02/12, 12:30pm
Eddy Cue, Yo-Yo Ma tribute Jobs at Grammys
The Recording Academy in its annual pre-show ceremony gave Steve Jobs its promised Lifetime Achievement award. The posthumous award was accepted on behalf of Jobs and family by Apple Senior VP Eddy Cue. In the acceptance speech, Cue highlighted how music was a central part of Jobs' existence; he was an outspoken fan of The Beatles and Bob Dylan, and often made music a focus of Apple's work.
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02/11, 12:55am
Spotify and Foursquare get special features
Two major mobile apps got updates for special features at the end of the week. Spotify on iOS (App Store) now has the option to both stream and sync audio at 320Kbps, the same quality as it exists on the desktop. While it requires either a more intensive Internet connection or extra storage for cached tracks, it puts the app's audio quality ahead of other on-demand music rivals.
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02/10, 10:15pm
AirPlay, Bluetooth optons
Two different tech gear companies have announced two new products for music lovers who want small speakers. Gear4 out of El Segundo are launching the AirZone Series 1 home speaker and iPhone/iPod dock that incorporates AirPlay compatibility for remote sounds and control, while iPod accessory maker iHome is offering two different mini-speakers that stream music and more via Bluetooth connections, one including a mic for speakerphone use.
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02/09, 9:00pm
Features 3 speakers and adjustable arm
Scosche has brought out a special docking system for iPads. The bassDOCK can accept either first or second generation iPads in either a landscape or portrait orientation. The dock integrates a three speaker 2.1 stereo sound system as well.
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02/09, 7:35pm
Google wireless audio may come through silence
Google's apparent decision to make its own wireless audio system appears to have come after stopping at least some activity with accessory makers, according to Electronista sources. Now said to have based its work on the Android@Home technology shown at Google I/O last year, the company had been talking to accessory makers building up to the May event but grew silent not long after. The silence might not necessarily have been ubiquitous, but it suggested that Google had taken the reins to make a product of its own.
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02/09, 6:35pm
Onkyo's latest speakers get Wi-Fi WPS setup, DLNA
Onkyo has introduced a pair of bookshelf speakers that are special in that they have built-in Wi-Fi and DLNA support for streaming audio files from a local network. The setup part of the equation is kept simple too, as the only way to connect them to a network is through Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and a dedicated button. The GX-W100HV speakers can also connect using traditional inputs such as optical and RCA.
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02/09, 4:55pm
Google may tap Android at Home for own speakers
Google may be making its own wireless audio system and dipping into its own hardware, an apaprent leak uncovered Thursday. The unnamed system, purported by the Wall Street Journal to have been in the works for years, would share at least music throughout the home. It would be sold directly under Google's brand, including the speakers, but could talk to other hardware and could use a phone or tablet for control.
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02/08, 6:00pm
Artists paid each time user re-downloads song
Most people know that iTunes Match, Apple's latest music-related service that offers to backup and make available whole iTunes libraries online, costs $25 year. While many assume the fee is at least in part a "bribe" to record companies to allow unlimited re-downloading, in fact Apple pays rights holders a fee each time a song is re-downloaded -- and for independent distributors who work with iTunes such as BandCamp, CDBaby and TuneCore, the royalty is a windfall for their artists.
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02/08, 6:25am
We get a feel for Sony's new music oriented range
Electronista has had the opportunity to go hands-on with the forthcoming Sony Walkman Z
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) media player and its core range of high-end Balanced Armature in-ear headphones. Although both product lines were announced late last year, due to the natural disasters in Japan and Thailand, Sony are only now in a position to bring them to the US and other markets. We came away impressed, but particularly with the new Balanced Armature earphones, which are the best in-ear headphones Sony has released.
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02/07, 8:00pm
Quality sound for music, gaming and chat
CompuExpert has introduced a lightweight, foldable, rechargeable wireless headset called the Airhead 1000 that positions itself as a top-quality music headphone system that also happens to handle chat and gaming experiences. The headset provides up to 12 hours of wireless use at a stretch and features both a USB charging port and a 3.5mm line-out jack for a second headset or speakers. It works with all major chat, VoIP and gaming networks up to 30 feet from the computer.
