The information comes from the folks over at CNET, who report that “people familiar with the negotiations” say Apple and Sony Music are in contention over how much Apple will pay when a user listens to part of a song, then skips to the next one. Such an issue is reportedly causing frustration amongst the other labels slated to have their music offered through the service, which they anticipate bolstering the music industry.

Sources also have said that iRadio will offer features not found on what will be the service’s biggest competitor, Pandora, such as rewinding a song they want to hear a second time around. The service will reportedly allow an easy way for listeners to buy a song while using iRadio, and will also give labels a cut of the advertisement revenues generated. Apple is considering using audio advertisements.

Unlike Pandora, Apple has chosen to form individual deals with each music label rather than going by federal stipulations, which could potentially give the service more abilities than Pandora, but comes at the cost of running into negotiation problems. One such difference that could be in iRadio’s benefit from direct deals, for example, is having no limit on the number of songs skipped, or a higher skipping allowance than Pandora, which limits skips on an hourly basis with a daily cap.

While the sources provided some information on the matter, they didn’t specify any particular numbers, such as what Sony is wanting per skipped song and what Apple wants on its part. Reportedly, Apple is seeking to have the same terms across its deals with each music label, and as such could have problems if Sony ended up getting a deal that crunches out with more favorable numbers than the other labels.

SOURCE: CNET

Both Android Police and Phandroid say that they have received official confirmation that the Nexus Q was dropped from Google Play Music support. A Google liaison said that, indeed, “the latest version of Google Play Music isn’t compatible with the Nexus Q.” Whether this officially spells the end for the media streamer is still anyone’s guess, but it sure seems that way.

Of course, we can’t be too surprised by this, as the Nexus Q quickly became a dud shortly after it was released. In fact, the device was already halted before it was officially launched, with people who pre-ordered the device getting it for free, while ongoing sales were stopped indefinitely.

The Nexus Q was then eventually removed from Google’s Nexus landing page, where the company highlights its line of Nexus devices. The Q was sadly missing from the bunch, making us all scratch our heads as to what Google’s plans were with the media streaming device. However, back in January, the Nexus Q was discovered as no longer available in the Google Play store, pretty much all but confirming that the device has seen its death.

Then again, we knew the Nexus Q was going to be a disaster right from the beginning — it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Nexus Q wasn’t going to be a hint. It was an interesting concept, and the device is beautifully designed, but the need for it wasn’t really there, and it simply offered an alternative to other already-established media streaming solutions.

SOURCE: Android Police and Phandroid

Overall, we’re dealing with many of the same features that we’ve already seen with services like Spotify, Rdio, and Pandora, but Google has put its own spin and look into All Access. The Explore page is probably where most users will spend their time if they’re interested in discovering new artists. This section includes personal recommendations, featured artists and albums, as well as new releases.

As what may appear to be obvious, All Access is simply added on to the current Google Music app, so all the previous features of the app still remain. You even still have the ability to upload all of your own music the app and have it combined with the streaming music that you have picked out, creating one large library of music that includes a mix between the two. This is something that only Spotify has, and it’s a mighty-awesome feature to have.

All Access also has a Pandora-like feature where you can create radio stations of sorts based on a single artist or song. From there, you can give a song a thumbs up or thumbs down to make the app continuously learn about the music that you enjoy most. You also have the ability to rearrange future songs in the automated playlist in the radio station, as well as the ability to swipe away the songs you don’t want to listen to.

As for the user interface, nothing hasn’t changed too much. You get the typical Google look with an orange and white color theme. Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of the squared-off boxes and shapes that many Android apps have, but it certainly doesn’t hinder the music listening experience at all, and it’s something that I can easily get accustomed to.

One huge problem with All Access is cross-platform support. It is available on the web in any web browser, turning your laptop and desktop into its own DJ of sorts, but as far as mobile apps outside of Android, Google has yet to make that expansion. The great thing about Spotify is that it’s available on pretty much any platform, including iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone. We’d be surprised if Google released their Music app for all of these platforms, so for users who yearn for cross-platform support, that seems to be where All Access’s weakness is.

As for price, All Access will cost $9.99 per month, but if you sign up before June 30, you’ll only play $7.99 per month. That price seems to be a permanent thing, so if you sign up before the end of June, you’ll only pay $7.99 for as long as you have an All Access subscription. Furthermore, All Access comes with a 30-day free trial, whether you sign up before June 30 or not.

Overall, Google Play Music All Access isn’t anything revolutionary, and we’re frankly a little disappointed that Google is simply getting their feet wet first before diving in. Of course, this is a smart move sometimes, but instead of boldly diving in and giving Spotify and Rdio a run for their money, Google is simply taking it easy to get a feel for the market, which could put them further behind in the music-streaming race.

The mobile app looks to have all of the same features that we’ve seen in music streaming subscription services in the past, including personalized recommendations, featured music, and the ability to create radio stations out of the music that you enjoy the most. This gets based on a certain artist or song, similar to how Pandora creates different stations.

While a song is playing, you also have the choices of giving it the thumbs up or thumbs down, as well as the ability to rearrange future songs in the automated playlist, as well as swiping away the songs you don’t want to listen to. Google says that All Access is a music player “without rules,” meaning that you can have be as interactive as you want, or just let it do it’s thing.

Basically, it’s nothing that we already haven’t seen before in Spotify, Pandora, or Rdio, but there are a few minor features that music enthusiasts may enjoy greatly. Plus, if you’re already deep into the Google ecosystem, this could be a great addition to your app collection. And like Spotify, you can upload your own music to the app and have it appear right along side all the other content. All Access will also be available as a web app for cross-platform enjoyment. As for price, you’re looking at $9.99/month for unlimited access.

