musical

As interest grows in the online music subscription sector, one pioneer appears to be throwing in the towel.

eMusic quietly announced a merger yesterday with K-NFB Reading, an e-book distributor founded by noted inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil. Adam Klein, the company's chief executive for the past three years, has also left the company, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"I am very pleased with the significant repositioning of the company and its future direction," Klein said in an e-mail to the Journal confirming the exit.

The newly merged company will "create a consumer-centric interface that makes … Read more

The music industry is pinning great hope on subscription music services such as Spotify, a segment that's growing faster than any other part of recorded music industry. And now comes news that Amazon is looking to jump into the fray.

The Verge, citing multiple sources, reports that Amazon is holding informal talks with the music industry about launching an on-demand service similar to Spotify, which is the largest such service with 24 million active users and 6 million paid subscribers.

This development comes as Google is trying to launch a pair of subscription music services this summer, one tied … Read more

Sometimes the person or company responsible for uploading a music video on YouTube is kind enough to include the lyrics in the video information. If not, you probably end up opening another browser tab to find the lyrics so you can sing along (when no one else is listening). As a convenience for future song learning, there's a Web browser add-on that works with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, which will allow you to see the lyrics while a video is playing. Here's how to get started:

For Chrome: Install a copy of YouTube Lyrics by Rob W from … Read more

If music can tame the savage beast, could the power of rock reduce brain-hungry zombies to purring kittens?

Guitar hacker Travis Stevens has made a significant contribution to collective self-defense against the coming zombie apocalypse. Along with zombie safe houses and survival kits, his Zombie Apocalypse Electric Guitar could prove a refuge and weapon of last resort.

This tribute to the rise of the undead is a reworked copy of a Fender Stratocaster, but it bears little resemblance to Strats you're used to. … Read more

How loud is loud? I know loud when I hear it, but if you want a number, I'd say at home anything over 90 dB is getting up there, and might annoy neighbors in adjacent apartments, especially after 10 p.m. If you live in a house, 90+ dB would definitely disturb other family members not watching the movie or listening to music. Of course, the volume at concerts and movie theaters is much, much louder than most people would ever tolerate at home. Loud music, games, and home theater takes on an almost physical quality; you don't … Read more

Telly is a video app that gives you a way to shoot and share video with effects and watch popular videos posted to Facebook, Twitter, and Telly's own network.

Instead of a YouTube client or other video player, Telly shows you a feed of videos taken from your friends' posts on Facebook and Twitter, and those of other Telly users. If you follow celebrities, sports figures, or television networks on Twitter, you'll also get whatever videos they post as part of your feed. Basically, depending on your friends and who you follow, you'll have a place where … Read more

When Apple introduced the iPhone 5 last year, I was mostly unimpressed. Slightly bigger screen? Meh. Slightly faster processor? Meh.

But there was one "feature" that did sound pretty good, no pun intended: Apple's new EarPods. They promised a better fit, better sound, and stronger protection against sweat and water (I'm a runner, hence the appeal).

Apple sells them separately for $29, but today only, and while supplies last, DealFisher has the refurbished Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic for $13.99 shipped.

Whoa. Refurbished earbuds? That doesn't sound too appealing. But DealFisher says these … Read more