music service

Microsoft bakes Xbox Music into Windows 8

Microsoft plans to use the full force of its dominant Windows operating system to challenge iTunes and Spotify in the digital music business.

The software giant has baked its new 30-million-track Xbox Music service into Windows 8, making it the default way for users to listen to songs. The service, which CNET first reported in February and the company announced in June, will let users stream music for free, creating custom playlists, as long as they're willing to hear occasional ads. They can also subscribe to an ad-free version for $9.99 a month. And users can buy and … Read more

Money and musicians: Rdio's new artist-payment model

One of the creators of Skype has announced a new addition to his digital music service Rdio.

Janus Friis says the Rdio Artist Program is designed to give musicians a better alternative to iTunes Match or Spotify, where some complain that commission rates based on the number of times a song is streamed leaves an artist with almost nothing.

With Rdio, uploaders earn $10 for every new subscriber they lure to the service. The platform pays artists to share both music and recommendations on social-networking sites including Facebook and Twitter -- promoting the company as well as themselves.

San Francisco-based … Read more

Samsung looks to acquisitions to better take on Apple, Google

Samsung Electronics is on the lookout for mobile-software companies it can acquire to strengthen the content it offers customers beyond what's available on its popular mobile devices such as the Galaxy series of smartphones and tablets.

Reuters reported Thursday that the Korean electronics giant will be buying its way into a better competitive position with Apple, Google, and Amazon in the digital-content space, particularly in the music market, which is worth nearly $9 billion.

"The message we're getting from the top is to raise software compatibility, and buy rather than build, if needed," Kang Tae-jin, senior … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1535: HP: WebOS? What WebOS? (Podcast)

If you stood by believing all of HP's grand proclamations about standing by WebOS and supporting it to the end, you're finding out the hard way that love really does hurt. A lot. Plus, we discuss whether HP really can make it in the post-PC world, and whether this was or wasn't the best week Microsoft has had in a long time. Also, we invent the Mail Truck Alternative to waiting 8 days for online TV, dish out some love advice on Computer Love, and find out why "kids" is apparently a dirty word.

Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (640x360) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS (640x360)… Read more

This Day in Tech: Apple patents touch screens; Hulu acquisition rumors

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, June 22.

Ford, Nuance: Voice recognition will identify intent The Sync system could ultimately interpret what drivers are looking to do by understanding the meaning of words and phrases they say and then coaching them to correctly complete tasks. More

Apple scores broad patent on touch screens Patent describes how a touch screen is used to interact with contents on a display. And given Apple's recent history with patent lawsuits, it could prove to be another tool in … Read more

Apple's cloud music hang-up

Apple has deals with three of the big music labels to license a new cloud music service. And it is in talks to close a deal with holdout Universal Music Group, the world's biggest music company.

But when Apple gets its Universal deal done, it still won't be ready to launch.

That's because Apple has yet to nail down terms with the big music publishers, who own a separate set of rights. And Steve Jobs will need their sign-off, too.

While Apple came to terms with Warner Music and EMI Music weeks ago, and has now struck … Read more

Google nabs Canadian mobile music syncing firm

Google has purchased Toronto-based PushLife, which helps people easily sync their music collection stored on their PC with their mobile phones, including BlackBerry and Android devices. The software works with either iTunes or Windows Media Player. TechVibes.com is reporting that Google paid about $25 million for the three-year-old company. A Google representative did not comment on the terms but said: "We believe the team has a wealth of experience building cool mobile applications, and we think they'll make a great addition to our mobile team."

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

CES: RealNetworks attempts to Unifi the cloud

LAS VEGAS--These days, cloud services are all the rage for early adopters and business-minded individuals, but they haven't managed to make their way into the mainstream quite yet. However, companies like RealNetworks are banking on the fact that someday all consumers will want to store their content--media, in particular--up in the cloud.

Today, RealNetworks announced Unifi, a multimedia-centric cloud service that aggregates your photos, music, and video files from across multiple devices and online services. In other words, instead of having to keep track of multiple media libraries, you get a single online interface for organizing and accessing your … Read more