The information comes from sources who spoke to the folks over at The Verge, also reporting that Google has penned deals with both Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. Such deals will provide the rumored subscription service with access to vast quantities of artists. This is in addition to deal with Warner Music Group reported by Fortune back on March 5.

While the rumor that surfaced earlier this year said that Google will be offering a free music streaming service, The New York Times has stated that its sources say that won’t be the case, with only a for-pay subscription model being offered. That is disappointing, but the subscription service – although no numbers have been dropped yet – is likely to be priced similar to its competition, meaning $10 or less monthly.

We still haven’t heard whether the service will only be available to those located in the United States or elsewhere as well. And while information on what, precisely, the service will be like is unknown, word has it the subscription model will compete with Spotify and similar other companies, meaning it will probably share some of the same functionality.

The information hasn’t been confirmed, with all three record labels declining comment and Google obviously having nothing to say on the matter. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to see if the sources pan out, with the announcement slated for tomorrow. We’re currently at the event, and will let you know as soon as we hear anything.

SOURCE: The Verge

In an interview with CNN, Reller says that Microsoft has attempted to convince Apple to build a Windows 8 app for iTunes, but the Cupertino-based company doesn’t seem to want to budge, even though such an app “is in high demand” for Windows 8 users, according to Reller. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having just a desktop version of iTunes, but Windows 8 tablet users are out of luck.

Since Surface tablets running Windows RT don’t have a desktop mode, iTunes users won’t be able to access the music player and media store on their tablet, and will have find a computer in order to manage their music, movies, and iOS apps. Surface Pro users have access to desktop mode, however, but the experience isn’t as good as on a full-size computer.

Apple has made much of their software available for Windows, but as the world is shifting more towards tablets, it seems the competitiveness has increased along with the rise in tablets, and Apple may be thinking twice about bringing their software over to Windows tablets, simply because the company wants to keep the exclusivity with iTunes.

Currently, the Windows app store has over 60,000 apps available for download, and there’s been around 250 million downloads total so far. Reller says that it’s a “realistic achievement” to have all the most popular apps in the iTunes App Store available in the Windows app store by the time the holiday season rolls around.

[Source: CNN]

It’s speculated that this recent acquisition has something to do with Twitter’s acquisition of We Are Hunted. Both companies are trying to drive people to stick with their services, so they are pulling out all of the stops to do so. While the music streaming industry is pretty saturated, many companies are still trying to break into the field in order to generate more revenue. To give you an idea of how much revenue music streaming can generate, Warner Music Group stated that it received 25% of its revenue from music streaming alone.

Tunigo is similar to Songza. It allows users to play and generate music playlists based on their mood. They can choose a playlist for when they’re working out, cooking, dancing, feeling nostalgic, and more. Tunigo piggybacks off of Spotify, generating music, playlists and more through the service. With the help of Spotify, it is able to keep track of all of the latest music additions, user recommendations and more to create specific playlists.

What we’re hoping is for Spotify to integrate Tunigo into its service somehow, instead of being like Yahoo and killing off its acquisition. The music streaming market is getting more and more competitive. Currently, the big dogs are Spotify and Pandora, however Apple plans on launching its own music streaming service called iRadio, which is speculated to launch over the summer. The industry is about to get tumultuous and these services will have to pull out all the stops to stay relevant.

[via AllThingsD]

AOL Music employees were in attendance at the HR meeting where AOL announced that they would be out of a job. Many took to Twitter to express their disappointment. Dan Reilly, a former editor of Spinner.com, a music/entertainment website acquired by AOL, tweeted, “Well, we all just got laid off. AOL Music is finished. Sitting in an HR meeting right now, trying to negotiate keeping our computers for a few more days”

AOL’s new Brand Group CEO, Susan Lyne, had a hand to play in AOL Music’s demise. In some recent interviews, she said that she would be looking at AOL’s current content properties, and decide which of them would get the ax, and which of them would continue to live on. According to AllThingsD, while Lyne may be shutting down AOL Music, she may be bringing other forms of entertainment to AOL.

Lyne has an impressive media background. She was the president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She spent 8 years at Disney as well as ABC, where she became the president of its entertainment division and oversaw the development of popular ABC shows like Desperate Housewives and Lost. While AOL Music may be dead, Lyne may have an ace up her sleeve to bring AOL back into the entertainment game.

[via AllThingsD]

Throughout the timeline, Apple touches on major iPod launches, as well as download milestones for the iTunes Store, including the most recent 40 billionth app downloaded from the App Store, 25 billion songs sold through iTunes, and one billion courses downloaded from iTunes U. If you’ve been an iPod user since the early days, this will definitely bring you way back.

However, this doesn’t mark the 10th anniversary of iTunes. The popular music player and music store combo app was actually launched back in 2001 along with the very first iPod, which would make iTunes around 12 years old now, which means the app has already been around for about two years when the timeline begins.

Nonetheless, it’s a fun thing to scroll through to kill some time, and it even lists the top-selling songs and albums for a given year, and they include a link to buy the song or album if you feel like getting some nostalgia built up. So, what was the top-selling song on iTunes back in 2003? “Hey Ya!” by OutKast.

Twitter Charts

What you’re seeing here is Twitter-generated charts that allow you to see what’s trending – it’s not just the best of the best, but the most popular as well. You’ll be seeing charts based on what’s most popular, what’s “hottest”, what’s best for you, and more. One of the most interesting connections you’re going to see here is your suggested tracks.

