Music

Linn announces it's quitting the CD player market

High-end home ent manufacturer Linn has announced it has taken the "dramatic decision" to stop making CD players.

Linn will cease production from the start of 2010 to focus on digital music streaming systems, sales of which have apparently outpaced those of...

VIDEO: Skifta offers media sharing app

A small startup from Poole has created an app that aims to make it easier to share your digital media collection between your various gadgets. It's called Skifta, and allows you to shift content between a number of devices with just one catch - they have to be DLNA enabled.

If...

Spotify gets Pandora-style recommendations

You might be familiar, if you're a hardcore Spotify user, with @Spotibot - a Twitter bot that recommends bands that are similar to other bands, as well as the Better Spotify Links project. Well, the coder behind it - Andy Smith - has just completed his latest app - an...

iTunes still most popular music service by far

A survey of 2000 internet users in the UK from GfK NOP has found that iTunes still remains by far the most popular music service, but that new entrant Spotify is shooting rapidly up the charts, despite having only just celebrated its 1st birthday.

The survey asked...

iTunes Best Album and Song Awards nominations revealed

While preparations for the Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards are in full swing, Apple has announced the shortlists for the iTunes Best Album & Song 2009.

Selected by the iTunes UK editorial team in London, the shortlists have been compiled from the thousands...

Add a crossfader to YouTube

If you don't fancy shelling out the best part of £6000 for a pair of Pioneer DVJ-X1s and a decent crossfader, here's a cheaper alternative for budding VJs. It's called "Two You Tube Videos And A Motherfucking Crossfader", and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Just...

VIDEO: Nokia reveals twins' music taste study results

A recent study by Nokia and Kings' College London Department of Twin Research has examined the music taste of nearly 4000 twins.

The results boil down to suggest up to 50% of music taste has already been decided by our genes, although "on the whole, musical...

Spotify facing delays for US launch

Spotify appears to be having trouble with its much-trailed US launch. Rumours are spreading that Sweden's music-streaming wonderchild is facing difficulties in getting US music publishers to sign up. At a conference in Monte Carlo, CEO Daniel Ek completely ruled out the...

First Rdio screenshots appear

Rdio, the new music service from the founders of Skype, Joost and KaZaa, is beginning to show its face on the Web. A couple of screenshots of the interface of the app have appeared on ReadWriteWeb, complete with a short description of the service.

As you can see,...

3's HTC Hero with Spotify now available

Spotify has announced on its blog that the previously-promised Spotify Phone is now available from 3 UK, in both its retail stores and online.

The deal comprises of an HTC Hero preloaded with the Spotify Android app, a 24-month subscription to Spotify Premium,...

BlueBeat claims it owns copyright in Beatles tracks

Hank Risen, the owner of BlueBeat.com, which was found last week to be selling MP3s of the Beatles' catalogue for as little as 15p per track, has defiantly stated that he owns the copyrights in the songs that he's selling.

EMI filed a lawsuit against the company,...

Deezer launches premium desktop client

Deezer, a French music startup that rivals Spotify and We7 in providing ad-supported music streaming, has announced a couple of premium subscription options and a desktop client, so you can listen to the service without having a browser window open.

The Deezer...

No Doubt sues Activision over Band Hero

No Doubt, Gwen Stefani's band who had a hit with the song "Don't Speak", have sued the publishers of Band Hero, Activision Blizzard, over their likeness in the game. The band complained that they were breaching their contract by allowing them to be turned into a virtual...

Abbey Road Live offers instant gig recordings

EMI has launched a subsidiary called Abbey Road Live to offer gig-goers the chance to walk out of the venue with a recording of the concert they just attended on their mobile phones. The service has been available previously at gigs, but only on CD-R.

The company...

Microsoft relaunches music download store

Microsoft has relaunched its previously-shuttered MSN Music download store in the UK, which offers album and single-track downloads from all four major labels. Microsoft says the store is "large and competitively priced".

As well as purchasable tracks, Microsoft...

Beatles offer 16GB apple-shaped USB drive

The Beatles have perennially refused to put their catalogue on any digital download sites, despite a little-known site called BlueBeat stocking the fab four's tracks at knock-down prices.

But if you want to get your hands on legitimate digital recordings of your...

Survey claims illegal downloaders spend most on music

A survey from London-based think-tank Demos has added weight to the position held by many that file sharers are the biggest music fans, revealing that those who admit downloading music illegally spend an average of £77 per year on music, compared to £44 for people who...

Foo Fighters stream gig over Facebook

Rock band Foo Fighters have announced that they'll be streaming a free gig on Facebook on 30 October. The show will come live from the band's Los Angeles HQ and the stream will begin at 7pm PST (that's 3AM GMT). It'll be powered by Livestream.

Fans can RSVP to...

DJ Hero now on shelves

DJ Hero, Activision's attempt at turning its Guitar Hero franchise over to the world of electronic music, has now been released in Europe and is available to buy. The game simulates some of the fundamentals of DJing using a plastic "deck" controller, allowing players...

Blinkx launches music video jukebox

Blinkx has launched a dedicated music area to its video search service. The section, called Blinkx Music, allows users to search through a 33,000 hours-strong catalogue of digital music from 10,000 artists.

Some of the content (about 20-25%, says the company)...

The Who: Rock Band on the way

Roger Daltrey, the lead singer in The Who, has revealed that his band will be the stars of the next edition of the plastic-controller music series Rock Band. The singer confirmed the move to the Republican in an interview.

Daltrey, when asked about Beatles: Rock...

Spotify expands Premium discount programme

Spotify, following a good deal of public experimentation with price points, has decided to lower the price of its premium subscriptions in a sponsorship deal with insurance company Swiftcover.

Billboard is reporting that until 2 November, you'll be able to get...

Spotify launches Metadata API

When Spotify launched its API back in April with a great song and dance, much was made of the possibilities it could bring. Except that when it finally emerged, it turns out that you couldn't do very much with it. Many were disappointed, and Spotify's attentions turned...

VIDEO: Spotify launches first TV advert

Spotify, the streaming music service which has captured plenty of users in the year it's been around, has launched its first "reklam", or TV advert, albeit in Swedish. You can see it above. 

Many have suggested that despite doing well with web users, Spotify is...

Spotify offers Premium subscription discount

Spotify might be finding it tough to shift subscriptions, because the music streaming service is already offering a discount on the £10 per month cost of stripping out ads and getting access to the mobile apps.

The Swedish company sent out an email offering its...