Music

Spotify has begun showing its free-tier users sponsored songs, something presented as part of a test that may see a wider rollout in the future. The sponsored songs are showing up for some users in both the mobile app and on desktop, showing up within existing playlists. The songs are opt-out, meaning users will see them unless they specifically choose not to. How widely the sponsored songs are being distributed isn't clear.

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Back in April, as we previously reported, Google Play Music offered some special perks for Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners, primarily the ability to upload 100,000 songs to the cloud rather than 50,000, plus an extended 3-month free trial. Now Google has extended another exclusive feature to the Galaxy S8 and S8+ -- a special personalized radio station that plays the latest hits, but only the ones you (probably) want to hear.

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We've seen official soundtracks launch on records, which isn't too unusual considering the currently popularity of the medium. Less popular but perhaps making a comeback are cassette tapes. If you're one of the few people still fond of popping a cassette into your tape player, good news: the Stranger Things soundtrack will soon be available to purchase on tape from Urban Outfitters.

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It is a time of miracles. Microsoft embraces Linux and open source. Apple creates a somewhat upgradeable iMac. And Taylor Swift brings her albums on Spotify. Yes, you read that right. In the name of celebrating the "1989" album's milestone achievements, the artist who waged war on most, but not all, streaming services is thanking her fans by putting her catalog back on all streaming services. And, yes, that does include Spotify.

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Apple is not one known for playing ball with others if it can get away with it. This is true for its proprietary connections prior to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, but is still and especially true for its media formats. So when you hear Apple suddenly supporting the competing, not to mention open, FLAC lossless audio format in iOS 11, you’d be forgiven for raising an eyebrow and wondering if something is amiss.

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Apple has announced that its customers will soon have access to Carpool Karaoke: The Series, a show that revolves around celebrities getting in a car and having fun with others over topics that include music, comedy, and more. According to Apple, the series will be available to Apple Music subscribers starting on August 8, bringing them new episodes every Tuesday in more than one hundred countries around the globe.

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It seems that streaming music service Tidal is continuing to flounder, as the news has surfaced that it has lost yet another CEO. Jeff Toig has been gone from the company since March reports Billboard, and it means that Tidal is now looking for its fourth CEO in a period of only two years. This comes after recent troubles including the failure to find a buyer and claims that it's been exaggerating its subscriber numbers, as well as the firing of its CFO and COO early last year.

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When it comes to music rhythm video games, the genre can pretty much be traced back to a single title: the highly acclaimed PaRappa the Rapper for the original PlayStation. In the years that followed came the just as influential cult hit Gitaroo Man for the PS2. Now, many years later, the creators of these two games have announced they're teaming up to make a brand-new title called Project Rap Rabbit.

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Blue Microphones has launched its new Blue Satellite headphones, a pair of wireless cans that feature an integrated audio amp and activate noise cancellation. The headphones are designed to provide a high-end audio experience despite their wireless nature, and this is largely made possible thanks to that built-in audio amp. Blue says the amp 'brings out new detail in your music,' complementing the model's 44mm drivers.

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You might remember hearing about the music store/player Pono for one of two reasons: you're an audiophile that was interested in the high-fidelity music that was offered, or the fact that it was founded by musician Neil Young. Either way, the small number of Pono users remaining might be eager to hear that following the closure of its music store last year, it plans to relaunch in the near future as a high-quality streaming music service called "Xstream."

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Jay Z fans may find their options a bit slim when it comes to streaming his music this weekend. The hip hop star has had his catalog of solo albums pulled from both the Apple Music and Spotify services, seemingly in favor of Tidal, the music service he co-owns. The removal of albums was made without prior notice, but Spotify reps have confirmed it was done at the request of the artist.

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Things are changing at Spotify, at least for free users. After years of rumors about such plans, the music streaming service has inked a deal that, among other things, may result in some albums being released for Premium-tier members before they're made available on the free ad-supported tier. The artists themselves can make the decision about whether to limit their album to Premium for the first two weeks of its release or make it available to both tiers immediately upon launch.

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