Music

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Apple is making a documentary with Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records' deal to stream some of its music exclusively on Apple's subscription service appears to be about more than just tunes. Bloomberg reports that Drake and Nicki Minaj's record label is working with Apple on a documentary as well. The two companies are already quite familiar with each other as Drake's Views From the 6 was an Apple Music exclusive the first week after it was released. Drake was also on stage at the event where Apple Music was first revealed to the world.
Audiophiles in Japan are installing their own electricity poles
Audiophiles are known for doing some pretty extreme things in their quest for 'purer' sound, such as buying headphones that cost as much as a good car or getting ridiculously overdone cables with little to no practical benefit. However, the Wall Street Journal notes that some Japanese listeners are taking things one step further. When Takeo Morita worried that "tainted" power would affect the quality of his tunes, he installed a roughly $10,000 utility pole with his own transformer to get more electricity straight from the grid. And he's not alone -- there's a whole magazine dedicated just to selling audio-related power equipment, including poles.
Spotify revamps its kids category to help with early learning
Spotify already had a variety of content for young listeners, but with the help of educational initiatives Too Small to Fail and Vroom, the streaming service has revised that lineup. The newly revamped "Kids and Family" category features playlists that focus on daytime routines, activities and more. There are options for playtime, bedtime and traveling, just to name a few. Between songs, a collection of celebrities provide tips for other activities to further help build vocabulary. Voice prompts will feature Fantasia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Wiz Khalifa, Tyler Perry, Juanes, Diego Torres, Busy Philipps and more.
Spotify Gaming puts your favorite soundtracks in one place
Video game soundtracks hold a pretty special place in the Engadget Gaming crew's heart. Whether it's a collection of painstakingly curated licensed tracks a la Hotline Miami or wholly original compositions from Austin Wintory or Jesper Kyd, the right music can make a good game great and an excellent one even better. Spotify recognizes this too and is launching a new subsection dedicated to gaming music. The new collection brings everything under one category now (finding gaming stuff was a bit messy before), works across pretty much every platform and even includes chiptune stuff from the '80s.
Crafting the algorithmic soundtrack of 'No Man's Sky'
While you've no doubt heard of No Man's Sky, the game, chances are you can't say the same of the band that scored its soundtrack. That's fair. UK noise/drone rock group 65Daysofstatic (65DOS) has quietly been releasing records since 2001. Its songs regularly stretch past seven minutes, and if they feature vocals, the singing is buried so deep in the mix that it's almost indistinguishable from the maelstrom surrounding it. All that is to say, the band doesn't write the type of music that gets stuck in your head. Which makes multi-instrumentalist Paul Wolinski's hopes for the score all the more surprising. "We wanted it to be hummable," he told Engadget.
This drum machine recreates the 808's features in your browser
We've seen drum machines and synthesizers that are playable in a browser before, but now one of the most iconic instruments has a more detailed web version. The HTML-808 and HTML5 Drum Machine made a virtual TR-808 easy to use with the likes of Chrome, Firefox and others. Debuting this week on 808 Day, the io-808 offers a lot more of the design, knobs, controls and functionality that the real drum machine employs. io-808 is the work of Vincent Jackson (a DJ whose real name is Vincent Riemer) using the Web Audio API to mimic the sounds of the physical 808. Sure, sounds aren't direct from samples, but they still sound quite good, especially for messing around in your cubicle at work.
De La Soul's samples are why its classic albums stay offline
Have you wondered why De La Soul is more than happy to offer its newer albums online, but has had so much trouble getting its classics (Stakes Is High and earlier) online that it gave them away at one point? You now have a good, if imperfect, explanation. Their label, Warner Music Group, tells the New York Times that its staff "don't believe it is possible" to clear all the samples in early tracks for digital music services. It doesn't explain why those samples are being held back, but the group's current sample clearance agent suspects that many of those samples may have been cleared improperly, sometimes through informal agreements. It's also possible that many of the sample deals didn't account for non-physical releases, so Warner might have to start from scratch.
BitTorrent offers grants for budding artists
BitTorrent doesn't just want to rely on ready-made content from big-name artists and well-funded indies to fuel its constant distribution dreams -- it's contributing to the projects themselves. The company is launching the Discovery Fund to give movie makers, musicians and other creators the money they need to get their work off the ground. A total of 25 promising artists will get between $2,500 to $100,000 to help distribute and market their wares. Producers maintain control, BitTorrent's Straith Schreder says -- this is just about finding a "global audience."
SoundCloud Go now streams to Sonos connected speakers
The number of options for Sonos owners to stream music to their connected speakers continues to expand. SoundCloud announced today that its subscription service is now available on the popular multi-room audio setup. Launched in March, SoundCloud Go is the long-rumored monthly subscription option from the music library that's been a go-to spot for creators and listeners alike. The service still has some issues to work out, but if SoundCloud wants it to catch on, it needs to offer the option to users in as many places as possible. And that includes working with some of the best speakers on the market.
