Spotify - SlashGear

Ultimate Ears Megablast, Blast to get Spotify voice control

JC Torres | Apr 19, 2018

These days, it's not hip for a wireless speaker not to have some form of music streaming feature or a smart assistant. The best ones have both even. When we reviewed both the Ultimate Ears Blast and Megablast last year, were indeed disappointed in not seeing features like Spotify over WiFi included in these Alexa-powered speakers. Half a year later, Logitech is announcing that exact feature and is bringing even more to liven up your party.

HomePod may be struggling but Apple Music certainly isn’t

Chris Davies | Apr 12, 2018

Apple Music now has over 40m paid subscribers and up to 8m more in the pipeline, though that growth may well be despite, not because, of the HomePod smart speaker. The Cupertino company's streaming music service is playing catch-up to Spotify, having launched several years later.

Spotify free accounts might be getting big changes soon

Eric Abent | Apr 11, 2018

Now that Spotify has gone public, it may be looking to make some big changes to its free access tier. As many of you probably already know, Spotify currently exists in two different forms: free and paid. Subscribers who pay $9.99 a month get on-demand playback for every song in Spotify's library as well as ad-free listening, two perks that aren't available for those who are listening through free accounts.

Spotify and Hulu $12.99 plan: What you need to know

Chris Davies | Apr 11, 2018

Spotify and Hulu are offering a combined subscription, the awkwardly-named but cash saving Spotify Premium, Now with Hulu. Launching today for existing Spotify Premium subscribers, with broader availability later in the year, the new combined subscription could save you $4 per month versus buying the plans separately.

Spotify Car Player leaks: Voice-controlled 4G music streamer

Chris Davies | Apr 6, 2018

Spotify may be preparing to launch an in-car music system, with dedicated hardware that could allow for standalone streaming direct to the dashboard. The company announced earlier today that it was planning an event in New York City on April 24, though has been tight-lipped as to what its announcement might be.

Spotify April 24 event hits play on smart speaker rumors

Chris Davies | Apr 6, 2018

Spotify is holding a press event on April 24, though the company is tight-lipped on what, exactly, could be on the agenda. The streaming music firm debuted its stock, SPOT, on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this week, and has been recruiting new staff with expertise in hardware development.

Spotify goes public at $29.5bn valuation: What’s next?

Chris Davies | Apr 3, 2018

Spotify has made its hotly-anticipated debut on the New York Stock Exchange, with shares arriving at an estimate-busting $165.90 apiece. The direct listing - which bucked the tech industry trend toward IPOs - saw Spotify (SPOT) valued at a hefty $29.5 billion, almost 50-percent higher than analysts had predicted.

Spotify stock paves way to dangerous balancing act with labels

Chris Davies | Apr 3, 2018

Spotify is listing on the New York Stock Exchange, but the streaming music service isn't playing the same IPO game - or the same content strategy - as on-demand rivals. The Swedish company opted for a direct listing on the NYSE, bucking the trend for splashy, capital-raising rounds as it tries to ween itself off an expensive record label dependency.

A crazy number of Spotify users were cheating on ads

Eric Abent | Mar 23, 2018

Earlier this month, Spotify began cracking down on the unauthorized apps a fair number of members were using to access its services. These hacked apps essentially allowed users to enjoy the benefits of Spotify Premium without paying its monthly fee, which is obviously something Spotify would prefer to avoid. Today, Spotify is sharing just how many users managed to suppress ads while listening, and it isn't a small number.

Cadillac’s new Spotify app doesn’t need your phone [Updated]

Chris Davies | Mar 21, 2018

Spotify and Cadillac have cooked up a new music app, baking the streaming music service into the dashboard of cars like the 2019 CT6 without requiring a tethered smartphone. The new Spotify app for Cadillac not only supports all of the usual playlists and curated music that the service offers on an iPhone or Android device, but can also tap into the cars' embedded 4G LTE connection for standalone use.

Spotify voice controls tease smart speaker potential

Chris Davies | Mar 14, 2018

Spotify is apparently testing voice control in its mobile app, in advance of what's believed to be a plan to take on HomePod with a Spotify-branded smart speaker. The addition of voice search was spotted in the Spotify for iPhone app, some users have reported today, complete with support for a selection of music-related commands.

Spotify’s new UI is for new users only (for now)

Chris Burns | Mar 14, 2018

Today it was revealed that Spotify's newest user interface for Android and iOS is mostly for new users - for the moment. Users discovered this via Reddit, where user experiences are shared and screenshots are compared. We tried a method shared by users there, and surprise! A new account with the newest version of the app yields a new UI, but switching back to an old account brings the UI back to the old look.