Spotify

Yes, iTunes Radio could crush Pandora. But that's just for starters

iTunes chief Eddy Cue unveiled Apple's iTunes Radio at the company's big developer conference in San Francisco this week, and it didn't take long before a chorus of rivals and pundits dismissed the product as, well, no big deal, especially considering that so many streaming-music services already exist.

The current king of Internet radio, Pandora, made sure the press was aware of how large it was, with 200 million registered users, 70 million of whom are regular listeners, and 5 billion stations created. Even Nokia -- that's right, Nokia -- trotted out a VP who suggested … Read more

The 404 1,281: Where we take our dosh to the bank (podcast)

Spotify's "Most Viral" songs of the week:

1. Bubble Butt - Major Lazer feat. Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Tyga & Mystic

2. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

3. Royals - Lorde

4. Take Me - Tiesto

5. We Own It (Fast & Furious) - 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa… Read more

Sonos 4.1 update improves Spotify, playlist support

Now that Logitech's Squeezebox is out of the picture, Sonos is one of the best streaming devices you can buy, but it hasn't been without its niggles. One of the previous criticisms of the Sonos software was that playlist support was limited and couldn't incorporate songs from Spotify; the newest software update promises to remedy this.

The Sonos 4.1 update allows users to not only manage their Spotify playlists and playlist folders but also to create new Sonos playlists from multiple music sources.

Sonos says you can now select tracks from any music source and add … Read more

Getting started with Spotify Discover

I can't believe I complain about this, but I do: as a Spotify user, many times I don't fire up the service because of the mental power required to choose what to listen to. Paralyzed by choice, I am. Or was, because today Spotify added a new Discover page to its Web player that helps you find new music. (The company says the Discover page is gradually being rolled out to its desktop and mobile apps.)

On the Discover page, you'll find recommendations based on the music you listen to and the artists and friends you follow. … Read more

Spotify's latest feature makes discovering new music easier

Making good on its promise to make new music easier to discover, Spotify announced Tuesday that it has rolled out its Discover page to the public.

With this new feature, Spotify users can get personalized recommendations, see related music, find touring dates for favorite artists, and more.

"We've made your listening experience more personal, more social, and more current," Spotify Chief Product Officer Gustav Soderstrom said in a statement.

The Discover page originally was announced in December and has been in beta until now. In addition to giving users personalized recommendations based on listening history, the streaming … Read more

Spotify debuts weekly top 50

This week the most streamed song on Spotify in the U.S. is "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and the most shared song on social networks is "Lift Me Up" by Five Finger Death Punch.

How did this information become available?

Spotify launched a new feature Tuesday that provides weekly updates of the 50 most streamed and viral songs within its music-streaming platform.

Dubbed Spotify Charts and available in 28 countries, this top 50 feature also shows how many plays each song has to date. ("Can't Hold Us" is … Read more

Pandora now lets you listen to albums before they're released

Dying to listen to the new Kanye West album before it's for sale? You just might be in luck.

Pandora, the music streaming site and app, on Tuesday launched Pandora Premieres, a station that allows listeners to preview upcoming albums up to a week before their release. The company said it will feature previews from a wide variety of artists, both established and emerging and across multiple genres.

Pandora Premieres will be updated weekly with new releases. Users can choose to hear any track on a featured album, in any order, and as many times as they'd like, … Read more

Google Play Music All Access vs. Spotify

New music services are great at making me feel old.

Opening Spotify is like opening the door to some hip cafe where a mustached 20-year old barista takes my order with folded arms and a stamp on his hand from last night's secret show. I feel not just a little lame. But instead of running for the door like the curmudgeon that I am, yearning for the comfortable embrace of my iTunes collection, I stay.

I stay because even in these days of free apps, free video streams, and free e-books, I'm still totally enthralled by the idea … Read more

Google close to launching streaming music service

Google is close to unveiling its streaming music service, as it prepares to take on Pandora, Spotify, and possibly Apple.

In March, Google signed a deal for two streaming services with Warner Music -- one tied to YouTube, the other to Google's Android music platform, Google Play. And now Google has struck deals with Universal Music as well as Sony Music, according to a report in The Verge, which suggests that Google could make the announcement at tomorrow's big developer conference, Google I/O.

While Google has been working with the music labels on two services, sources tell … Read more

The 404 1269: Where rad goes viral (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Follow Spotify's Shanon Cook!

- More on the Deadpool videogame.

- The story goes deeper on The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.

- Nvidia's Project Shield comes closer to reality.

This week's Viral Top 10 list from Spotify:

1. "Royals" by Lorde 2. "#Beautiful" by Mariah Carey 3. "Alone" by Falling In Reverse 4. "The One" by Tamar Braxton 5. "Rattle (Sexy Lady)" by Bingo Players 6. "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke 7. "Young And Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey 8. "Spring Break Anthem" by The Lonely Island 9. "Get Lucky - Radio Edit" by Daft Punk 10. "Dear Mama" by 2Pac… Read more