We’ll be investigating further to see how Twitter selects this list for you. Stay tuned to this post as well as SlashGear’s main news feed for more information on Twitter’s music discovery engine throughout the day!

Follow Artists

If you’re like me, you’ve already been following a collection of musical artists on Twitter well before the #music app launched. Artists like Ice Cube, Santigold, and the RZA already have tracks set up right at the start. From here you’ll be able to see new tracks they promote sent straight from their Twitter handles – tweets for listening in!

We must assume that artists will quickly begin to send out tracks that are shown on Twitter first – just so long as they’re also posted to iTunes, RDIO, and/or Spotify as well. The way artists will generate revenue for themselves here is through those services. It’s unclear at the moment how exactly Twitter is cashing in on this project.

Tweet Tracks

Once you find a track you like in RDIO, Spotify, iTunes, or straight through the Twitter #music app, you can tweet or re-tweet it. From there your Twitter followers will be able to play a preview of the track instantly. If they’re a RDIO or Spotify subscriber, they’ll be able to play the full track you’ve tweeted straight from your tweet!

In the future there will more than likely be a rather similar interface to what we’re seeing here on the web as well. Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry may very well be getting the same app interface soon too – just wait!

Listen Now

You can listen in using your own Twitter #music app (available for download now for free) or you can see all you need to see in your web browser. If you’re using RDIO or Spotify, you’ll be able to listen right out the gate – if you’re listening in with iTunes, you’ll need to give your web browser permission to use Quicktime to play a track.

Head over to this tweet to see what it’s like to play a music track with iTunes inside Twitter. You’ll also be able to – from there – hit the #NowPlaying hashtag link to see what everyone on Twitter is playing right now!

Feedback

Let us know what you think of this app and/or the web interface you’re using if you don’t want to go mobile just yet. Also please feel free to let us know how you’re feeling about Twitter’s music app if you’re NOT an iOS user – feeling left out, or is the web browser interface enough for you?

The announcement was made on ABC’s Good Morning America, of all places, while up until now Twitter #Music has been virally teased by music celebrities and odds-and-ends celebrity personalities. All on Twitter, of course. You’ll find this launch to be one made by Twitter to reach the masses, not just the early adopter crowds apps are normally advertised to.

“The songs on Twitter #music currently come from three sources: iTunes, Spotify or Rdio. By default, you will hear previews from iTunes when exploring music in the app. Subscribers to Rdio and Spotify can log in to their accounts to enjoy full tracks that are available in those respective catalogs. We will continue to explore and add other music service providers.” – Twitter

While the final app is not yet available to users, we’re expecting a full launch by the end of the day – stay tuned to our Twitter tag portal all day until the big blast happens!

According to the Twitter bits and pieces released on the television show today, there will be several ways you’ll be able to get into the mix. While for the most part this launch will surround the iOS app and desktop connections, you’ll still be able to get to listen to music on your Android, Windows Phone, or BlackBerry device by tapping links in Twitter and seeing (and more importantly, listening) the action in your mobile web browser.

This release should take the success Twitter has seen in their release of Vine earlier this year. While Twitter remains solidly a text-friendly app in and of itself, the Twitter brand will continue to expand through apps such as this. Have a peek at the tiny preview images released by ABC News thus far above and below and, again, stay tuned for more right here on SlashGear!

Currently, Spotify has over 25 million users, where free users can stream up to 40 hours of music per week, while unlimited subscribers obviously don’t have a limit, nor do they have to deal with ads. Currently, Spotify has over 6 million paid subscribers, and we’re sure that number will grow now that more markets have access to the streaming music service.

Spotify says that they aim to be available anywhere, but expanding to that point will take time. The company ultimately wants to be available in Asia completely, with today’s expansion in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore a good start. The continent is a hotbed for internet users, where many online services report having the most users.

Of course, today’s expansions are merely just stepping stones for Spotify in their quest to become available all around the world, but it seems they’re confident in getting to that point in the foreseeable future. The same features are available to international users, including both free and premium subscription options.

[via The Next Web]

Songza has no audio ads that will interrupt your listening experience. It’s available for a variety of platforms, including your desktop, iOS devices, Android devices, and even specifically to Amazon’s lineup of Kindle Fire tablets. The service is great for discovering brand new music, and it is very easy to configure. While on Songza’s website, you start off by choosing a day and time of day, and then choosing the activity you’ll be needing music for. You are then given a selection of music genres to choose from. After choosing your genre, you are given a variety of playlists to choose from.

Songza one-ups other music streaming services by offering an ad-free listening experience. Also, Songza’s music playlists aren’t created by just any music listener. It says that its playlists are created by an “expert team of music critics, DJs, musicians, and musicologists”. However, even though it offers an ad-free listening experience, like other music streaming services, you are limited to only a small amount of song skips.

Being able to select playlists based on your mood, along with the ad-free listening experience, is what sets Songza apart from its competitors and makes it a dangerous rival to Pandora and Spotify. However, even Songza will have a tough time competing in the music streaming business once Apple’s iRadio service launches. Apple is rumored to be securing licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music really soon, and is speculated to be launching iRadio sometime during the summer.

The Twitter music service we’re seeing here has been given a bit of a viral push by the likes of Ryan Seacrest earlier this week out in the open in a rather obvious bid for some pre-release chatter. You’ll find Zynga to have used this same fellow for some Draw Something 2 stoking as well, just under a month ago – the time is nigh!

