Music

The latest news and reviews of music.

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BTS smashes YouTube record one week after it was set
So much for YouTube's recent flurry of records standing the test of time. K-pop megagroup BTS has surpassed Blackpink's one-day viewing record a mere week later, notching 78 million views for their "Boy With Luv" music video within its first 24 hours of hitting the video site. It wasn't even a close contest -- the group's K-pop rival Blackpink managed 'just' 56.7 million for "Kill This Love."
Amazon may be working on a free, ad-supported music service
Amazon might compete more directly with Spotify in the near future. Billboard sources maintain that Amazon is in talks to debut a free, ad-supported service as soon as next week. You'd only have access to a "limited catalog," but this would also give you something to play on your Echo speaker without having to pay or sign up for another service.
Twitch officially debuts its free karaoke game
Twitch is finally ready to launch its first game after months of testing. The free karaoke-style title Twitch Sings will debut worldwide today (April 13th), giving you a chance to belt out tunes for a large audience. While there is an offline mode, the game is designed from the ground up to involve an entire Twitch channel. Streamers can invite broadcasters in for duets, while viewers can request one of the 1,000-plus songs, cheer to start light shows and issue challenges (say, singing like they're underwater).
Stream Coachella performances live on YouTube this weekend
It's that time once again: music festival season. And the first big event of the year kicks off later today. As it has in the past, Coachella will stream select performances live on YouTube throughout the weekend. The live music starts today at 7:15PM ET/4:15PM PT with Yellow Days, Hurray for the Riff Raff and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
The next macOS may include separate Music and Podcasts apps
Never mind attempts to slim down iTunes -- on the Mac, Apple might shove it to the side. In the wake of some sleuthing by coder Steve Troughton-Smith, 9to5Mac claims that the next version of macOS will include separate Music and Podcasts apps on top of the redesigned TV app. They would run using Marzipan (the technology that enables porting iOS apps to the Mac), and are likely to be functionally similar to whatever you see in this year's version of iOS.
Childish Gambino will host an immersive Pixel 3 event at Coachella
Childish Gambino teamed up with Google to promote the Pixel's Playground mode earlier this year -- now the collaboration is continuing at Coachella, where the rapper will host a festival experience designed to show off the Pixel 3's Night Sight capabilities.
Digital music may not have saved the environment after all
Logic would suggest that music downloads and streaming are good for the environment. You're not buying physical copies, right? Not so fast -- there's a chance things could be worse. Researchers have published a study suggesting that greenhouse gas emissions are higher now than they were when physical media was all the rage. While going digital has reduced the amount of plastic, the combination of extra power demands and the sheer popularity of music (you can listen to virtually anything for $10 per month, after all) may have offset other gains. Where vinyl produced 346 million pounds of greenhouse gasses at its height in 1977, downloads and streaming are estimated to pump out 441 million to 772 million pounds.
Netflix debuts Beyoncé Coachella documentary on April 17th
You probably don't think of Netflix as a go-to place for music documentaries beyond Taylor Swift's tour movie, but it's determined to burnish its image. The service has teased the April 17th debut of a previously rumored documentary on Beyoncé's much-hyped performance at the 2018 Coachella festival -- conveniently, just ahead of the 2019 festival's second weekend. You won't find a trailer or other details, but there's little doubt that the teaser is a callback to both the yellow outfits Bey's team wore as well as the launch of her Homecoming Scholars Awards Program at the same time.
The Internet Archive will host 490,000 music tracks 'lost' by MySpace
When MySpace announced that it had "accidentally" (and there are question marks around that) lost 12 years of content last month, former users were devastated to learn that many of their audio files -- which they assumed would continue to exist on the site like a digital archive -- had been lost forever. But The Internet Archive comes bearing good news, having managed to salvage a collection of MP3s it's calling the "MySpace Dragon Hoard."
Apple Music code hints at Chromecast support
Whether or not Apple Music is coming to Google Home, there are signs you might get to use it with some Google-powered devices. The 9to5Google team has found multiple lines of code in Apple Music's Android app that reference Chromecast support, including some added through recent updates. While there's no guarantee this would be implemented any time soon, it suggests you could soon pipe Apple's latest Drake exclusive to a compatible Chromecast dongle, speaker, smart display or TV.
Spotify will personalize some of its biggest playlists for users