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02/07, 5:20pm
Smart Audio aims to profit from others' audio work
Mostly unknown Smart Audio Technologies has hoped to skim profits from the audio industry after filing a low-key lawsuit late last week that was publicized Tuesday. The Delaware-based complaint accuses Apple, Creative Labs, and Philips of violating the same February 2001-era patent for car audio system with a random access player that supports playlists. Smart Audio isn't clear what products are violating its technology, although iOS and iPod devices are possible candidates.
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02/07, 12:30pm
ReDigi wins initial injunction case
ReDigi, a company that wants to sell 'used' digital music, has successfully dodged a preliminary injunction filed by EMI last month. Capitol Records, who owns EMI, argued that the service would infringe copyrights as there would be no guarantee that the seller would delete the copy of the digital track being sold. The US district judge in charge of the case, Richard Sullivan, ruled (PDF) for ReDigi, but did state the case raised a number of technological and statutory issues.
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02/06, 4:55pm
Pedal can be programmed using iPad, iPhone or iPod
Harman has started delivering its DigiTech iStomp programmable effects pedal. Users can program the the guitar stompbox using their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to make potentially any sound, not just distortion or other effects associated with filters. Twenty alternative sound effects are available for download.
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02/06, 3:10pm
EarSmart built directly into A5 processor
Siri's exclusivity to the iPhone 4S may be connected to the use of Audience's EarSmart noise cancellation technology, suggests Linley Group analyst Linley Gwennap. While teardowns have shown the presence of a dedicated Audience chip in the iPhone 4, Gwennap points to a January S-1 filing, indicating that EarSmart is built directly into the 4S' A5 processor. "Even after accounting for the dual Cortex-A9 CPUs and the large GPU that provides the A5 with industry-leading 3D graphics performance, the remaining die area seems too large for the usual mundane housekeeping logic," the analyst explains. "To reduce system cost and eliminate the extra package required for the Audience chip, Apple cut a deal to integrate the noise-reduction technology directly into its A5 processor, which appears in the iPhone 4S."
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02/06, 10:50am
Rdio outs updated Android app with new features
Digital music service Rdio released a new Android app (free, Android Market) on Monday, with a number of key redesigns. The most noticeable is a new home screen that gives one-tap access to the app's features with new ones that include collections, playlists, new releases, and more. There is also support for Android 4.0's remote control client.
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02/04, 4:00am
MOTOACTV now lasts for 9h, gets more features
Motorola's MOTOACTV has received a second big update that significantly extends its usefulness. It has gained another hour on top of what it got in a first update and can last for nine hours on battery. An overdue battery meter in the status bar now gives a better indicator of how much charge is left.
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02/04, 3:40am
iTunes Match on computers faces odd glitch
iTunes Match subscribers late Friday reported a problem with iTunes Match playback failing. Anyone on a desktop, whether Mac or Windows, couldn't play cloud-stored songs unless they were already matched with the iTunes Store. The problems didn't appear to be limited to particular app or OS revisions, and iOS users could still access the service.
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02/03, 6:00pm
HN-900 & Aurvana X-Fi 2 cancel noise by 85 percent
Creative has introduced a pair of noise-canceling headphones. The HN-900 integrates an in-line microphone with the over-the-ear headset. The Aurvana X-Fi 2 is a pure headphone, but supports a multi-dimensional surround-sound effect.
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02/03, 10:25am
Sister Sledge says Warner cheating on music
Sister Sledge has filed a lawsuit Thursday against Warner Music Group. The San Francisco complaint caught by the Hollywood Reporter accused Warner of cheating the "We Are Family" singers of revenue on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and other stores through purportedly deceptive terms. By counting a download as a one-time sale rather than a license, Warner was taking the group down from a 25 percent cut to much less.