This weekend the Coachella music festival begins, and with it, we’ll be seeing Twitter launch this iOS music app – and discovery is at its core. You’ll quite likely be able to access the app itself in the next week if not this weekend and the iPhone 5/4S/4 will be first up to gain access. It’s also quite possible that this launch will be available in web browsers as well – everyone join in on the fun!

In the gallery above you’ll see several music celebrities or otherwise famous people tweeting about what they’re still calling “Twitter Music”. You’ll also find Stephen Philips – part of We Are Hunted – tweeting a few bits of music playable through Twitter itself. While this isn’t unheard of in the past, we must assume that Twitter will integrate such abilities in the near future for use by anyone working with Twitter only – or perhaps a Rdio account will be required. We shall see!

Playlists are included for all the major Grand Theft Auto titles, including Episodes and Stories installments as well. In all, Grand Theft Auto IV, Episodes from Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto III, Liberty City Stories, and Chinatown Wars are included in the package.

69 albums in total are available, and they’re listed as the radio stations featured in each of the games, including the classic ones like Flashback 95.6 and Lips 106 to induce a little nostalgia during your music-listening sessions. They should no doubt make you want to boot up that Xbox and start playing the game for the heck of it.

Prices for the albums vary depending on which one you get. Some radio stations only include a few songs, and you grab those for only a few dollars for the album, but more filled-out albums will cost as much as $20. However, you can stream the music for free over Spotify, but if you prefer the ad-free approach, you can stream all the music you want for just $10 per month.

Twitter still doesn’t have anything to say on the music app, but the sources say that it will be launched during Coachella, a giant music festival in California. Multiple sources provided the information, none of them named and all said to be familiar with the situation. Considering the timing of the alleged launch and the announcement a few hours ago that Twitter has, indeed, aquired the We Are Hunted music service points to the affirmative.

The Twitter music platform is said to be a standalone app that will be available to both those with and without a Twitter account, although the former will have access to more features. Personalized recommendations will be offered to a user based on the artists they follow, as well as the artists followed by their followers. Songs and artists will be displayed with a grid design with an expanding panel with additional information.

According to sources, the music app will contain four tabs, one being a “Suggested” songs tab of content it thinks you will enjoy, as well as a “#NowPlaying” tab with, as the name suggests, songs being tweeted by followers using that hashtag. The third tab will be “Popular,” containing trending songs, followed by an “Emerging” tab, which will feature the up-and-coming songs and artists. SoundCloud, iTunes, Vevo, and more will be integrated.

[via AllThingsD]

We Are Hunted is now in the process of shutting down its website, according to the announcement, with the company publishing a public proclamation of gratitude for its users, its investors, and its board members. The service, which launched in 2007 and grew steadily over the years, is now part of the Twitter team, but it is being tight-lipped about what that involves.

Says We Are Hunted about the acquisition, “There’s no question that Twitter and music go well together. Artists turn to Twitter first to connect with fans, and people share and discover new songs and albums every day. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on at Twitter.” But, unfortunately, it says that it is not ready to discuss about what it is working on with the microblogging network yet.

Such an announcement lends credence to the rumors that surfaced last month claiming Twitter is working on its own standalone music app that will use the We Are Hunted system and team. Thus far, word has it the app will allow users to stream music via SoundCloud and some other services, displaying Popular and Emerging music, as well as what other users are currently listening to.

[via We Are Hunted]

It’s not too often that a new single will have gained so much popularity that it warrants a live debut on YouTube, but if anyone is capable of doing it, Psy is certainly the singer who can. This Saturday at 2:30 am PT (yes, that’s the middle of the night), Psy will live stream his new single, titled “Gentleman,” to the world for the first time.

Psy will be debuting the song at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, where not only will be performing live on YouTube, but in front of thousands of people as well. It should be a good time, but for those of us in the US, be prepared to either stay up late or wake up really early to catch it live. Or you could just wait until morning and watch a replay of it like most of us will probably do anyway.

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” hit the 1-billion-view mark back in December, and it’s already gained another 500 million views within the last few months alone. The video alone also brought in $8 million in advertising, thanks to YouTube’s advertising platform that allows users to make money off of their videos by embedding ads.

In fact, multiple models from the Volca series can be hooked up, thanks to Korg’s judicious use of sync in/out ports; a MIDI input also means an external keyboard or other controller can be attached. That could come in handy if the touch-sensitive keypads of the Volca Keys turn out to be too compact for your chunky fingers.

The Volca range will also work with Korg’s SyncKontrol iPhone app to wirelessly control tap-tempo, swing settings, and synchronize playback with any iOS music app that supports WIST. The push for simplicity also includes self-tuning on the Bass and Keys models, correcting the analog drift that can turn off some starter users.

The Korg Volca Keys offers three note analog synthesis and a loop sequencer, as well as support for memorizing and repeating knob movements. It has 27 touch-sensitive keys with three note polyphony, plus ring modulation.

As for the Korg Volca Bass, that offers a trio of analog oscillators and a new analog filter; up to eight 16-step sequencer patterns can be stored, with an active step function for instantly tweaking rhythms. Finally, the Volca Beats has six editable analog parts – each with its own selection of knobs for direct control – and a stutter function for throwing in dramatic sequence changes.

