slacker
Latest
Samsung's Milk Music service will end on September 22nd
Users of Samsung's Milk Music -- and by definition, owners of Galaxy or Note smartphones, since the service was only available on them -- are in for some sad news: It will shutter in the US on September 22nd. Fans should switch over to Slacker instead, which powered the service, the company said.
Samsung's Milk Music service now streams in your web browser
Samsung's Milk Music is no longer tied to its devices -- well, sort of. As promised, the service now lets you stream stations in your PC's web browser instead of having to rely solely on your phone or TV. The interface will look familiar if you're a veteran, with an emphasis on easy channel fine-tuning and giant artwork. This addition probably won't get you to switch to Milk if you aren't already a fan (you might as well use Slacker, the provider under the hood), but it will give you a chance to keep listening when you're chained to your desk.
Slacker Radio hits select Toyota and Lexus models with voice control
Toyota's Entune and Lexus' Enform infotainment systems already have access to several music streaming services like Pandora and iheartradio. But if Slacker remains your internet radio of choice and you drive a 2011 to 2015 model from either automaker, look out for software updates, because the app is coming to select vehicles from within that timeframe. Even better: since both these systems have voice recognition tech, this new app will have voice-enabled song and station search, as well. Plus, it will let you create personal stations, browse other people's, and play music that matches your mood.
Samsung's paid Milk Music Premium service arrives with offline listening
Samsung has spent months promising a paid tier for Milk Music that takes the gloves off. Well, it's here at last -- an update to the Android app for its exclusive (if Slacker-based) streaming service offers a $4 per month Premium tier that brings offline listening, unlimited skips and the option of removing DJ banter. Both the free and paid tiers remain ad-free for now, so don't rush to upgrade unless you need constant access to your tunes. That parity isn't going to last forever, though, so be prepared to cough up some cash in the future if you want to dodge commercials.
Samsung's Milk Music will soon cost $4 per month to listen ad-free
You know what they say about all good things in life. Samsung has been offering an ad-free version of its Milk Music service for no charge since launch, but the company has posted a new infographic revealing that Americans will soon have to pay $4 per month for a Premium tier to escape marketers. You'll also get some "exclusive features" as a bonus, although it's not clear just what they'll entail. We've reached out to learn more about both the paid service launch and what those perks will be. For now, you'll want to cherish the current listening experience -- it may not be around for much longer.
Samsung's Milk Music internet radio service is only for Galaxy devices (video)
Do we need yet another online music service? Samsung certainly thinks so, as it's just introduced its very own internet radio service called, weirdly enough, Milk Music. So named for its supposed "fresh" take on music (Get it? Because milk is fresh? Yeah, we're not sure about that either), it's free to download from Google Play starting today. In fact, you can start streaming tunes immediately as soon as you launch it, no sign-up required. Best of all, the service is completely ad-free (for now at least -- we'll explain more about this later). The caveat, of course, is that it's exclusive to Samsung phones. Milk Music is a completely separate entity from Samsung's existing Music Hub subscription service, as the former is focused more as a free radio service that you can use without having to set up an account.
Officers' Quarters: My roommate is a slacker
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. As a guild leader, it's never easy to tell someone that they aren't pulling their weight. What happens when that person is your roommate? hey Scott. few months back, me and my dad revived our old guild, and it went soo good! within weeks our ranks were swelling with people, having a good time etc then we started raiding, all was well untill we started progressing properly. one of my raiders (Bob for this story) has an itemlvl of ~563 yet doesnt pull his weight as dps (Mage) he tends to slack if he thinks he can get away with it, threatens to get angry etc if people keep complaining about his damage. heres the real issue. this raider is my roommate and longtime friend.
Slacker updates Android app with tiled home screen and 'My Vibes' playlist
While those upgrading to iOS 7 may have gotten first dibs on the new Slacker app, the music streaming service hasn't forgotten about those on the Google side of things. As such, Slacker just released an update for its Android app that mirrors the look and feel of the one on iOS. In particular, it introduces a new streamlined interface designed to give you even quicker access to your favorite tunes. The home screen is now decked with quick-start tiles, a featured trending section and a shortcut to "My Vibe" playlists, which are curated based on select activities (examples include brunch, running or sleeping). Additionally, the last few stations you listened to can now be instantly accessed from the main hub. If that all sounds groovy to you, feel free to download it right now from the source link below.
iOS 7 app update roundup: it's a flat, flat, flat world
Even if you don't feel like coughing up the cash for either the iPhone 5c or iPhone 5s, those eligible for an update (that's if you own an iPhone 4 or up, or an iPad 2 onward) can at least console themselves with iOS 7, which debuts today. Gone is the skeuomorphic design of the Forstall era, and in its place is a flatter interface that promises an entirely new experience for iOS devotees. As such, developers everywhere have been scrambling to get their apps redesigned to match the new mobile OS out of Cupertino. While we can't possibly cover every update, we've compiled a quick list after the break of the more substantial app revamps that have come our way.
