Tag: Music
Tech Trumpet: Nokia Classic Ring Tone Mix
Welcome to Tech Trumpet, where I attempt to make vaguely musical sounds using a variety of gadgets and computers.
Following today’s announcement of Nokia’s latest Classic handsets, I thought I’d put together a little ditty made up of classic Nokia ring tones…
Top 10 Tuesday Wednesday: Free, Legal, Music on the Internet
I’m going to take a break from gadgets today, like Dan did yesterday for Technology Deathmatch, to tell you about some of my favourite sources of free, legal music on the internet. It’s entirely possible, contrary to what major record labels would have you believe, to live completely free of paying for recorded music.
Not all offer downloads that’ll work on your MP3 player – some just stream – and not all these sites are going to be around forever, due to the turbulent nature of the digital music market around now, but if you can live with both those caveats, then click over the jump for my top ten sites where you can get free, legal, music.
Last.fm releases Android client application
Personalised radio service Last.fm has launched an Android version of its software, meaning that T-Mobile G1 owners will be able to get streaming music recommendations on-the-go. Previously the application was only available to iPhone owners and on Last.fm’s website on a computer.
That’s all well and good, but where’s my Symbian client? I want to use Last.fm on my N95! Last.fm’s biggest threat right now, Spotify, is recruiting for an S60 engineer with the aim of building a phone client. With the 5800 just launched, and the N97 just around the corner, now would be a great time to develop an alternative to Nokia’s egregious “Comes with Music” service.
Last.fm Android App (via @fakesensations)
Related posts: Video surfaces of the Android-based Dream G2 | Last.fm music service comes to Vodafone
Small queue forms for the Tube (the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, that is)
Despite being slap-bang in the middle of the target market for the Nokia 5800, there’s something about it that just doesn’t hit the spot for me. It might be the sluggish performance, it might be the the lack of keyboard, it might be the lack of internal storage. It just seems defiantly last-generation with a touchscreen slapped on, which is why I’m holding out for the N97.
Some people aren’t though, because the launch of the Nokia 5800 was this morning in Regent Street and Heathrow terminal five. It wasn’t iPhone-worthy, but a respectable hundred people or so showed up at the Regent Street branch.
If you didn’t fancy queuing in the rain, but you still want one, then you can get it from Simply Electronics for £350 or so, unlocked. Alternatively, Phones4U are offering it free on an £35 a month, 18-month-long, contract with Orange, or there’s a £20 a month, 18-month, contract with Vodafone.
(via the Inquirer)
Related posts: Nokia 5800 ‘Tube’ finally touches down in the UK | Nokia 5800 XpressMusic coming very soon, in time for Christmas perhaps?
Another Xpress Music phone from Nokia – the 5730, with QWERTY keyboard!
Although I’m violently opposed to Comes with Music’s DRM, sometimes nasty things come in nice packages. This is the Nokia 5730 Xpress Music, straight outta Russia. It’s packing an awesome dot-matrix-effect QWERTY keyboard, 2″ screen, 1,000mAh battery, GPS, 128MB of RAM and USB/Bluetooth connectivity.
Interestingly it doesn’t have 3G – just EDGE – so downloading music on the device won’t be fun. It’ll be showing up in European markets this April for €220 (£204). I’m afraid we’ve not got anything more specific on the release date. If you can uninstall the “Comes with Music” software, and don’t need 3G, then this isn’t too bad a phone.
(via Engadget)
Related posts: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic coming very soon, in time for Christmas perhaps? | Nokia 5800 ‘Tube’ finally touches down in the UK
RUMOUR: Sky launching its music subscription service in April
Many have tried to make the all-you-can-eat subscription model work for music, but it’s never taken off due to incompatibilities between different portable music players and the lack of any big companies really getting behind it. Well, we’re hearing a rumour that Sky will finally launch its previously-announced subscription service in April.