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02/03, 8:30am
Jawbone Big Jambox promises more wireless sound
Jawbone's plans for a bigger Bluetooth speaker were given away late Thursday after an FCC filing showed a new device. Just called the Big Jambox, the diagramming hints that it might represent a literal upsizing of the brick-shaped audio device. Not much is hinted at in directly by the filing besides the inclusion of Bluetooth.
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02/02, 8:00pm
Apple said to be working on a fix
A flaw in iTunes Match may inadvertently replace "explicit" tracks with "clean" versions for some users, according to reports by Cult of Mac reporters and corroborated by users elsewhere. A later update on 9to5Mac indicates that at least one user has heard back from Internet Software and Services head Eddy Cue's office that acknowledged the issue and said the company is working on on a fix.
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02/02, 5:45pm
Enhances user experience and friendliness
Rhapsody has pushed out a revamped version of its Android app for tablets. The latest version, 2.2.2.380, is optimized for devices with nine-inch or larger screens and running Android 3.0 or later (free, Market). The subscription music download provider claims the new version is "more engaging, more touchable, with loads of content and new paths to music discovery."
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02/01, 2:40pm
Coldplay puts newest album back in Spotify
Spotify scored a more symbolic win Wednesday after checks found that Coldplay had put its latest album, Mylo Xyloto, back on Spotify (link). The appearance, which includes other streaming services like We7, follows after the rock band kept its whole album off of streaming music services for fear of losing album purchases at iTunes and elsewhere. The decision was unusual as it came just weeks after the band's manager David Holmes had reiterated his objections to what he saw as lost revenue.
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02/01, 11:10am
JVC outs first iOS dock that serves as nightstand
For those who like to make their electronics serve multiple purposes, JVC Japan has just introduced an iPod and iPhone dock that doubles as a nightstand. Called the N-BX3, it sports a glass top that measures 11.8 by 4.3 inches across and is nearly 20 inches tall. Two 30W satellite speakers reproduce sound, and a shelf pulls out for docking users' iOS devices.
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02/01, 1:00am
Calls Google Music 'an oxymoron'
On his last day as chairman of Warner Music Group, industry leader Edgar Bronfman Jr. sat down for an interview at the D: Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California. He was asked about a wide variety of topics, including his thoughts on various technological aspects of music which inevitably includes Apple, Spotify, Google and other players in the digital music scene. While defending the necessity of record labels, he warned of over-consolidation.
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01/31, 4:10pm
Neil Young contends Jobs wanted better audio
Musician Neil Young in an interview at the D: Dive Into Media conference made the contentious claim that Apple's late chief Steve Jobs would have been pushing hard for improved audio quality. The "Needle and the Damage Done" creator claimed that Jobs, despite creating the iPod for digital music, preferred to listen to vinyl records at home. Apple's co-founder would have allegedly been working on higher quality devices, not just formats like Apple Lossless, to improve audio quality.
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01/30, 8:15am
Flaming Lips song uses Siri as core instrument
The Flaming Lips' frontman Wayne Coyne posted word of a very unique, fleeting track (below) where the iPhone 4S' Siri plays a central role. The experimental "Now I Understand" has Siri saying it doesn't understand "the moon, the stars, and the sun." After Erykah Badu comes in with verses pointing them out, Siri answers with what's now the song title.
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01/30, 6:35am
Paul McGuinness little current benefit in Spotify
U2’s manager Paul McGuinness has voiced his thoughts on the arrival of ad-driven online radio services exemplified by Spotify. While McGuinness was supportive of the concept, and can see it as a viable make-up of the way that music is distributed in the future, he still has serious reservations about it. The main problem, according to McGuiness, is that Spotify and the labels have not been transparent enough about the money generated by the services, and this has resulted in artist mistrust.
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01/27, 1:30am
Adds further tie-ins to Google+
Google has made a change in its Google Music service for US-based Android users that allows them to not just stream but actually download their songs onto their Android devices or computers, according to a company blog post. The service, which launched just days after Apple launched its iTunes Match, also strengthened its ties to Google's social service Google+ by allowing users to share YouTube music videos of songs with their circles and friends on Google+ (if available).
