Early last year, and prior to its non-IPO direct listing on Wall Street, Spotify posted three interesting job advertisements. Unveiling a shift away from its dependency on music streaming, the company sought an Operations Manager in Hardware Product al…
Category archives: Gear And Software
Spotify Unveils Soundtrap for Storytellers, a New Subscription Service for Podcasters
Doubling down on its strategy to gain more advertising revenue, Spotify unveiled three key acquisitions earlier this year. Shelling out over $340 million, the streaming music giant acquired both Gimlet Media and Anchor. The company then spent an addit…
Aimed at Professional DJs, Beatport Unveils Two Subscription Services — Link and Cloud
Beatport has unveiled a brand-new subscription service “for DJs, by DJs.” Dubbed Beatport Link and available now in beta, the new platform makes the EDM-oriented online store’s entire music catalog available for streaming directly onto performance soft…
Nearly Three Months After Launch, Spotify Officially Unveils Its ‘Lite App’ in India
Last summer, in an effort to compete in emerging markets, Spotify unveiled a new, slimmer app. Dubbed ‘Lite,’ the minimalist app allowed users to stream their favorite music on Android devices. Visually, both the Spotify and ‘Lite’ apps look almost the…
Handing Apple a Major Setback, U.S. Supreme Court Allows an App Store Antitrust Case to Proceed
In a closely watched antitrust case, the Supreme Court has now ruled against Apple in an App Store monopoly lawsuit. Ruling 5-4 against the Cupertino giant, the ruling allows iPhone users to take on Apple over App Store commissions. The Supreme Court u…
More Information Leaks on Apple’s Standalone Music App
According to a report first published several weeks ago, Apple is preparing to split up iTunes. On desktops, at least. Apple is now focusing heavily on Services revenue, a serious strategic shift that will have a big impact on its media platforms. Ac…
MelodyVR Burned Through $14.7 Million in Cash Last Year
MelodyVR has published its financial results for 2018. Thanks to content sales and partnership deals last year, the virtual reality startup reported £1.2 million ($1.6 million) in revenue. Yet, underscoring the VR industry’s sustained unprofitability,…
Spotify Expands ‘Stations,’ a Leanback Listening App, Into Australia
Nearly a year and a half ago, Spotify launched a separate streaming music app on Android. Dubbed ‘Stations,’ the app allowed users to listen to curated music stations for free. The app description on Google Play reads, “With the world’s music at your f…
Following Spotify Complaint, European Union Formally Launches Investigation Into Apple’s Business Practices
Two months ago, Spotify filed an antitrust complaint in the European Union over Apple’s 30% ‘tax’ on the App Store. According to the streaming music giant, the 30% fee unfairly stifles creativity and innovation. Keep in mind CEO Daniel Ek still refuse…
Beats Introduces a $250 AirPods Alternative — ‘Powerbeats Pro’
Beats Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones will be available to pre-order on Apple.com starting on May 3rd. The Powerbeats Pro will be available for purchase in stores one week later on May 10th. The new Beats earphones are powered by the same Apple H1 c…