Slacker debuts weekly top 40 chart based on 'Engagement Quotient' of songs
Slacker will start offering a weekly top 40 chart today, joining the likes of Spotify, Stitcher and Twitter Music. Unlike those services however, the list isn't necessarily filled with the most popular tracks. Instead, it's comprised of what's deemed as the 40 "most engaging tracks" in that particular week. Compiled using an algorithm the company calls the "Engagement Quotient," each song is dealt an "EQ" score of one to 100 based on a number of data points. We list what those criteria are after the break, along with quotes from a brief talk with Jack Isquith, Slacker's senior VP of content programming and strategic development.
RIAA now counts online streams in Gold and Platinum Digital Single Awards
After years of fighting against the digital tide, the RIAA announced it'll now factor online audio and video streams when considering tracks for its Digital Single Award. The certification has heretofore been given to digital tracks that have gone Gold or Platinum, but only for downloads: 500,000 for Gold, 1,000,000 for Platinum and 2 million-plus for multi-Platinum. But under its new policy, 100 streams count as one download, meaning that it could reach those thresholds with a mix of streams and downloads, not just the latter. The new approach is "an approximate barometer of comparative consumer activity; the financial value of streams and downloads were not factored into the equation." All told, these include streams from services like MOG, Rhapsody, Slacker, Spotify and Rdio along with video sites like VEVO, YouTube and MTV.com. Under the new system, 56 titles have already gone Gold and beyond, with 11 receiving their first ever digital song cert. A couple of first-timers include Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" which went Platinum and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" that went multi-Platinum. While we can't say if music services will make everyone happy, it's clear streaming's here to stay. Hear that, iTunes?
Slacker lures 6 million new listeners, makes profit on both free and paid users
When Slacker launched its big software overhaul in February, many were skeptical that a refresh could bring it back to prominence. Apparently, all that doubt was misguided: Slacker says it's racked up 6 million new listeners in the past three months, 3.5 million of which are on mobile. They're more involved, too -- there are 100,000 new paying customers, iOS installs have tripled and members of all kinds tune in for an average of 25 percent longer. And did we mention that Slacker may even benefit from the rush? Where some peers face a constant fight to stay above water without enough premium customers, Slacker says both its ad-supported free radio and paid on-demand service are profitable. While there's no guarantee the company will hold on to those bedazzled new users, it's good to see renewed competition in a field with fewer and fewer participants.
Turntable.fm releases Piki app, for music recommendations and streaming
Turntable.fm is one of the many social streaming music sites out there -- it allows you and your friends to stream music and even listen in together to your favorite albums and songs. The company already has its own standalone app for the App Store, but it's trying a new tactic now to grab attention in this increasingly crowded streaming market, releasing a new app called Piki (a misspelling of "picky," I guess) that's centered not just around listening to music, but also around sharing recommendations and favorites. Just like any other streaming app out there (Pandora, Slacker and Rdio are all popular variants on this), Piki lets you pull up radio stations that will automatically fill with music and stream it out to wherever you happen to be. The difference here is that instead of coming from a computer or even a radio producer, these stations are filled with music recommended by your friends and other members of the service. You can provide reactions to the music as well, and then those picks are incorporated in other users' music, too. I know Pandora does use user preferences to rate its various music streams, and while Slacker's big claim is that they're using actual radio producers to pick some playlists, this is definitely an interesting idea, especially if you've got friends using the app with some excellent taste in music. And the fact that Turntable.fm is branding it under a completely different name shows that things are getting hectic in the streaming business. They're doing whatever they can to nail down an audience of listeners. If you're down to put an ear on some new tunes recommended by your fellow listeners, Piki is currently available on the App Store for free.
PSA: Zona Latina, Slacker radio app now on Xbox Live
Xbox Live is expanding its cultural horizons, adding the Slacker streaming-music app and a hub for all Latino content, Zona Latina, both free for Gold members.Zona Latina, available in the US, collects all Latino-oriented media, including TV shows, movies, music, news and sports, with content from Telemundo, Univision HBO GO, Hulu Plus, NBC Latino, and VEVO. Slacker, available in the US and Canada, offers millions of songs and streaming playlists, along with music news and recommendations, all with Kinect voice control options.
