Wes Davis
How to get free, on-demand music in the pre-streaming service era.
I’ll be telling my grandchildren this was Napster.
Spotify
Ariel Shapiro
Jon Porter
Jon Porter
Neil Young’s music is back on “low res Spotify” two years after Rogan protest.
The artist pulled his catalog in early 2022 over its then-exclusive Joe Rogan deal, which Young said had resulted in Spotify spreading vaccine misinformation. Now, with the exclusivity deal over, Rogan’s podcast is also available on Apple and Amazon, and Young can’t keep his music off all of them.
He’s still not happy about Spotify’s lack of high-res audio quality, though.
My Return to Low Res Spotify
[Neil Young Archives]
Ariel Shapiro
Jacob Kastrenakes
Apple is going to be stunned when it finds out how the Mac works.
The company put out a new statement today criticizing Spotify’s complaint to the EU about restrictions on its iOS app:
Fundamentally, their complaint is about trying to get limitless access to all of Apple’s tools without paying anything for the value Apple provides.
What kind of computing platform could possibly offer developers that kind of flexibility? Who would make such a thing?
Ariel Shapiro
Emilia David
Apple Music Replay will recap listening habits monthly.
Sharing music statistics online became a yearly tradition thanks to Spotify Wrapped. Now, Apple Music’s Replay feature is turning up the frequency with monthly breakdowns (after YouTube Music added seasonal updates in 2022) and will also note “milestones” for users, like the total number of minutes they spent listening to that one album. Users, of course, can share their music recaps online every month.
TechCrunch reports monthly Replay recaps will only be available to users “who listen to enough music.”
Image: Apple via TechCrunch
Verge Staff
Ariel Shapiro
Jon Porter
Spotify’s “Daylist” is like “I’m feeling lucky” for music.
I missed its September launch, but Spotify can now auto-generate you a time-appropriate playlist based on your daily listening habits by searching for “Daylist.” Playlists even come with bizarre titles like “ska punch skateboarding tuesday morning.”
Another fun hidden Spotify feature? Search for a number + BPM to generate a playlist of songs at a specific speed. Handy if you’re trying to run with a specific cadence (aka steps-per-minute).
Ariel Shapiro
Ariel Shapiro
Music podcasters are furious that Spotify is killing Music + Talk.
Spotify for Podcasters is changing, and according to some creators, not for the better.
An expanded partnership with Riverside will replace some of the platform’s native mobile and web creation tools, and it’s sunsetting Music + Talk, a feature introduced in 2020 that allows podcasters to plug licensed full-length tracks into episodes. Podcasters who focus on music, in particular, have a particular need for that capability and say their shows will be gutted by the change.
Jon Porter
The Joe Rogan Experience is now available wherever you get your podcasts.
After over three years of Spotify exclusivity, Joe Rogan’s podcast is now available via other podcasting apps — including Apple Podcasts — and will return to YouTube “within weeks.” The change comes after Rogan renewed his deal with Spotify for a reported $250 million.
Despite its exclusivity, the Joe Rogan Experience has still managed to be the most popular podcast in the world.
Ariel Shapiro
Ariel Shapiro
Ariel Shapiro
Ariel Shapiro
Amrita Khalid
For years, Apple’s App Store policies have made it impossible for apps to sell digital services and goods on their own terms. A new law in the EU could change all of that — and Spotify is prepared.
Ariel Shapiro
Barbara Krasnoff
Wes Davis
“Hooman. Stereo. 1957.”
Jack Stratton took a break from laying down funky guitar riffs for his band, Vulfpeck, to don a dark turtleneck and pitch Apple on a plan to “take back the belt from Spotify” by moving to a 90 / 10 split for artists on Apple Music.
Could Stratton’s pitch change minds at Apple? Maybe not, but it’s a nice chance to remind you about that time Vulfpeck made $20K from Spotify by uploading, and asking fans to listen to, a totally silent album.
Ariel Shapiro
Mia Sato
Curated playlists aren’t what they used to be.
Playlists like Spotify’s RapCaviar were once a path to a hit song, and the curators in charge of them were key influencers in the music industry. That era appears to be on its way out.
Streams originating from top playlists are down anywhere from 30 to 60 percent as Spotify pushes listeners towards algorithm-powered personalized recommendations. Some playlists previously created by humans have been replaced with algorithmic versions, like Indie Pop and Housewerk.
Richard Lawler
2023 Wrapped culture is out of control.
It’s one thing when it’s Spotify, Apple Music, or SoundCloud, but these recaps from Culver’s, Dunkin (it dropped the “Donuts” from its name in 2019), Chick-fil-A, and Shake Shack are taking the whole year-end recap trend a little too far. Especially when they’re personalized.
Ariel Shapiro and Amrita Khalid