Listen to the full 'No Man's Sky' soundtrack on YouTube
No Man's Sky is just a few days away. If you're itching to explore its vast and colorful galaxy, there's an easy way to whet your appetite: by listening to its stellar soundtrack. 65daysofstatic, an electro math rock band from the UK, has uploaded the 10-track set to YouTube. It's just over 45 minutes in length, offering a hint of the atmosphere and depth that Hello Games is trying to deliver. And if you like what you hear, there's always the No Man's Sky tour to look forward to. Or one of these cool-looking vinyl records.
Jack White's label played a vinyl record at 94,000 feet
Jack White's Third Man Records label is no stranger to using technological feats to draw publicity, but its latest feat is something truly special. The company recently teamed up with Students and Teachers in Near Space to become the first to play a vinyl record, the Carl Sagan-sampling "A Glorious Dawn," at the edge of space -- to be exact, in the stratosphere at 94,413 feet. As you might gather from the video (skip to 1:21:20 to see the maximum ascent), it involved a lot more than strapping a turntable to a high-altitude balloon. Key designer Kevin Carrico explains that there were quite a few technical considerations needed to keep the record spinning for as long as possible on its journey.
Kanye West wants Apple and Tidal to stop fighting over exclusives
Kanye West may be best known on Twitter for starting feuds, but now he's trying to end one... and it's even a rivalry he helped create. In a flurry of four tweets, the rapper griped that the competition between Apple and Tidal over streaming music exclusives is nothing but a "dick swinging contest" that's "fucking up the music game." Yes, that's right -- the man who released his latest album as a Tidal exclusive (if only temporarily) now wants peace. He's even suggesting a meeting with Jay-Z, Tim Cook and other bigwigs to make it happen, and wishes that Apple would just buy Tidal to end the fighting once and for all.
Virgin America's app has Spotify playlists based on your trip
Virgin America revealed a major overhaul to its website back in 2014, and now it finally has an app for Android and iOS. As you might expect, the retooled mobile software has a similar look and feel to the web portal, but you can use it to book flights, manage upgrades and access boarding passes on the go. There's a lot more playful illustration than you've seen in other airline apps, consistent with the approach Virgin takes to air travel. What's more, there's Spotify integration as well, offering an easy way to play music during your trip.
Stream Lollapalooza performances live from Chicago this weekend
We're rapidly approaching the end of summer and Chicago's annual late July Music festival starts today. Beginning at 7PM ET, Red Bull TV will stream live Lollapalooza performances from the stages at Grant Park throughout the weekend. While the stream starts then, Yeasayer is the first scheduled act at 8:10PM ET tonight. The music continues through Sunday evening with artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, M83, Future, Major Lazer, Bloc Party, A$AP Ferg and dozens more scheduled to take the stage over the weekend.
SoundCloud reportedly wants to find a buyer
SoundCloud's paid Go music service is a hot mess between its clunky interface and poor selection, and that may be leading the company to consider some more drastic ways of making money. Bloomberg tipsters claim that SoundCloud's owners are "exploring strategic options," including a possible sale at a valuation of $1 billion. The discussions are reportedly still young and might not lead anywhere, but the very possibility that it's on the table is notable -- the company may not be confident that it can profit from its legions of listeners.
Spotify will play ads based on your playlists
If you're a Spotify user, your friends and family aren't the only ones who are able to check out your playlists. The popular streaming service is now the latest platform that is opening its data to targeted, programmatic advertising. Everything from your age and gender, to the music genres you like to listen to will be targetable by participating third-party companies
Plex streams your music collection to Sonos speakers
If you're using Plex to store your music and video files, there's a new option for listening to those tracks around the house. The company announced today that access to your audio collection is now available inside the Sonos app. This means that you'll be able to browse and control playback of any stored music on Sonos' line of speakers. Plex says users can also expect access to their libraries away from home as well thanks to the Sonos mobile software. You know, in case your pals have one of the company's audio setups, too.
Deezer's $10 music streaming service is open to all in the US (updated)
Before now, if you wanted to subscribe to Deezer in the US, you needed to own Bose or Sonos audio gear or be a Cricket customer in order to do so. Just over a month after the streaming service shed podcast app Stitcher, it's opening up the $10 monthly streaming plan to all users in the States. While Deezer offers both free and paid tiers in other countries, the monthly subscription will be the only way for US users to listen when the 30-day trial runs out. Paying up will also get you access to podcasts (still driven by Stitcher) and features like Flow, a personalized station of tunes based on what you've been listening to recently.
Apple rolls out more accurate iTunes matching for Apple Music
Apple Music's ability to match and sync songs that users had already purchased in iTunes was a notable feature when the service first launched last year. Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as the iTunes Match tool that preceded the streaming option. Well, it looks like Apple is working to improve how that all works. The Loop reports that the company is rolling out an update that uses the iTunes Match audio fingerprint to handle syncing those songs you've bought. Before now, Apple Music was using a less accurate version of iTunes Match that relied on metadata to pair tracks.
Twitch is taking auditions for an internet-wide talent show
Twitch may have started as a broadcasting service laser-focused on beaming your gaming exploits out to the world, but it certainly isn't staying that way. Now, the Creative banner has been expanded to include comedy, music, theater, voice acting and illusions magic tricks.

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