Music

YouTube is a name that's mostly associated with on-demand Internet videos, but it has also become Google's umbrella brand for its multimedia streaming service. The transition from Google Play Music to YouTube Music wasn't exactly the smoothest, and some features that may have been considered a staple of free tiers were walled behind subscriptions. That, however, is changing for users in Canada next month, but those free YouTube Music users will have to give up watching music videos there in exchange.

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Amazon has announced that its Music Unlimited streaming plan now offers spatial audio support for any pair of headphones, not just special equipment. This enables subscribers to enjoy their favorite music in a more immersive way using the earbuds or headphones they already own in combination with their Android phone or iPhone.

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We've nearly reached the gaming company Razer's yearly convention (in modern times: streaming event with lots of products), and a pair of devices have been revealed early. Razer itself revealed the Razer Seiren V2 Pro and the Razer Seiren V2 X, two streaming-friendly microphones made to deliver rich and clear audio for the masses.

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Apple revealed AirPods 3 (or AirPods 3rd Generation) today with features that set the new earbuds apart from their predecessors. Apple's own Susmita Dutta spoke about the next generation in AirPods from the company, starting with Spatial Audio enabled by default. These new AirPods look effectively like the AirPods Pro - without the earbud tips.

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The Car Thing has been one of Spotify's oddest endeavors to date. Aside from the rather generic and unusual name, it is almost so far removed from any of the streaming giant's hardware partnerships, especially since it didn't partner with anyone for this in the first place. Still, Spotify clearly believes that there is a market for it, even if small, and is cautiously opening up its Car Thing for purchase by any Spotify user if you're willing to wait and pay up for one.

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Google Search has several useful features lying in wait for searchers to stumble upon them, and today it's getting one more. Google has added a chromatic tuner to the service, which means you can now use Google Search to tune an instrument. If you need to tune something like a guitar and don't have a tuner handy, then Google's tuner could be handy in a pinch.

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Although they have been around for years now, podcasts are becoming big again in the age of music streaming. Rivals Spotify and Apple are already gearing up for war, and even Amazon, which has its own Amazon Music subscription service, has jumped into the fray. It's no surprise, then, to hear that YouTube may be setting its sights on the market since it also does music streaming. Unfortunately, Google is no stranger to podcasts, and the confusion that might ensue could open up old wounds over the Google Play Music fiasco.

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In the music streaming business, Spotify is still king, and Apple Music is often portrayed as its biggest rival. Of course, there are also other players in that field, including what was once separately Google Play Music and YouTube Music. The latter has now become Google's one and only contender in that arena, but it still has to make a blip in many music lovers' radars. That's because it has been lagging in some core features its rivals have long had, which is finally starting to change in one small but important way.

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Spotify is helping its users in some markets find new podcasts they're likely to enjoy based on their tastes. The company has introduced a new recommendation tool called Find the One that asks users to answer a few questions, then shows them a podcast show recommendation they may enjoy based on their music preferences.

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Google announced a set of feature updates to their wearable platform Wear OS this week, starting with YouTube Music for some Wear OS 2 devices. This newest update expands the feature abilities of Google's main music service beyond the few devices in the world running Wear OS 3. Now, even if you own one of the first list of Wear OS 2 devices (as shown below) you'll be able to listen to music offline, without a phone - so long as you're a premium subscriber.

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Apple Music appears to be the center of attention in a code mix-up today in certain iPad and iPhone devices. The fix is relatively simple - all one needs to do is update their device with a simple visit to Settings - General - Software Update. Without said update, some users have found that restoring a new iPhone or iPad from backup results in the inability to access certain Apple Music features.

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A new music production system by the name of MPC Studio was revealed this week by Akai Professional. This device works with new MPC2 Desktop Software DAW for both PC and Mac computers and rolls with 16 "full-size" pressure and velocity sensitive pads. Each of these pads works with RGB backlighting and aftertouch tech. This device will be made available starting today - straight from the makers of said hardware.

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