Spotify isn't just reserving personalization for obvious playlists like Discover Weekly. The streaming giant is planning to personalize some of its other playlists based on your tastes. You won't get the exact same playlist as a friend, in other words. The company was betting that this will increase the odds of songs reaching the "right listeners," not to mention encourage longer listening sessions.
Crowdfunded Nanoloop synth doesn't need a Game Boy to make beats
Nanoloop has been a cornerstone of chiptune music for years, but using one has meant either owning a Game Boy or making do with a mobile app. You won't have to make those compromises for much longer. Developer Oliver Wittchow and crew are crowdfunding a dedicated, handheld version of the music-generating wunderkind. You'll still have a gamepad-like interface, four-channel synth and 4x4 matrix sequencer, just in a form factor that frees up your other gadgets.
OhMiBod's next remote-controlled vibrator promises to last a lot longer
Sex toys have come a long way since the early days of crudely-shaped, buzzing hunks of plastic. They're sleek, discreet and boast all kinds of features designed to give your sexy time a techy twist, from connected cameras to VR compatibility. But these additions can often come at the expense of battery life, and no-one wants to run out of juice in the middle of playtime. Enter the Esca 2, the second iteration of the Bluetooth-enabled interactive vibrator, which boasts a larger battery capacity.
MySpace lost 12 years of user content
In the early 2000s, MySpace introduced us all to the world of social networking. Within a few years it became huge platform for music, where bands could share their songs and users could customize their profiles with their favorite tracks. Even as its popularity faded in the shadows of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and as music streaming sites came to dominate, MySpace hung on as a music platform. The fact that it helped launch artists like Arctic Monkeys, Panic! At The Disco, Sean Kingston and Kate Nash -- as well as its Justin Timberlake-themed redesign -- gave it a certain amount of credibility.
Spotify Family plan subscribers in the UK can get a free Google Home Mini
Last year, Spotify gave away a free Google Home Mini speaker to US users, and this year, it's bringing that offer to the UK. Starting today, both new and existing Premium for Family Plan subscribers can sign up to get a free device -- normally priced at £49 -- until May 14th while stock permits, Spotify said.
Recommended Reading: Beto O'Rourke and Cult of the Dead Cow
Beto O'Rourke's secret membership in America's oldest hacking group Joseph Menn, Reuters Beto O'Rourke: Democratic presidential candidate and... member of a hacking group? Reuters reports the former Texas congressman once belonged to Cult of the Dead Cow, an influential group "jokingly named after an abandoned Texas slaughterhouse." While there's no evidence that O'Rourke really got his hands dirty with what we'd consider nefarious "hacking," he was a member, which might help explain some of the policies he could champion during a presidential run.
Facebook helps you host viewing parties for live TV
Facebook's Watch Party won't just help you help watch online videos with friends -- it'll soon help with old-school TV. The social network is launching a new Watch Party experience that will let you host live TV shows, starting with sports. Start a party and you can cheer in chat, create polls and offer trivia questions based on player stats. It's not going to compare to gathering around the couch, but it should deliver more of a thrill than everyday group discussions.
Wearing headphones at a concert isn’t as weird as I thought it would be
One of the worst concerts I've ever attended in my life -- in terms of pure sound quality -- was at Barclays Center. I get that arena shows are never going to be known for their top-notch acoustics, but the concrete cavern that the Brooklyn Nets call home is particularly bad. It's why I chose it as the venue to see Elton John and test out Peex Live, a service that promises to deliver an ideal music experience no matter how bad your seats (or sound engineer) are. There's a catch though: You have to wear headphones at a concert. That's about the most unintuitive thing I've ever heard of.
Why has Spotify filed a complaint against Apple to the EU?
"After careful consideration," wrote Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, "Spotify has filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission." The Swedish streaming company believes that it is the victim of discriminatory practices by the iPhone maker, regarding its app store. After what it describes as years of poor treatment, the company is going to regulators to ask, or force, Apple to "play fair." Confused? Here's a little context.
Spotify Premium subscribers can get Hulu for free
After bundling Hulu's ad-supported plan with Spotify Premium for an extra $3 per month, the streaming giant is going a step further. For a limited time, Spotify will offer that Hulu plan for free with a $9.99 Premium subscription. The offer begins today and will run through June 10th or "while supplies last." If you already committed to Spotify Premium with Hulu's ad-supported tier for $12.99 a month, you'll be automatically switched over to this new $9.99 deal. Spotify also offers Hulu (with ads) and Showtime for student Premium subscribers at $4.99 monthly.

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