping to use their iPhones and iPads to control Squeezebox players are out of luck for now. Currently, Logitech's Squeezebox Controller is available only on Android. It's available for free in the Android Market.

With the help of a mobile app, Logitech hopes to breathe some new life into its Squeezebox line. Some of the better Squeezebox players have been around for years. And they're still among the top music-streaming devices on the market.

The Squeezebox Radio, for example, is a favorite of the CNET Reviews team, earning four stars out of five in a 2009 review. Like other Squeezebox players, the Radio, which is supported by this app, lets users stream music over their home network. It also includes access to streaming services, like Pandora, Slacker, and Rhapsody. It retails for $179.99.

The Squeezebox Duet, also supported by this app, is another favorite of the CNET Reviews team. That device also earned four out of five stars, in a 2008 review, thanks to its ability to offer "an ideal way to stream the full range of digital music--including files on your computer's hard drive, premium subscription music services, and free Internet radio--to your living room stereo system." The Duet is currently on sale for $399.99.… Read more

Spotify signs on EMI for U.S. launch

It's getting closer: Spotify has finalized a U.S. distribution deal with EMI Music, multiple sources tell me.

Both EMI and Spotify declined to comment.

Coupled with last month's Sony deal, Spotify now has the approval from two of the four major music labels for an American launch. But that still doesn't guarantee you'll see the streaming music subscription service in America anytime soon.

In order to make a credible offer to U.S. users, Spotify will need to at least get Universal Music Group, the world's biggest label, on board, and it's not … Read more

Sony's Qriocity aims to put Connect, iTunes behind

Sony wants to take back digital music from Apple.

The creator of the Walkman says it is ready to challenge iTunes, forge ahead into music streaming, and also put its doomed prior attempts to build iTunes-killers behind it.

Today, Sony unveiled a new cloud music service in the United States that will play songs on a mix of Sony devices, such as the PlayStation3, Bravia TVs, and Blu-ray Disc Home Theater system, as well as a range of Sony's portable devices. The service is called "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity," and hopefully the service is less clunky … Read more

Sony considering pulling out of iTunes altogether?

It might not be long before Sony turns its back on iTunes, if a new report from Australia's The Age proves to be accurate.

According to the publication, Sony is working hard on on getting its Music Unlimited streaming service to catch on with customers. Michael Ephraim, head of Sony Computer Entertainment in Australia, said that as the service is rolled out around the world and it starts to gain popularity, it might be time for Sony to think twice about its partnership with Apple and iTunes.

"If we do [get mass take up] then does Sony Music … Read more

Spotify wouldn't offer as much free music here

Spotify has struck its first licensing agreement with one of the four largest record companies and is closing in on a second deal, but what is it costing the European music service to open up shop in the United States?

The answer is plenty. The impasse that has prevented Spotify from acquiring U.S. music rights for more than a year has forced the streaming service to make significant concessions to the record labels, multiple music industry sources told CNET on Monday.

Not only has Spotify sweetened its financial offer to the top labels, but the streaming-music service has agreed … Read more

Spotify exec eyes Apple with suspicion

Do Spotify executives believe Apple had anything to do with their company's inability to make the leap to the United States?

In an interview given last month but not published until Monday, Faisal Galaria, Spotify's chief of global business development, sure gave that impression. Galaria made it clear that he didn't know whether Apple tried to derail Spotify's U.S. launch, but he also took the time to show how Apple was in position to pressure the labels into declining to license music for Spotify U.S.A.

"If you were iTunes, what would you … Read more

Mundu Radio brings Shoutcast to Android

For Android users who like the overall vibe of good, old-fashioned terrestrial radio but would prefer not to cart around a separate device just for the pleasure of listening to ad-riddled FM, there are several solutions in the form of apps. One is Mundu Radio, a free app that packages Shoutcast specifically for the mobile platform.

The Internet radio giant is served by several third-party apps for the Android OS, but Mundu is one of the better-looking options available. Fire it up, and you're taken to a simple home screen with four main options: listen, discover, favorites, and settings.… Read more

Gracenote hints at CES announcements

Today at San Francisco's annual Music Tech Summit, Gracenote Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Ty Roberts hinted at a few announcements the company will make at CES 2011.

Speaking on a panel that tackled the subject of "connected devices," Ty mentioned that Gracenote (a division of Sony) is gearing up to unveil a service for delivering streaming mood-based music playlists to connected devices such as TVs, along with accompanying artist photos and album art.

Apart from the "mood-based" angle, the combination of streaming music and artist images sounds similar to Microsoft's Zune … Read more