Category: Digital Music
Speedo's Aquabeat waterproof MP3 player – good for up to three metres down
Here’s something to keep Michael Phelps entertained while he waits for those other losers to finish – a waterproof MP3 player.
Phelps could lie back, lift up his size 28 feet and listen to the American National Anthem on his stylish Aquabeat, while he politely waits for for silver and bronze to splash their way slowly toward him.
The Speedo player beats other so-called waterproof devices by being fully submersible up to a depth of three meters…
Midnight Madness – get your nob face into a Chemical Brothers video
I love all this music 2.0 business and it seems I’m not alone. Usually it’s Radiohead doing something innovative to keep both them and their music streets ahead of anyone else but today the Chemical Brothers are having a stab at it, probably motivated as much by laziness as creativity, and why not?
To herald the release of their single “Midnight Madness” and the LP in September, “Brotherhood”, the band, who go by the real names of Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands, are inviting us all to upload photos and videos of our own, geotagged on a Google map of theirs…
Apple working on streaming your iTunes library over the internet?
An interesting patent has turned up that suggests some new features we could be seeing in the next generation of iPods and iPhones. A rather crude diagram explains how Apple want to be able to let you share your iTunes library with your devices over the internet…
O2 and Sony BMG launch MyPlay 'artist led' music store – still costs money though
So O2 is the latest mobile company to launch itself a music store although they’ve managed to look really important this time by doing so in conjunction with Sony BMG, making them an “artist led music store” whatever that means.
Well, actually I can tell you what that means but it isn’t half as non-corporate, free and equitable as it sounds. The store’s called My Play. It’s accessible through the O2 Active portal…
Get Usher's "Here I Stand" pre-loaded on Sony Ericsson W980 from Vodafone
Vodafone UK has announced that they’re selling the Sony Ericsson W980 already loaded up with Usher’s latest album “Here I Stand”.
There’s even the chance to win a pair of tickets to Usher’s UK tour, by signing up to the “Usher’s Entourage” online community. This also gives access to music videos, interviews, tour dates, mobile wallpaper, “Love In This Club” ringtone and video, and exclusive remixes.
Google launches ad-funded music search service in China, to battle local piracy
Google is trying to succeed where all have failed, by stemming the impact of piracy in China.
Its latest venture, an ad-funded music search service, hopes to go some way toward making a bit of money out of flogging music in China, a country where it’s believed 99% of all music distributed has been obtained illegally somewhere along the line.
Google’s music search service will lets users browse “tens of thousands” of songs…
Vodafone UK launches "Vodafone Music" – it's a bit like iTunes
Vodafone has announced that is new “Vodafone Music” service is now live in the UK, allowing its mobile customers to buy and download songs from the Vodafone live! Music Shop.
The service features a new user-friendly interface which includes a smart search allowing users to find music based on track name, artist, album, or genre; free 30-second previews of songs, album art, and improved charts listing new releases and top downloads…
Nokia to use Zune Marketplace? "Maybe", says grapevine
An interesting rumour has appeared on the “that’s a pretty logical move now you think about it” pile – apparently Nokia and Microsoft are looking for a tie up between Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace and Nokia’s mobile phones.
This makes a lot of sense for two ugly kids for whom prettyboy Apple is the bane of their lives – Microsoft doesn’t make phones, having repeatedly denied that they’re planning a “Zune phone”, and Nokia doesn’t make dedicated music players…
Moderately important men say Radiohead's "Pay what you want" gimmick for In Rainbows was successful.
A shocking new report out today has sent shock waves through the music industry after the revelation that giving away stuff for free is actually really popular.
Will Page, an economist for the MCPS-PRS alliance (perhaps the world’s longest acronym) and Eric Garland (boss of Big Champaign – a company who apparently do “online media measurement”) have taken a look at Radiohead’s In Rainbows album that they released last year with the gimmick of “pay what you want to pay”, and have come to the conclusion that it was actually a pretty good idea…
Dell WANTS IN on the MP3 player and music retailing scene?
Box-shifter par excellence Dell is planning to enter the MP3 player market, according to a bit of sniffing around from the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ reckons that Dell wants a bit of the lucrative music retailing pie as well, so is planning to launch what industry experts will be calling an “iTunes killer” alongside its alleged range of players…