Senzari becomes Wahwah, loses web service to go mobile-first
Senzari is a Pandora-like Internet radio service, that allows you to listen to streaming music centered around an artist or genre of your choice. For a little while now, the company has hosted the service on its website, but it recently picked up another service called wahwah.fm, and now is going to streamline its offerings into one, mobile-first app. The new app is going to be called Wahwah, and it will combine Internet radio with the idea of "broadcast stations," where you can send out music on your local iPhone to anyone else using the app. The Wahwah app is set to arrive sometime around SXSW, which will take place starting March 8 in Austin. There are of course quite a few of these streaming music services around -- I like Slacker a lot, and lately I've started listening to Rdio as well. But what's interesting here is that while Senzari is launching the Wahwah app, it's actually taking its web-based service offline completely and solely depending on the iPhone (later, Android and other platforms) for its users. That makes sense from a programming perspective (because dealing with one platform at a time is easier than trying to run a few), but it also speaks to the iPhone's popularity, that Senzari can get a solid audience by only going through an iPhone app. Eventually the web service will relaunch, which Senzari says will happen in two or three months. Most Internet radio services commonly run both a web-based service and a separate mobile app (in addition to custom apps for any other platforms), so it'll be interesting to see how Wahwah does with a mobile-only (and essentially iPhone-only) launch.
Slacker now streaming tunes on Xbox 360
After receiving a pre-Valentine's Day makeover, Slacker has officially made its way to the Xbox 360. Free to download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers in the US and Canada, the 116.17MB app brings the internet radio station's revamped color scheme, music guide and a posh set of voice controls via Kinect. So, if you're ready to bombard your TV with high-res slideshows of Diddy while rapping along to "Bad Boy for Life," then navigate your console's tiles to the Xbox Live Marketplace to add this app to your dashboard.
Daily Update for February 13, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Slacker music service relaunches, takes aim at Spotify with new iOS app
Just shy of its sixth birthday, streaming music service Slacker flipped the switch on a major relaunch today that it hopes will put it ahead of competitors like Spotify and Pandora. The company is maintaining a free-to-stream, radio-style model for all users but also has two paid tiers that allow for more listening options. The new service is built on a library of more than 13 million songs, which Slacker is saying makes its offering 10 times that of Pandora's. (But it's a bit shy of Spotify's 15 million tracks as of last summer.) Another of Slacker's biggest new selling points: More than 200 "stations" of curated music in various genres. While all users are able to stream an unlimited number of tracks with commercial interruption, a US$3.99-per-month Slacker Radio Plus subscription removes ads and restrictions on how many songs can be skipped in a row. For those who want more, a $9.99-per-month Slacker Premium subscription offers direct access to every song in the service's library and the ability to create custom playlists. We'll have a deeper look at the new service soon, but for now you can check out what it has to offer via the web or the redesigned Slacker iOS app now available on the App Store.
Slacker reinvents itself: simpler, more approachable internet radio
If you were a fan of Slacker's old-school black and gold aesthetic, you can mourn its passing today. The internet radio service has just undergone a rebirth, with a brand new white and burnt orange logo and a completely revamped design -- on web, mobile and Xbox -- in an effort to reintroduce itself to the mainstream and stave off competition from the likes of Pandora, Spotify and Rdio. The new look is decidedly simpler and more approachable, with a prominent search box and a distinct blue and white theme that carries its way throughout all interfaces. Indeed, the smartphone apps are explicitly designed to mirror the site, not just style-wise but functionally as well. For example, it'll cue up the next song on a station or a playlist when you switch devices. The pricing structure remains the same -- there's a free ad-supported version, a Radio Plus $3.99 a month option and a $9.99 per month Premium plan. The new iOS and Android apps should be available today, with Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 versions to come. For more on the relaunch and a few thoughts from Slacker's execs, join us after the break.
Slacker Radio comes to Chrysler's UConnect
If, like us, you'll only consider driving when you've got a soundtrack of baroque chanting, then traditional radio stations can often be something of a disappointment. Chrysler and Slacker Radio have teamed up to ensure that our niche tastes can be catered for on the move, as the latter will be joining the former's UConnect service. The company won't be drawn on when the tie-up will happen (trust us, we've tried), but hey -- it can't be too long, can it? Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
