Siri To Control Spotify, Pandora, Other Streaming Apps

Apple has included Siri support for Spotify, Pandora and other third-party music and media apps in the upcoming iOS 13. A new developer tool, SiriKit for Audio, now makes it possible for iOS audio app developers to integrate Siri’s search and play feature. Apple currently puts severe limits on Siri’s…

Stay Calm! Apple Did NOT Just Kill Music Downloads

For the many, the announcement that Apple is "killing" iTunes also meant that Apple was also killing its music download store. In fact, iTunes on the Mac is just being divided into three separate apps for music, podcasts and TV. And the iconic music download store lives on, at least…

LÜM Raises $1.2M, Partners With Frank Productions For New Music Discovery Platform

Social music app LÜM has closed its seed round, bringing the Madison, Wisconsin based startup’s total investment to $1.2 million in less than a year. LÜM has also partnered with concert promoters Frank Productions to explore ways to bridge the difficult divide between live and digital music consumption. Focusing on…

Move Over Music, Spotify App Update Highlights Podcasts

The Spotify mobile music app has been renamed Spotify – Music and Podcasts, as the company brings its $500 million bet on podcasting to the forefront of its entire ecosystem. The new design is be available to some users, but the streamer has offered no date for a full roll…

Free SPLITS App Makes Songwriter Splits Super Simple

The new free SPLITS app from Create Music Group is designed to eliminate songwriting disputes between writers, producers and artists.by generating a free split agreement – the document music publishers use to clarify individual contributions to a song. SPLITS accomplishes this with just a few clicks from a smartphone. "In…

Tinder Adds ‘Festival Mode’ To Enable Music Fest Hookups

Hookup app Tinder has added “Festival Mode” which effectively connects users at music festivals who are looking to ‘connect.’ The new feature allows users to add badges to their profile to show which music festivals that are attending over the summer. The app then prompts users to make a selection…

Spotify Passes 500 Million Installs, Far More Than Other Streamers

The Spotify app has passed 500 million installs on Android. In its last quarterly report, Spotify reported 207 million monthly active users, so the 500 million stat includes people who are no longer using the app and reflect how Google calculates downloads and installs. Pandora, Amazon Music, Deezer, YouTube Music,…

Major Labels Demanding ‘Guaranteed Money’ From TikTok Owners

Spring will shepherd in the cancellation of numerous music contracts, and with renegotiations on the table, three of the industry’s biggest labels are eager to see if they can squeeze some additional revenue out of the rapidly growing social media platform TikTok. _____________________________ Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix…

Apple Music Expands ‘For You’ Personalized Recommendations

Apple Music is improving its ‘For You’ section, and reorganizing it around personalized music themes that are updated more frequently. Apple Music once touted a curator-centric approach to music discovery, but the streamer has steadily shifted to embrace Spotify-like data-driven personalization. Apple Music upgrading ‘For You’ feature based on themes,…

XITE, Music Video Streaming App, Makes US Debut

A free app already popular on the international scene, XCITE has officially been rolled out in the US, and may be the first streaming service solely dedicated to music videos. ________________________________ Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix Finally, a streaming service solely focused on music videos has debuted in…