ByteDance has released the first-ever TikTok transparency report. TikTok claims it received no requests for user information from China in the first half of 2019. The report reveals that most information requests came from regulators in India. TikTok w…
Category archives: Music Apps
U.S. Army Follows Navy’s TikTok Ban on Government Devices
The United States Army has followed the Navy in banning TikTok. The Army says the app represents a security threat, and the TikTok ban applies to all government-owned phones. Army spokesperson Lt. Col Robin L. Ochoa confirmed a security bulletin about …
Despite $7 Million in Funding, 8tracks Is Shutting Down
The founder of 8Tracks David Porter has announced in a blog post that the company will cease operations at the end of the year. The company launched back in 2008 as a social media platform that offered user-curated playlists of at least eight songs. Pl…
Tidal Unplugged – $1MM Endowment Program Launches in Detroit
Tidal has partnered with philanthropists Robert Nelsen and Mark Lampert to launch Tidal Unplugged. The program is a $1 million endowment program to highlight upcoming musicians across genres. The program gives these artists access to studio time with L…
Spotify Will Pause All Political Advertising Starting ‘Early 2020’
Spotify political ads sales will be suspended in ‘early 2020.’ Spotify says it doesn’t have the resources to properly vet political ads. Spotify will pause political advertising across its ad-supported tier and its exclusive podcasts….
TikTok Owner ByteDance Denies Rumors of Selling Majority Stake Amid Spying Concerns
TikTok for sale? ByteDance has denied rumors that it is looking to sell a majority stake in TikTok. An initial report says the rising spying concerns are at heart. So far, ByteDance has worked to separate TikTok from its Chinese operations. Those effor…
U.S. Navy Bans TikTok From Government Issued Devices Over Cybersecurity Concerns
The United States Navy has issued a blanket ban on the Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok. Navy officials say the app may present a ‘cybersecurity threat’ to service members. A bulletin issued by the Navy showed up on a Facebook page fo…
TikTok Is Searching for a Headquarters Outside of China, U.S. Isn’t on the Shortlist
In spite of its insistence that it wants to securely keep user data in the United States, TikTok is not considering setting up its global headquarters in the country. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, while TikTok’s global headq…
Triller Lands Huge Investment, Says the Service is ‘Bigger Than TikTok’ in the U.S.
Triller says it is bigger than TikTok in the United States, with 26.5 million monthly active users. The announcement comes less than two months after the service declared 13 million MAUs. Triller says it is ‘overtaking TikTok in the United States…
Spotify Testing ‘Tastebuds’ Social Feature, Explore Friends’ Music Tastes
Spotify Tastebuds is a new social music discovery feature now in testing. It’s the first move into social sharing since 2017 when the platform made friend activity exclusive to desktop. Tastebuds lets users explore ‘music taste profilesR…