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What we're listening to in June
We spend every minute of the working day bringing you news, reviews and features on every aspect of technology. Like everyone else, though, we also use tech outside of work hours. Last month we launched a new series about the gadgets we use every day, the apps and services we can't live without and what we watch and play. This week, it's time for music and podcasts. We start with a personal story from Dana Wollman on her on-again-off-again relationship with podcasts, before four other editors offer quick takes on the music and shows they've been obsessing over this month.
Indie games invade the art world at the Megashow festival
The Indie Megabooth, a bastion of independent games at conventions around the world, is growing. Again. But this time around, things are different: The Megabooth is expanding beyond games. The Megashow is the first standalone festival to be spun off from the Megabooth proper: It's a roaming, daylong fair designed to highlight local creatives and bring communities together around video games, art and music. The Megashow will make its debut at the Tabernacle in Atlanta on July 15th. "Our initial goal was to expose new audiences to indie games and show them that there was this whole other side to game creation," says Megabooth leader Kelly Wallick. "Over time, we've moved so far past that to the point that we have fans and press who specifically come to the Megabooth area to discover content and reconnect with teams and games they love, which is amazing. But on the flip side of this, it has become more challenging to reach new audiences."
SiriusXM invests in Pandora to get into on-demand music streaming
Pandora made the leap to on-demand streaming back in March after building on the pieces Rdio left behind. Earlier this month, reports surfaced that the company was looking for a buyer. It didn't find one, but it was able to attract a big investor: SiriusXM. The satellite radio company announced today it's investing $480 million in Pandora, adding a portion of the à la carte music streaming service to its catalog of audio options. The deal gives SiriusXM a 19 percent stake in the company.
Stream live performances from Bonnaroo this weekend on Red Bull TV
Music festival season is in full swing, and this weekend another one of the big events goes down. The 2017 installment of Bonnaroo kicks off this evening, bringing several stages of live tunes to attendees in Manchester, Tennessee. If you couldn't make the trip in person, don't worry: Red Bull TV is streaming dozens of acts live so you can watch from the comforts of home.
Sprint pushes Tidal again with six months of free HiFi streaming
We've been wondering why Sprint bought a third of music streaming service, Tidal. While the respective companies didn't discuss details at the time, the team-up is starting to make a bit more sense. Sprint is currently offering all of its customers six months of Tidal's HiFi top of the line streaming tier for no extra charge. Tidal usually charges $20 per month in the US for this service.
Pandora AutoPlay spins a custom mix when a playlist ends
Pandora Premium has been out for a few months now, and today the company is adding a notable feature from Rdio, the music-streaming service Pandora purchased in the fall of 2015. AutoPlay does just what it says -- when you finish listening to an album or playlist, Pandora will keep right on playing. But rather than looping the album or playlist, Pandora will generate a queue of songs based specifically on your listening habits. Those songs will also be tailored to the music you were just listening to so it hopefully matches up well with what you're in the mood to hear.
Trent Reznor blows dust off the 'Quake' score for vinyl reissue
Quake was a groundbreaking game in a number of ways, and that included its soundtrack -- id Software scored a coup when it got Nine Inch Nails (technically, Trent Reznor) to score the grim first-person shooter. Until now, though, listening to that soundtrack has usually meant digging up your circa-1996 game CD or (let's be honest) finding a YouTube rip. Thankfully, you'll soon have an alternative if you own a turntable. As part of a larger wave of back catalog releases, Reznor is making the Quake soundtrack available on vinyl -- you too can listen to that memorable theme in your living room.
Apple Music will keep tabs on your friends' listening habits
Thanks to a Bloomberg interview with Apple Music head Jimmy Iovine back in April, we thought WWDC updates for the app could focus on video. During today's keynote, the company gave us a brief rundown of a couple changes we can expect for the service. The big update wasn't video-focused, though; instead, the main news here is the ability to see what your friends are listening to inside Apple Music.
Watch Ariana Grande's benefit concert live on Twitter and YouTube
Pop star Ariana Grande is hosting a benefit concert on June 4th to help victims of the Manchester terrorist attack, and you'll have plenty of ways to both watch and contribute online. The gig will livestream at 2PM Eastern (7PM local time) on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and iHeartRadio. If you want to pitch in, Twitter will have a dedicated donation tab alongside the concert feed. You can also contribute directly to the British Red Cross' Manchester fund if you'd prefer to skip the concert altogether.
SoundCloud beats Spotify to Xbox One music streaming
SoundCloud keeps expanding its influence to stay competitive with the likes of Spotify and Pandora. It borrowed $70 million last March to enhance its push into new markets, added new tiers to its subscription service, brought Chromecast streaming to iOS and continues to update its offerings with listener-friendly updates like "The Upload." Now, the audio service is coming to Xbox One with a new app for subscribers to SoundCloud Free, Go, or Go+. A beta version of the app should also be available on Windows 10 PCs and tablets by the end of the week.