Last we heard, we were promised a mix of both streaming and downloadable tracks. Over Christmas, pricing was allegedly leaked – unlimited free streams, plus a set number of MP3 downloads each month. £5.99 for 5 downloads, £7.99 for 10 and £9.99 for 15.
I’ve asked Sky for more details, and I’m waiting to hear back. I, for one, am convinced that it’s not only possible for a subscription service to work, but it’s actually the future of mass-market music consumption. There’s too many people who don’t care about anything beyond the top 40 for that not to be the case.
Related posts: NOISE GATE: Why music subscription services will eventually work | Sky and Universal Music partner to launch subscription music streaming and download service
YouTube shoots self in foot – mutes all video with 'unauthorized copyrighted music'
In a strange, sudden and unannounced move, YouTube has suddenly muted a bunch of videos that it claims have ‘unauthorized copyrighted music’. Under the video, it says “This video contains an audio track that has not been authorised by all copyright holders. The audio has been disabled.”
Two things bother me about this. Firstly, the users are going to absolutely detest it. They’ll leave in their droves for YouTube’s competitors. I don’t understand why YouTube would agree to something as ridiculous as this – they’re not stupid, and I’m sure they realize what the effects will be.
Secondly, how does this square with the deals YouTube made two years ago, when labels made their content “available for inclusion in sanctioned consumer uploads”. This move seems to run 180 degrees in the reverse to what those deals aimed to facilitate. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one, and update the post when I hear more and/or YouTube releases some sort of official statement.
(via Media Futurist)
Related posts: Universal Music: We’re getting heaps of cash from YouTube | YouTube goes full HD at last?
Universal digital chief: Android's selling bucketloads of Amazon MP3s, litigation is not a long-term fix to piracy
I haven’t exactly hidden my contempt in the past for Doug Morris, CEO of Universal Music Group. For many years, UMG has ridden the coattails of the other record labels, particularly the trailblazing EMI, when it came to digital music. It was with mild trepidation, therefore, that I began to read Cnet’s interview with UMG’s Digital Music head honcho, Rio Caraeff.
There are a number of interesting nuggets of info in the interview – that Android’s driving “a ton” of sales for Amazon MP3, that litigation is not “a definitive or long-term fix” for piracy, and another confirmation of the “tens of millions of dollars” that Rio had previously claimed the label was getting from YouTube.
Most interesting of all, though, is the way that Rio sounds like a guy who’s really got his head screwed on. He speaks very knowledgably about digital music, but the most telling statement is when he says “We’re trying new things constantly. There is nothing we won’t try.” Trying new stuff was one of the central themes of my Six Tenets series about how the next generation of music companies will work. Good to hear someone so high up in the ‘traditional’ industry echo those sentiments.
Cnet’s Rio Caraeff Interview
Related posts: Universal Music: We’re getting heaps of cash from YouTube | Dell fills its PCs with Universal MP3s
CES 2009: Cisco announces Internet-connected Media Hub: get your music and video organised
Cisco has announced its new Media Hub (well, the Linksys by Cisco Media Hub, but that’s a bit of a “my company owns your brand” mouthful) which allows users to consolidate their home multimedia libraries and access them from their network or over the Internet.
The Hub comes preloaded with a general media server as well as an iTunes server, and automatically searches the network for other media devices, presenting music, pictures and video within a simple web browser…
Gigjunkie is a social network for UK live music fans
Live music fans have a tough time of it. You’ve got to contend with awful ticket agencies, heavyhanded security, and crap listings services, and even when you get inside there’s always the risk that you’ll be stood in front of some drunk idiot who’ll hurl abuse and beer at the band throughout the show, ruining your enjoyment.
Well, music fans, there’s a new website that aims to solve at least one of those problems. That of the rubbish listings services. Gigjunkie.net is a “the UK’s definitive and independent Gig Listing”. It aggregates data from loads of sources, and then allows fans, venues and bands to add anything extra.