All three run on six AA batteries and have built-in speakers, with a full set of fresh batteries good for around 10hrs of use. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

THe FS1 Air has a very compact design, meaning its designed to fit into any area in your home or in your office. It has Class HD Technology, an amplifier that delivers high power density and high efficiency, combined with a Digital Signal Processor, which controls the equalization and crossover of your music, to create the best performance possible and best tone quality for your music.

Of course, if you don’t want to wirelessly stream your music to the Scuderia FS1, you can always plug your music device in via the 3.5mm jack available on the device, or dock your iOS devices on the 30-pin connector. The Scuderia FS1 Air Speaker Dock was inspired by the Scuderia Ferrari racing team, as well as the Ferrari itself. You can tell by the speaker’s beautiful curves, black and red color scheme, and the quality of music the device can produce.

Ashvin Patel, CEO of Logic3, says, “We designed the FS1 Air to offer a sophisticated solution that provides a crisp and powerful audio experience.” We first heard about the Scuderia FS1 Air Speaker Dock way back at CES this year. Previously, we expected the device to cost about $549.00, however, the price has been confirmed to be $649.00. It’s quite expensive for an audio dock, but it’s something audiophiles will want to have in their collection.

Korg isn’t saying exactly how long the KROSS will last on those batteries, but at least it offers a little more potential for creating songs on the go. The black and red chassis is studded with the usual array of knobs and buttons, including a sixteen-key sequencer control board for rhythms.

In addition to the piano, electric piano, and drum sounds which come from Korg’s more expensive models, the KROSS has twice the amount of sound sample data as previous affordable workstations. The company has also thrown in new EDM dance and electronic sounds, while effects – up to seven of which can be active at any one time – include delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, rotary speaker, amp modeling, and a vocoder.

A memory card slot can be used to swap data with a computer, and there’s a stereo audio recorder (including support for over-dubbing), arpeggiator, and one-touch drum backing. The 61-key version has an integrated carry-handle and tips the scales at 9.5lb, while the larger, 88-key version is 27.3lbs.

The Korg KROSS goes on sale in August, and is expected to be priced at $699 for the 61-key and $999 for the 88-key.

Android users in Austria, Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and New Zealand will all now find Google Play Music via their mobile device running Android 2.2 or higher, as well as online. This follows several other roll outs for the Play Store, including the launch of Play Movies in Mexico and India late last month.

A couple days before the launch of Play Movies in Mexico, Google rolled out Play Books in the country, offering international bestsellers and local titles. It also seems that Google will be releasing Play Store gift cards in Canada soon, with users in the country reporting access to a gift card redemption option.

In addition, Google also recently added info cards to Play Movies for actors, allowing viewers to pause a movie and click on an actor, pulling up his or her info card to see relevant details about his or her career and more. For now, the feature is only available to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich users on tablets, and isn’t available for all video content, but instead for “hundreds of movies” via Play.

[via Google+]

Pandora shared even more statistics as well, boasting that users stream 1.5 billion hours of music every single month, and the service streams 200 million songs before 10 AM every day, proving that Pandora is a vital part of commuting to work in the mornings. Furthermore, listeners have personalized their stations with more than 25 billion “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” ratings.

Last month alone, Pandora played over 100,000 unique artists and more than 1 million unique songs, and mobile usage of the Pandora app is on the rise, with more than 140 million listeners having used Pandora on a mobile device. Streaming music on a smartphone or tablet is becoming more and more popular, so we can only guess that number will keep rising in the future.

Pandora announced last month that monthly listener hours were just below 1.5 billion, so more users are listening to more music through Pandora — that’s an increase of 40% from 1.07 billion during the same time last year, proving that music streaming is becoming more popular, and people are using Pandora to do it.

Three out of the five new headphones (HA-MR77X/HA-MR55X/HA-SR44X) include a one-button remote and a microphone that works with iPhone, as well as Android and BlackBerry devices. The remote allows users to play, stop, and skip music tracks, as well as answer and hang-up phone calls. The remote and the microphone are built inline with the headphone’s cord.

The two remaining models — the HA-M55X and HA-S44X — come without the remote and microphone, but they deliver comparable audio quality to the other three models. Besides the built-in remote and microphone, there’s not a lot of differences design-wise between the five pairs of headphones, although each pair includes a different driver for different audio needs.

The HA-S44X and HA-SR44X are priced at $30 and $40, respectively, and both come with a 1.57” (40mm) driver. The HA-M55X and HA-MR55X are priced at $50 and $60, respectively and come with a 1.97” (50mm) driver. The HA-MR77X cost $100 and include a 2.24” (57mm) driver. JVC claims these headphones are focused on getting the best bass sound possible, and if you want in on these new cans, they’re available now.

According to the email, current subscribers will be billed in April, and will then begin to see songs turn grey in May; once grey, the song will no longer be playable, with the entire service going dark on June 2. These dates could change, per a postscript in the message. Users should begin making their transition the service this month.

Says the email sent to subscribers today: “BBM Music service will be discontinued as of June 2, 2013*. For paying customers, April is the last month that you will be billed. In May, as your BBM contacts stop using the service, songs in your playlists will begin to turn grey and will no longer be available.”

Once Blackberry Music is no longer available, you won’t have any use for the BB Music app, which is why removal instructions were provided. Users can make the transition more comfortable by taking advantage of the Rdio offer, which can be redeemed by following directions also included in the email, which you can read in full here.

[via Crackberry]

Just like with CDs, the offer applies to vinyls that you’ve bought from the website since 1998 (how many people were really using the internet to buy vinyl records back then?), and any customers who purchases a vinyl record that is eligible for an AutoRip MP3 version in the future will receive a digital copy that will be automatically added to the user’s Cloud Player library.