Aphex Twin's first concert livestream includes online-only visuals
Aphex Twin (aka Richard D. James) may have a reputation as a tech-savvy artist, but he hasn't exactly embraced livestreaming. You've usually had to attend one of his concerts to see him venture beyond his album cuts. At last, though, you'll get to see him perform live... and then some. He's hosting his first-ever livestreamed concert at London's Field Day Festival at 8:55PM local time (3:55PM ET) on June 3rd, and this isn't just the usual feed that shows the stage performance and nothing else.
Samsung adds UFC fights and more live events to Gear VR
Soccer. Basketball. Golf. While plenty of sports are being shot in 360-degree video, the format is still the exception, rather than the rule. For Samsung, which wants to sell as many Gear VR headsets as possible, that just won't do. To solve the problem it's teamed up with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), the X Games and concert organiser Live Nation for a slew of VR programming called "VR Live Pass." The first events will be available from June through the Samsung VR app, with near-global access provided you have a headset handy and a stable internet connection.
Apple Music trial is no longer free in some countries
Apple Music has adjusted its free trial in some countries, and we don't quite know why. In order to land your three-month trial in Australia, Spain and Switzerland, you'll be charged around 99 cents. We're looking into how widespread the new charges are, but for now, the trials remain free in most countries, including the UK, Canada and the US.
Recommended Reading: Inside Apple's new spaceship campus
One More Thing Steven Levy, Wired Apple's so-called spaceship campus, or Apple Park, has been in the works for a while now, but this week Wired gave us a big update on the progress. The obsessive attention to detail, tunnel entry, modular "pod" sections for employees and more are all detailed here. Like any other Apple product, the company is using a keen eye when designing it's biggest project thus far.
Spotify expands its AI arsenal for better music recommendations
Spotify's editorial selection and music discovery process are hard to beat (ahem, Google Play Music) and it might get a little better with the company's latest acquisition. The music streaming service has just picked up Niland, a Paris-based machine learning startup that focuses on music search and recommendations. "The team from Niland will join our New York office and help Spotify continue innovating and improving our recommendation and personalization technologies resulting in more music discovery, which benefits both fans and artists," a press release says.
Vevo's Apple TV app takes cues from Spotify
Music lovers with Apple TVs, it's time to get moderately excited -- because the tvOS Vevo app is getting a hefty overhaul. From tomorrow, Vevo will let owners of fourth generation Apple TVs experience an endless wave of curated music videos like it's 1999 all over again.
Pandora may ditch its ticket business to focus on streaming
Pandora bought Ticketfly in 2015 in a bid to cover more aspects of your music experience, but it's already having second thoughts. Bloomberg sources hear that Pandora is considering selling Ticketfly in case it doesn't find a buyer for the entire company. In other words, it'd return to its focus on streaming music -- important when its on-demand Premium service is still getting off the ground. Pandora has declined to comment, but it's not hard to imagine why the ticketing business might be on the chopping block.
This is your last chance to buy 'Alan Wake'
One of Alan Wake's best features was its licensed soundtrack, and now the tunes developer Remedy Entertainment carefully curated are causing a bit of grief. Remedy's rights to The Black Angels' "Young Men Dead" and "Up Jumped The Devil" from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (among others) are expiring, and with them, so must Alan Wake itself. Remedy tweeted that because of this, the game will be delisted from Steam and other digital storefronts after May 15th.
Apple is bringing iTunes to the Windows Store
Now, here's something you probably weren't expecting: Apple is bringing iTunes to the Windows Store. You'll no longer have to download a conventional desktop app just to play Apple Music or sync your iPhone. It's not certain how the Store version will differ from the regular Windows app (if at all), but it's more the presence itself that matters: You won't have to forego Apple's ecosystem if you're using Windows 10 S. If nothing else, this puts iTunes in front of users who otherwise wouldn't see it. There's no mention of a release date, so it may be a while before you can check this out firsthand. Click here to catch up on the latest news from Microsoft Build 2017.
Childish Gambino's latest vinyl release comes with a VR headset
Say what you will about the vinyl resurgence, but artists keep turning to the ancient media format to try out high-tech tricks. The latest in that trend is Donald "Childish Gambino" Glover, Pitchfork notes. When his Awaken, My Love! album from late last year lands at your local record store (or, more likely, an online retailer) on May 19th, it'll come packed with a cardboard VR headset and an app that gives access to live performances recorded in 360-degrees from Glover's "PHAROS Experience." Next week in London, you could even attend a VR screening party for the record if you're so inclined.

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