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01/26, 10:15pm
Quality sound via USB interface
Audioengine has continued to build quality audio accessories paired with affordable price tags. Electronista listened to the company's latest digital-to-analog converters (DACs) this week at the Macworld iWorld expo in San Francisco. The devices aim to provide a quality interface between a computer and an audio system, rather than relying in the computer's DAC.
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01/26, 9:00pm
New premium AirPlay accessory
Bang & Olufsen brought several of its latest products to the Macworld iWorld expo in San Francisco, including the Beolit 12 portable speaker that fits into the company's B&O Play brand. MacNN took the opportunity to listen to the new speaker, which is a premium model among iOS accessories but a budget model when compared to the rest of Bang & Olufsen's products.
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01/26, 6:30pm
ACTA rapporteur says EU process a masquerade
The European Union's chief investigator for the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Kader Arif, may have blown the whistle on tactics behind the deal in a statement following his resignation. He quit after calling it a "masquerade" and confirmed many of the beliefs that the EU Parliament's signing of ACTA wasn't a representative process. The political right in the EU "rushed" the measure in the hopes of keeping it out of the public eye, Arif said, and Parliament itself was being kept from trying to offer any criticism.
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01/26, 5:55pm
Ultrasone intros $1,300 Signature Pro headphones
German high-end headphone maker Ultrasone has just unveiled one of its more advanced earpieces in the Signature Pro set. Meant for use by musicians, sound engineers and audiophiles, the handmade headphones sport a 40mm titanium-plated driver developed by Ultrasone engineers.
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01/26, 4:40pm
Spotify gets momentum at 3m listeners
Spotify has already reached three million paying subscribers, the company's US managing director Ken Parks gave out in a discussion Thursday [free reg. required]. The benchmark number given to the FT was triple the million from a year ago and saw it growing much faster than before, having reached two million in September and 2.5 million in November. The three million now represented a larger 20 percent portion of the base and didn't include those who were just part of free trials.
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01/26, 3:50pm
Seamless viewing expanded to iOS devices
SoundCloud has dropped Flash in favor of HTML5. The cloud-based social sound sharing service has added a widget which lets subscribers across multiple platforms leverage the app. Previously, while most Android users were fine, iPad and iPhone users were at a loss when they came across a song or sound sample using Adobe's plugin.
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01/26, 1:40pm
Comes in metal case, runs on bus power
Audio specialist MOTU has announced the MicroBook II, an upcoming audio interface for Macs and PCs. The hardware sports four inputs -- XLR mic, hi-Z guitar, and stereo line-in -- and six output channels, divided between TRS 1/4-inch, S/PDIF, stereo mini, and 1/4 headphone options. Power comes off of USB 2.0, eliminating the need to use a dedicated cable, and the mic preamp provides 48V of phantom power with a 20dB pad.
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01/26, 1:10pm
ACTA trade agreement signed by 22 EU members
The EU and 22 of its member states have signed on to support the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Tokyo on Thursday. The deed was met with both online and street protests, however, as many who aren't copyright holders believe the trade agreement to be nothing more than a new copyright law. Five countries part of the EU who haven't signed up for ACTA include Cyprus, Germany, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Slovakia.
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01/26, 12:15pm
Napster in UK, Germany bought out by Rhapsody
Rhapsody, the streaming music subscription service, announced on Thursday that it has bought Napster assets in Germany and the UK. The company also bought Napster's business in the US before laying off the majority of those employees. Rhapsody promises to keep the European employees on, however, and the Napster name there will remain untouched.
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01/26, 6:15am
SpotON Radio out now for iPod touch, iPhone
The first app to take advantage of Spotify’s move to allow third-party app support to its mobile APIs has been made available on the iTunes store. SpotON Radio has been launched as a free app initially, although it may shift to a $2 asking price after its launch window. As expected, to access Spotify’s music library users must hold a Spotify Premium membership ($10/month) to use it.