Just like with CDs, AutoRip only supports a certain number of vinyl records. In other words, it only goes as high as Amazon’s current catalog of MP3 music that they have available. The company currently boasts 50,000 tracks and counting that are eligible on Amazon’s AutoRip, all of which come with 256kbps quality.

Sales of vinyl records have been making a comeback as of late. They were obviously a popular format back in the 1970s, but many audiophiles argue that vinyl records offer a better quality sound than CDs and even high-bitrate MP3s, thus marking the rise in popularity. Many modern musicians and bands still release their albums in vinyl record format to this day.

However, the labels are getting worried because Pandora is attempting to negotiate for lower royalty fees. Currently, it pays 12 cents per 100 songs, but it needs to have a lower rate in order to generate a profit. Despite it not generating a profit, Pandora’s 12 cents per 100 songs fee is much lower than the 21 cents per 100 songs recommendation provided by the Copyright Royalty Board. Even Spotify, with its millions of users, is paying 35 cents per 100 songs.

The labels aren’t planning on lowering Pandora’s royalty fees however. They believe that the web radio industry is still growing, and that there will be other services that will be just as good as Pandora. They’re banking on Apple’s iRadio becoming a success. A source told The Verge that there is no doubt that Apple’s iRadio is coming, and that Apple has achieved a lot of progress with music labels. The sources say, “Apple is pushing really hard for a summertime launch”.

If Apple really is far into negotiations with music labels, perhaps the music labels were able to convince the company that a 6 cents per 100 songs royalty fee was too low. Regardless, with Apple’s power, its iRadio service would most likely be an instant hit, and it may deal incredible damage to Pandora’s business, especially since Pandora has just restricted its mobile users to only 40 hours of free music streaming per month. If the music labels offer Apple a better rate than Pandora, Pandora is expected to make a case in front of Congress with the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA) bill. The bill, if approved by Congress, would lower Pandora’s (and other web radio’s) royalty fees so that they can generate a profit.

[via The Verge]

According to someone “familiar with Twitter’s plan,” the micro-blogging platform has struck a deal with Vevo so that the latter company’s content will be offered via the social network’s music app. Specifically, Vevo’s music videos will be offered, with these videos more likely than not being – at least for now – the only way content from big-name artists/labels will be available freely via the music app.

If you’re out of the loop, Twitter’s music app will be designed to offer up personalized music recommendations based on various things, such as which artists they follow, and perhaps less ideally, also the artists followed by the user’s followers. The music app can be used regardless of whether one has a Twitter account, although using the service with an account will return better results.

In addition to Vevo content, word also has it that SoundCloud audio will be available, as well as third-party content via iTunes. There will be a total of four tabs with the service, one called “Suggested” with recommendations, one called “#NowPlaying” with songs being listened to by followers, one called “Popular” with trends, and one called “Emerging” with those one the rise.

[via AllThingsD]

Each of these monoliths will have a TV screen of its own, each of them facing the center of a large circle where visitors will be able to drown themselves in this immersive experience. Each of these bugs was created by filmmaker Tom Kuntz and The Mill LA, each of them coming at you from their own position in the circle of wild action with no less than a soundtrack made of the “exuberant loops” of electronic musician Dan Deacon.

For those of you that’d like to know more about the PLAYBAR that blasts each of these bugs to life with audio so real you’ll freak, have a peek at our full Sonos PLAYBAR Review from earlier this month. At the opening for the show (on April 4th), there’ll be a live performance by Dan Deacon as he collaborates with the Bugs right in front of your face!

Each of the Bugs uses not only a Sonos PLAYBAR, but a BrightSign digital media player as well. Each of the six characters will be performing simultaneously while visitors to the show are doused in what Sonos and The Mill LA describe as “an intense audile and visual experience, demonstrating the supremely immersive energy of the combined senses.”

If you’re a member of the public – and we know you are – you’ll want to head over to Sonos Studio starting on April 5th at any time between 10AM and 6PM. That’s Sonos Studio at 145 North La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 – you can’t miss it! Also stay tuned to SlashGear’s Entertainment tag portal for more excellence from The Mill LA – we’ve got some hot action in store for you!

What you’re getting here is a game that was originally released on the NVIDIA TegraZone. That means that NVIDIA helped to optimize the game (as it existed back then) for Android devices working with their Tegra processor lineup. Now that Wardrum Studios has given the world a taste of that iteration of the game, an Apple-hungry twin is born.

Here with the iOS version of Auralux you’re getting basically the same game with the same game mechanics, this time with no restrictions on which processor you’ve got (since iOS is run by Apple, and Apple commands all iOS devices). This game consists of a series of planets, each of them owned by whichever team of colored points of light has taken it over.

Once you’ve taken over a planet, your planet begins to produce more points of light. As you move forward to other planets, you’ll find that your enemies (different colors) will be wanting to command planets as well. Once you and an enemy reach a point where you both want the same planet, you’ll do battle. This whole while you’ll be hearing some rather lovely background music – the battle adds to this ambiance with a song all its own.

This app is available in the iTunes Appstore right this minute for free. The folks at Wardrum Studios make their cash from your need to expand the game once you’ve beaten the first several levels. You can continue to challenge yourself to beat these levels over and over again, of course – if you get that far – or you can pick up packs of levels with in-game purchases. Make with the fun!

