Amazon Music has announced the launch of a free, ad-supported version of its music streaming service that it hopes will compete with Spotify’s free version, which has close to 140 million users. An ad-supported version of the service has reported…
Author archives: Colin Cohen
TikTok Hits a Whopping 1.5 Billion Downloads
TikTok has reached 1.5 billion downloads as it continues to compete with rival Instagram. According to data from Sensor Tower, TikTok’s total downloads across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play just passed the 1.5 billion mark, after re…
Tencent Talking with Potential Co-Investors for Universal Music Group Bid
Tencent is reportedly looking to find co-investors for its bid to purchase a 10% interest of Universal Music Group (UMG) from Vivendi. According to Bloomberg, Tencent is approaching a number of companies to join it. This includes both Hillhouse Capital…
Will.i.am Accuses Qantas Flight Attendant of Racism — Airline Demands a Retraction and Threatens Legal Action
Will.i.am is accusing a Qantas flight attendant of racism because of the way she acted toward him and other “people of colour” during a flight to Sydney from Brisbane. According to will.i.am, the flight attendant in question singled …
Lizzo Sued by Former Postmates Delivery Woman Accused of Stealing Food
A former Postmates delivery woman is suing Lizzo after the singer-songwriter accused her of stealing her food. Tiffany Wells is suing Lizzo — whose real name is Melissa Jefferson — for libel, emotional distress and false-light invasion of p…
What U.S. Government Investigation? TikTok Is Testing Out Buy Links
In spite of a U.S. government investigation into its business practices, TikTok is continuing to move forward with its app, by testing out new e-commerce capabilities. Fabian Bern, who is the founder of a Chinese influencer marketing agency called Upla…
Michael Jackson and His ‘Simpsons’ Episode Goes Missing from Disney+
An episode of The Simpsons that featured Michael Jackson has gone missing from Disney+. The episode in question came in 1991 — during the premiere of season 3 of the long-running animation series — which was a couple of years before child a…
Spotify Is Actively Testing Realtime Lyrics in Certain Markets
Spotify is testing a new feature in its mobile app that provides real-time lyrics in sync with the music it is playing. The feature, which is powered by Musixmatch, scrolls a song’s lyrics in time with the music. The company is testing it in sele…
Nirvana’s Infringement Lawsuit Over Its Happy Face Logo Can Proceed, Judge Rules
A federal court judge has ruled that an infringement lawsuit that Nirvana LLC filed against clothing designer Marc Jacobs as well as against department stores Saks Incorporated and Neiman Marcus can proceed. Nirvana filed the suit in December of…
Clockenflap Hong Kong Music Festival Canceled as Violence Escalates
Organizers of the Clockenflap music festival, which is Hong Kong’s largest, announced that they are canceling the event, citing the increase in the violence in the city because of the ongoing political protests. The festival was to take place on …