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01/24, 6:45pm
New Walkman E-series now lighter, thinner
Sony Japan has just introduced two new E-series Walkman players in Japan that are said to be thinner and lighter than their predecessors. Both have a 1.4-inch color LCD and a noise-cancelling design, while promising 30 hours of music playback on a full charge. The NW-E060 gets 2GB of built-in memory while the NW-E063 doubles that, with no other differences detailed.
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01/24, 3:25pm
Audiobooks takes Netflix, Spotify cues
Audiobooks.com is hoping to shake up the e-book field by trying a business model similar to Netflix or Spotify just for its namesake audiobooks. A $25 flat rate gives access to the full catalog of 11,000 audiobooks, many of which are from major publishers. Like with other such services, continued access depends on a sustained plan, but it's potentially more economic for those who read two or more books every month.
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01/23, 4:05pm
Rocketboost sound gets iOS and Android apps
Best Buy gave owners of its Rocketboost wireless audio system a way to steer it independently with both desktop and mobile apps. Both a Windows controller (above) and an iOS app (free, App Store) let users pipe audio from a Rocketboost host device to any Rocketboost audio system on the same local network, including Insignia TVs and soundbars. It lets users mix and match sources and destinations, also giving them a signal strength for each device to give a hint of how reliably it will play.
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01/23, 2:20pm
IFPI insists on tougher laws despite sales boost
The IFPI in its latest study (PDF) saw an eight percent upswing in digital music revenue in 2011. The increase is the first it claimed to have had since 2004 and lines up with an American rebound in overall album sales. They were important enough for online content to represent 32 percent of the industry association's combined business versus 29 percent in 2010.
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01/21, 6:05pm
Megaupload may skip Universal for individuals
Megaupload's lawsuit opposing a takedown of a promo video may have taken an unusual turn. The company was claimed by a Hollywood Reporter source with access to the case to have dropped Universal, which orchestrated the takedown, from the suit. Only a number of unnamed people who had participated in the takedown remained.
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01/20, 10:40pm
Turn iPads into guitar and drum effects boxes
Audio accessory maker Alesis has debuted a number of new devices for musicians, including three new USB MIDI keyboard controllers along with a set of iPad- and iPhone-specific amp docks. All are on display at the company's booth (#6400) at the 2012 NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. The keyboards include two 61-note models as well as a 25-note compact model. The iPad and iPhone amp docks are based on the company's successful iO docks.
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01/20, 10:30am
Sony B170 Walkmans weigh 28g, have quick charge
Sony has just released a new Walkman portable audio player range, the B170. The players weigh just 28 grams and sport a Bass Button to pump up the low frequency reproduction. Battery life is rated at 18 hours, but there is also an option to plug it in for a quick, three-minute charge that will return 90 minutes of playback.
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01/20, 9:45am
Vevo may drop YouTube for Facebook in hosting
Music video provider Vevo might shift its library from YouTube to Facebook if leaks are accurate. The service is believed in "very preliminary" talks that would see Facebook host the content and split ad revenue, CNET understood. The two sides had met "at least twice" and as recently as within two weeks.
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01/19, 11:30pm
App for iPad a response to customer requests
Music software company MakeMusic kicked off its NAMM industry trade show presence with a pair of announcements: in February, the company will make an as-yet-untitled iPad viewer app available for its Finale sheet-music users that will let them view print and play electronic sheet music. It also announced an improved 2012 version of its ">Finale NotePad.
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01/19, 9:15pm
Controller doubles as iPad case
Akai has introduced the MPC Fly, a compact music production center designed specifically for the iPad 2. The tablet connects to a dock connector within the hinged case, enabling users to take advantage of buttons, including 16 backlit pads and several other controls, while working with Akai's MPC app on the iPad's touchscreen display.
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01/19, 8:10pm
iPad placed between traditional platters
Numark has introduced a new DJ controller, the iDJ Pro, that is designed to work with an iPad running Algoriddim's Djay app. The brushed-aluminum housing integrates a 30-pin dock connector, placing the iPad flat between a traditional dual-platter configuration.
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