Streaming Archives

Alexa+ comes to Amazon Music

06/11/2025

Amazon Music has announced Alexa+, an upgrade to its voice assistant that brings smarter, more contextual music control to Echo speakers and other Alexa-enabled devices. The rollout will extend across Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited tiers over the next few weeks, offering a more conversational and personalised listening experience. What’s new with Alexa+ Improved understanding of music requests, recognising artist intent, moods, and playlists. Better integration with Amazon Music’s editorial playlists and recommendations. Context-aware responses […]

BBC Sounds up 8.5% as on-demand listening hits new highs

02/11/2025

BBC Sounds enjoyed a strong summer quarter, recording 675 million plays between July and September 2025 — up 8.5 % year-on-year, according to new BBC figures. The platform saw record podcast engagement, a surge in sports coverage, and continued growth among under-35 audiences, as live radio, on-demand programmes and music mixes all contributed to its best Q3 performance to date. Live radio listening RAJAR data for the same period confirms the BBC remains the UK’s […]

Americans prefer paid streaming over free tiers

01/11/2025

According to Edison Research’s latest Share of Ear report, Americans aged 13+ now spend 66 % of their music streaming listening time on paid platforms, with ad-supported services making up the remaining 34%. This marks a major milestone for the streaming industry — most listening now happens on paid subscriptions even as overall audio remains dominated by ad-supported formats such as AM/FM radio and podcasts, according to Nielsen’s The Record Q3 2025. Key findings In 2015, […]

Spotify to raise UK premium prices in November

30/10/2025

At the end of last week, Spotify started emailing UK Premium users to confirm a £1 price rise, with the Individual plan increasing from £11.99 to £12.99 per month from November 2025 (or from each subscriber’s next billing date thereafter) In its notice to customers, Spotify said the change was part of its plan to “continue to innovate in changing market conditions and deliver the best audio content around the world.” What’s changing Individual plan: […]

Free music from your local library

29/10/2025

With streaming subscriptions and living costs rising, it’s worth remembering that free music and audio resources are often available right on your doorstep — at your local public library. Across the UK and beyond, library members can access streaming platforms, borrow CDs or vinyl, and even enjoy live performances or curated digital archives. Membership is free for residents in most areas and usually open to workers or students in the local authority’s catchment zone. Physical […]

LG Electronics and Stingray Music partner to supercharge LG Radio+

24/10/2025

LG Electronics has revealed a strategic partnership with Stingray Music to upgrade its free, ad‑supported audio service, LG Radio+, available on LG Smart TVs running webOS 6.0 and above across multiple markets including the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Korea. Elevating free audio streaming for Smart TV users As part of the alliance, LG Radio+ will now deliver over 200 music channels and hundreds of thousands of songs, curated by Stingray’s global team of music […]

AuroMasters brings immersive AURO-3D streaming to India

20/10/2025

AuroMasters — the immersive, high-resolution streaming platform powered by AURO-3D — has launched in India, following earlier rollouts in the US, Europe, and Japan. Billed as “the world’s first immersive music jukebox,” the service aims to deliver ‘studio-quality’ immersive sound using AURO’s proprietary format. Its arrival in India, however, raises questions about where high-end streaming fits in markets dominated by free, ad-supported platforms. What the service offers Streams music in native AURO-3D up to 24-bit […]