Music and audio

If Courtney Love were an app, she'd be one that's potent, durable, and endlessly fascinating. It's been almost 20 years since Hole's fearless leader--the blonde rocker in the baby doll dress, always strapped to a guitar--body surfed her way into our hearts across such hits as "Miss World," "Doll Parts," "Violet," "Celebrity Skin," and "Malibu." Although Love has always been a polarizing figure, there's no denying her legacy as a rock 'n' roll star who's endured tremendous loss, addiction, and media scrutiny.

2013 will … Read more

The hilarious, new buddy movie "The Heat" stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as Special Agent Sarah Ashburn and Det. Shannon Mullins, respectively -- two fiercely independent crime fighters who must first forge their own connection and learn to respect and trust each other's abilities if they are ever to connect the dots on a major case.

Download.com caught up with the film's director, Paul Feig -- best known for directing the Oscar-nominated "Bridesmaids," co-producing the TV series "Freaks and Geeks," and playing science teacher Mr. Eugene Pool on "Sabrina, … Read more

Apple's WWDC announcement of the upcoming iOS 7 promised a slew of amazing, long-overdue updates. Unfortunately, however, if you are not a developer, you will have to wait until sometime in the fall for the official launch, like the rest of us. Owners of iOS 7-incompatible devices shouldn't fret, either. The good news is, you can get some of the functionality or at least similar features of iOS 7, in apps that currently exist on the App Store.

1. iOS Mail and Mailbox

The iOS Mail app is still the go-to place for e-mails among numerous users; with … Read more

For his contribution to seven Dream Theater albums, Jordan Rudess is regarded as one of the finest keyboardists of all time. In fact, MusicRadar.com bestowed that top honor upon him back in 2011 (over Elton John and Stevie Wonder), in a ranking of the top 27 keyboardists ever.

These days the synth wiz is applying his technical savvy to the development of new apps that allow fans to unleash their own musical masterpieces. Along with his company, Wizdom Music, Rudess recently released Shapesonix and Maestro. Shapesonix lets users can create stunning audio-visual extravaganzas with the movement of a finger. … Read more

If a profile like Christian Rudder's turned up in an OKCupid user's search results, it would certainly merit a deeper look. As a Harvard graduate, who's helped launch and sell two successful companies (SparkNotes, in 1999, which sold to Barnes & Noble; OKCupid, in 2004, which sold to Match.com) and an indie musician who's appeared in the romcom, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," he'd be a catch by most standards.

Download.com caught up with Rudder, who's also OKCupid's General Manager and Editorial Director, to discuss his company's … Read more

For some audiophiles, Counting Crows and The Wallflowers will forever be associated with the mid-1990s--along with Netscape Navigator, Hotmail, and of course, Windows 95. But don't call their joint summer outing a nostalgia trip. Velvet-tongued Counting Crows vocalist Adam Duritz, hot off the heels of The Outlaw Roadshow (alongside a slew of new indie bands), prefers to view his comparatively intimate Wallflowers double bill as a much-needed respite.

Other than sharing a decade, the comradely combos have shared previous tours, a track (Duritz sang on The Wallflowers' "6th Avenue Heartache"), and even a producer (T-Bone Burnett, back … Read more

Last week, Apple announced that its App Store is approaching 50 billion app downloads. In celebration of the milestone, Apple is giving away a $10,000 App Store gift card to the lucky person who initiates the 50 billionth download.

As part of the celebration, Apple listed the top 25 apps -- both free and paid -- for iPhone and iPad. None of the apps listed is particularly surprising (especially to someone who studies the most-popular list every day), but one thing that did strike me is that a lot of the all-time best sellers still sit near the top … Read more

You don't have to be the host of "American Idol" to use Twitter Music anymore.

A little more than a month after CNET broke the news that Twitter was working on a stand-alone music discovery app and a week after that app was rolled out to an invite-only group of celebrities and others -- including Ryan Seacrest -- the general public can now get its hands on the music discovery app.

Twitter officially unveiled #music on Thursday during "Good Morning America." The company later provided more details about the service in a blog post, saying … Read more

My guess is the whole Harlem Shake craze is just about winding down its 15 minutes of fame.

14:51...14:52...14:53...

But wait! While there's still a shred of interest left, you've got time to make your own videos. Free Android app Harlem Shake Creator Lite and iOS app Harlem Shake Creator HD (both from the same developer) make it ridiculously easy.

In case you've been off-planet for the past month or so, a Harlem Shake vid starts out with a single person, usually masked for no particular reason, doing a little jig to … Read more