With the KP3+ Dynamic Effect/Sampler you’ll be using touchpad controls to activate a barrage of effects programs – over 150 of them right here in one little monster. These programs include the original KP3 effects, 22 all-new effects programs, and a collection of sounds and features in-between that’ll knock you out. You’ll find user-favorited selections in filters, decimators, echoes and more from Korg products that are on the market right now, as well: the Kaoss Pad Quad and Mini Kaoss Pad 2 have been particularly inspirational.

Using the KP3+ you’ll be blasting with high resolution sampling from sources galore – mic and line inputs are yours to craft with. You can save multiple bands of samples to SD card (with the integrated SD card slot) or transferred to your PC with this machine’s USB port – you’ll also have a MIDI controller able to transmit three controller signals from one touchpad, data from the slider, and more – this beast will run you $349.99 and will be available starting in April, 2013.

With the Kaossilator Pro+ you’ll be rocking with 250 sounds with such excellent bits and pieces as synth leads, enhanced drum sounds, and effects galore – all highly controllable and pattern-ready. You’ll be working with updated drum PCM from Korg’s own Wavedrum percussion synth, and you’ll be encouraged to either work in one of the following genres or create your own (of course!): hip-hop, chiptune, house, dubstep, new disco, electro, reggaeton, and drum ‘n’ bass.

The Kaossilator Pro+ has the ability to record performances that are four tracks deep, each of them placed on a Loop Recorder Bank and overdubbed one at a time. Loop phrases coming correct, you’ll go wild with line inputs and a mic input as well for recording external audio sources on the fly – and you’ll be doing all of this for $399.99 USD starting in April of 2013 – same time as the KP3+ – as well.

Jabra has worked together with Dolby to provide an even better music listening experience to consumers. With these new line-up of headphones comes support for Dolby’s Digital Plus technology. Users can download Jabra’s exclusive sound app for iOS and Android devices to enhance their music listening experience, similar to how Beats Audio devices are optimized for Beats Audio’s headphones.

Jabra emphasizes that its new lineup of headsets are able to be “used and abused”. The Jabra REVO headphones are built using steel aluminum frame, steel hinges, a shatter-proof headband. The Jabra VOX has tangle-free, durable cables that won’t tear apart when pulled too roughly. So you can spend the small fortune to purchase these headsets, and not have to worry about them breaking within a short amount of time.

The Jabra REVO headphones and Jabra VOX earphones are now available on both Amazon and Dell’s websites. You can purchase the Jabra REVO Wireless Bluetooth headphone for $249.99, the Jabra REVO corded headphone for $199.99, and the Jabra VOX earphones for $99.99. For those of you who don’t know, Jabra is a renown brand in the audio business, and has recently won the Red Dot Design Award, an award given to the “best in design and business”.

This is the second of what we must assume will be several previews of the upcoming album, one that’s quite a few years in the making. As the team’s last “proper” album was released in 2005, this will be the first time we’ve heard a non-soundtrack set of tracks from Daft Punk in 8 years. The newest promo you’ll see here shows what may be the cover of the album as well.

The first of two promo videos was also shown during an episode of Saturday Night Live. This is also the first time these fabulous electro-power-team will be releasing an album with Columbia Records.

Sony Music owns the Columbia Records and, according to Pitchfork, they’ve registered a collection of track lengths in the order of a 13-track album that’s more than likely set to be the Daft Punk album in full. These tracks are anywhere from 3:48 to 9:04 in length, with most of the tracks hitting at least the 4-minute mark.

You’ll be able to grab this album on the 21st of May, 2013, and pre-orders are available right this minute. This beast will be available on CD, vinyl record, and in digital format from your favorite music sale sources across the planet.

Of course, “American Pie” is one of the greatest songs out there that you can use to signify an ending to something, although my love for 90s rock says that Semisonic’s “Closing Time” is also up there on the list. Either way, Rock Band gamers will be able to sing off the weekly DLC of the game come early next month.

This marks the end to an over 275 consecutive week run consisting of more than 4,000 songs that have been released on Rock Band for gamers to play along with. The song was announced at PAX East during a party hosted by Harmonix. The developer also said that the song they’ll be releasing will be the full 8-minute version.

Harmonix says they have several new titles in development, and they want to start putting more focus on those in the future, which means that they have to give up some of their time and resources from other games, and Rock Band just so happened to get the ax this time around. No further plans for Rock Band have been discussed, but we’re guessing the series will be no more after the ending of the DLC.

[via Polygon]

Both Pandora and Microsoft know that you’ve been waiting a long time for a Windows Phone 8 version of the app to come out, and they even announced plans to bring Pandora to WP8 during the platform’s launch event, so as a gift for your patience, they’re giving WP8 users an ad-free experience until the end of this year. This is a feature that only normally comes to premium subscribers of the service.

Furthermore, the app comes with Live Tile support, meaning that you can check out what artist and song is playing right from the home screen, and users can simply tap on the tile to go directly to the app. Microsoft and Pandora claim this as the app’s exclusive features, so if you were expecting anything groundbreaking in the actual app (besides the ad-free experience), you may be disappointed.

Along with the ad-free experience, however, users will also be able to play unlimited music. Pandora recently stuck a 40-hour monthly limit on its service for free users, but Windows Phone 8 users will be able to listen to all of the music that their hearts desire until the end of the year, after which you can spring for the monthly or yearly plans ($3.99 monthly or $36 yearly).

Amazon already has its own MP3 store and Cloud Player, so it has the means to start the service, but considering how saturated the music streaming market currently is, it might not be the wisest choice. Amazon has yet to enter any formal discussions with record labels, so it’s basically feeling its options out. Considering how large the online retailer is, it may be able to set itself apart from the competition, especially if it includes the music subscription service with its Amazon Prime features. Free music streaming could be a major draw for consumers to purchase an Amazon Prime subscription.

