Every Monday, we’re sharing the latest news and information for the music industry and technology worldwide.
Get your learn on and stay in the know with Symphonic’s Music Biz Monday!
Verizon Wireless Bundles Apple Music Into Its Unlimited Plans
Last summer, Verizon announced an exclusive promotion.
The telecommunications conglomerate offered a new bundle – 6 months of Apple Music. The promotion, which started on August 16th, was made available to users on Verizon’s high-priced Unlimited plans – Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, and Above Unlimited.
Now, both companies have extended their partnership.
Starting January 17th, subscribers on two plans – Beyond Unlimited and Above Unlimited – will have full unlimited access to Apple Music.
\\ Read more on Digital Music News //
Spotify will reportedly release an in-car music player later this year
Spotify is planning to release an in-car music player with voice controls later this year, anonymous sources told The Financial Times. Spotify has previously teased this type of product with pop-up screens in the Spotify app seen by some customers, as The Verge reported back in April, but today’s news further confirms its existence. The Times says the device will be priced around $100. Its rumored release comes as companies including Apple (with CarPlay), Google (Assistant and Android Auto), and Amazon (Alexa) compete for in-car dominance.
\\ Read more on The Verge //
Pandora Partners with Soundhound to Launch Voice Control in Mobile App
In November SoundHound made its Music Recognition technology available to license on request, via its Houndify voice AI platform.
The move allows brands and developers to license the music search tech for use within their software interfaces.
At that stage, brand partners identified by SoundHound included car manufacturers and telecommunications firms such as Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Vauxhall, Nvidia (cars), Samsung (IoT platforms), and Motorola.
It was only a matter of time before a music streaming platform made use of the access granted by SoundHound to its proprietary voice recognition technology.
\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //
Spotify Rolls Out #MuteRKelly Inspired Artist Blocking
Spotify is rolling out a feature that allows users to block an artist, including their automatically curated playlists like Discover Weekly and Daily Mix. The move comes as calls increase to #MuteRKelly and ban artists accused of sexual misconduct and hate speech.
\\ Read more on Hypebot //
YouTube Music Could Replace Google Play as the Default Music Player on Android Devices
Google just released the first update for YouTube Music in 2019, bringing with it some interesting speculation.
The app version number 2.65 was quickly torn apart by tech enthusiast blogs, with changes under the hood analyzed.
One possibility discovered is that Google may be prepping to make YouTube Music a default app for Android devices. As part of the agreement to distribute Android devices, manufacturers agree to include default apps on their devices. Right now, the default music app is Play Music.
\\ Read more on Digital Music News //
Other Stories You May Like
8 Podcasts To Inspire Your Music Career
Fresh New Music ft. Smile, Manatee Commune, + more
