April 2019

Waveform Comments come to SoundCloud on mobile

26/04/2019

Waveform Comments come to SoundCloud on mobile with an Android version rolled out now and an iOS version ‘coming soon’. According to a recent blog post SoundCloud ‘is taking its mobile commenting experience to the next level by bringing comments directly to the iconic SoundCloud waveform in its mobile app.’ SoundCloud has millions of comments shared each month and considers that commenting is integral to powering authentic, real-time connections to its users. This upgrade builds […]

CIRP – Spotify premium membership increases

Spotify increases US Premium subscribers by 3 million

24/04/2019

Spotify increases US Premium subscribers by 3 million in the first quarter of 2019 according to investment research company Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, LLC (CIRP). As at 31st March 2019, CIRP estimates that in the US, 37% of Spotify users have a Spotify Premium subscription. “We’ve now tracked Spotify for a full year, and the user base continues to grow steadily in the US” said Josh Lowitz, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. “In the most […]

Amazon Music now comes free with Alexa

22/04/2019

Amazon Music now comes free with Alexa but only for Alexa enabled devices in the US. This rollout comes after the announcement by YouTube that its ad-supported YouTube Music service is now available on Google Home and Google Assistant powered smart speakers in the UK, US, Japan and most of western Europe. No details are available if Amazon’s offer will be extended into further countries. In a blog announcement the company said, ‘Beginning today, Alexa […]

YouTube Music now free on Google Home

21/04/2019

YouTube Music now free on Google Home or any Google Assistant powered speaker. YouTube Music is being offered as an ad-supported service in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, and Austria and will be ‘available in more countries soon’. With YouTube Music and Google Home, you can ask Google Home to play the right music for any moment or mood, and YouTube Music will […]

News

Yamaha adds new music streaming and voice control to HiFi ranges

20/04/2019

Yamaha adds new music streaming and voice control to HiFi ranges with a series of firmware and app updates. 17 current home audio products launched in 2018, including sound bars, wireless speakers and AV receivers, will get Apple AirPlay 2 support and expanded Spotify Connect capabilities. Additionally, all of Yamaha MusicCast products will gain support for Actions on Google (English) through an update to the Yamaha MusicCast app. MusicCast is Yamaha’s multi-room streaming technology which […]

Get a free Google Home Mini in UK with Spotify Family plan

16/04/2019

Get a free Google Home Mini in UK with Spotify Family plan giving 6 Spotify Premium accounts for £14.99/month. The offer which runs until the 14th May 2019 is restricted to one device per primary account holder while supplies last. New and existing primary account holders are eligible to receive a free Google Home Mini – normally priced at £49 – from the Google Store and although the offer runs to the 14th May, devices […]

UK’s biggest streaming hits in 2018

15/04/2019

The Official Charts Company has released a list of the UK’s biggest streaming hits in 2018 which shows that not only new songs but also old favourites are popular plays. Streaming continues to grow in popularity with subscriptions to streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and Deezer rising by well over a third (+34.9%) in 2018 and by a dramatic 220% in the past three years. Streaming accounts for nearly two thirds of […]