YouTube and Google are also reportedly planning their own music-subscription services. Both of the services would have a free version subsidized by ads, and they would both offer an ad-free version at a cost of course. Apple has been in talks of starting its own music streaming service for a while, however due to its low royalty rate propositions, it has been seeing a lot of rejection from record labels.

The outbreak of all of these “upcoming” music subscription services is a bit overwhelming. All of these companies will be tempting to subscribe to, and Spotify will definitely be facing some tough competition. These companies will all have to come up with exclusive features that will interest customers and drive them away from the rest of the competition. Having mobile access to their service would be a huge plus.

[via The Verge]

In addition to announcing the merger, it was revealed that eMusic’s CEO Adam Klein is also stepping down. Mr. Klein said in an email he sent out that he is “very pleased” with these new business matters and the two companies’ merger, as well as with the direction the company – which has been around since 1998 – is heading.

K-NFB Reading Inc., meanwhile, is a distributor of ebooks and the Blio ereader software. According to the Wall Street Journal, K-NFB Reading Inc. was founded by Google’s Director of Engineering Ray Kurzweil. Combined with eMusic, the two services working as Media Arc Inc. will offer 600,000 ebooks, 40,000 audio books, and 17 million songs. By merging, the companies anticipate being able to better compete with competitors.

Said the companies in a statement: “Media Arc’s mission is to provide the best digital media discovery experience possible by leveraging cross-content insights to recommend new music and books to avid readers and music collectors alike. This will present both authors and artists with a unique opportunity to expand their fan base, reach new audiences, and of course sell more content.”

[via Wall Street Journal]

The competition is set to launch this Wednesday, March 20th. There will be a finalist announced at the end of every two weeks, meaning there will be 26 lucky winners who will have the chance to win “great prizes”. The competition is called “The You Generation”, and it is looking to discover stars whose talents are hidden behind the endless amounts of videos that show up on YouTube each day.

The judges will be the executives from Simon Cowell’s music publishing/television production house, Syco. Alongside these executives, there will be a series of featured guests (most like celebrities who pop in each week). At the launch of the competition this week, the U.K. boy band, One Direction, will be making a guest appearance live from the back stage of their tour. Their appearance will most likely to draw in viewers (the teenage girls demographic), and encourage competitors.

Alongside the launch of Cowell’s new competition program, YouTube will be launching a series of other new series. Ricky Gervais will be launching a series of “brand new personalities, sketches and comedy creations” through his YouTube Channel. Reddit has started a new series called “Explain Like I’m Five” which breaks down complicated topics into an explanation that is understandable by even (and literally) five year olds. These are important steps that YouTube is taking in order to make itself a viable alternative to regular television.

[via YouTube]

The VAMP VERZA amp received its beautiful design in Italy, and was constructed in Japan. The device is compatible with the VERZADOCK, and is a Hi-Fi 150mW x2 (USB Mode) and 130mW x2 (iOS Mode) amplifier with a 2200mAh battery, which gives users up to 7 hours of playback. There are 2 dedicated DACs, 6-layer PCB, 3 enhancement modes, a bass enhancer, pure audio, optical audio output, a variable gain switch, and a rotary volume control.

The Metallo case, meanwhile, is made of V-ANGLE lightweight machined metal, and offers substantial protection for your handset. It has an interchangeable VERZADOCK plate, as well as a sliding lock mechanism. The case is compatible with the VERZA amplifier, allowing the use to create a portable audio powerhouse.

Says V-MODA’s Chief Visionary Office Val Kolton, “For the avid audiophile, VAMP VERZA supplements the poor audio quality produced by smartphones and delivers the purest fidelity imaginable. We shrank the analog-age component spirit into a sleek, spy-like multifunction gadget that is portable enough to use anytime, anywhere. When you combine VAMP VERZA, Metallo, M-100, and the new Samsung Galaxy S III/S IV, Note or iPhone 5, you achieve the ultimate technology trifecta that truly stands apart from the crowd.”

The amp can be used independently or in conjunction with the Metallo case. The case will be available for the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S IV, Samsung Note II, and iPhone 5 for $101. The VAMP VERZA, meanwhile, will be available in matte black, Shadow (red and black brushed metal), and white with orange accents for $598. They’re available for pre-order now from V-MODA.

The app will stream music via SoundCloud. It will feature 4 tabs. The “Suggested” tab recommends you songs based on the musical artists you follow. The “#NowPlaying” tab lists links to songs tweeted by your followers who tweet using the #NowPlaying hashtag. The “Popular” tab lists the songs that are currently trending on the music app, and the “Emerging” tab lists a bunch of up-and-coming artists featured on We Are Hunted.

The app will display artists and songs in a grid design. Clicking on an artist’s panel will cause it to expand displaying a short bio on the artist, as well as links to songs the artist has on SoundCloud, or on iTunes. Users can tap the play button to begin streaming music from the artist. Users will also be able to follow artists directly from Twitter’s “Twitter Music” page.

iOS users are said to have first dibs on the Twitter Music service, just like Twitter’s video sharing app, Vine. The Twitter Music service is speculated to be released to iOS devices by the end of this month. Twitter hopes that by integrating music into its network, it can attract more new users to its service. It will, however, have a hard time prying users away from popular music services like Pandora and Spotify.

[via CNET]