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Petition to activate smartphone FM radios gains steam as carriers agree to flip the switch

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A new report from CBC News details the progress being made to unlock the FM radio chip that many smartphones feature. Many smartphones have an untapped FM chip inside them that users are unable to take advantage of and while many Android devices are confirmed to have the chip, the iPhone also has despite Apple not officially recognizing it.

A petition has been running in the United States to urge carriers and manufacturers to unlock the hidden FM chip in smartphones. The campaign has gained significant steam since its inception, so much so that carriers are starting to agree to unlock the chip…but Apple has yet to comment.


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Apple Music hypes The Force Awakens with new Star Wars featured station

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Take a break from all the Christmas music and check out another new featured station from Apple Music’s Radio section today: Star Wars.

The stellar movie-themed station features tracks picked from the soundtrack of each film in the collection (even the prequels) so you can get hyped for The Force Awakens opening this week.


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Want to work with Zane Lowe on Beats 1? Apple Music is hiring

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While it appears to be an entry-level position, it will likely be a hot one for anyone looking to get a job in radio: Apple just posted a job listing looking for a production assistant that will work directly with famed radio personality Zane Lowe and the team producing the 24/7 Beats 1 radio station that Apple launched alongside its Apple Music streaming service back in June.

The job listing posted on Apple’s website is seeking a production assistant for Beats 1 to work specifically on Lowe’s show. That includes “creative content ideas, editing, and execution of both audio and video,” and it also means the position will be at Lowe’s Beats 1 studio located in LA. Apple gave a brief tour of the studio back in July

Zane Lowe was hired away from his popular show on BBC Radio 1 to run the live streaming radio offering included with Apple Music. The DJ and radio personality recently gave his take on how things have been going so far noting that Apple told him not to worry about numbers, but simply to “go out and make noise.”

Following that interview, Apple earlier this month revealed for the first time that it has 6.5 million paying Apple Music subscribers and 15 million total users since launching in late June. It didn’t, however, break out any numbers related to Beats 1 specifically.

Apple posts Apple Music walkthrough videos as first free trials expire

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One of the biggest complaints from users of Apple’s new streaming music service is that the user interface is often confusing and hard to navigate. The radio service, promoted as a standout feature of Apple Music, hardly gets front billing in the app, and non-techy users are often perplexed about where Apple Music and the radio service start and their own music collection ends. And what user inputs effect personalization in the app and where? To help answer some of these questions, Apple today published a series of Apple Music guided tours to help walk users through using the service.
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Rdio iOS app live-streaming 460 traditional AM/FM radio stations as of today, more to come

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Rdio has likely been feeling the squeeze from the launch of Apple Music, and is today adding live streams of 460 traditional AM/FM radio stations, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The rollout, which starts Wednesday, includes 460 stations owned and operated by stakeholder Atlanta-based Cumulus Media Inc [including] long-running stations such as Cumulus’ KLOS-FM (95.5) in Los Angeles and KFOG-FM (104.5) in San Francisco, along with talk radio and sports outlets … 


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Pandora’s ‘Sponsored Listening’ rewards ad interactions with commercial-free playback

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After a pilot of its new “Sponsored Listening” advertisements last year, streaming music service Pandora Radio announced today that it’s rolling out the feature to all advertisers and listeners in its mobile apps. The feature rewards users with an hour of ad-free, uninterrupted listening as long as they first interact with an ad for at least 15 seconds.
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How likes & other user input work to personalize your Apple Music experience

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Apple has talked a lot about how it’s tackling curation better than the other guys by putting a big focus on hand-picked, human curated playlists for Apple Music, but how exactly does a user’s input alter the music the app serves up? The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple spoke directly with Apple to answer that question and put together a guide detailing exactly how likes and other user input work to customize some aspects of Apple Music but not others:

First, let me tell you one of my big problems, or sources of confusion, with likes on streaming services. Let’s say I’m listening to a Metal station and a great song comes on, but I consider it to be Rock. Do I like it? I enjoy the song, but I’m afraid if I like it, more Rock songs will come on the Metal station, diluting it… What if I don’t like it? Will it never show up again, even in Rock? Perhaps I should skip it, but is that equivalent to a “dislike”?

The guide is great if you really want to make the most of the service, but further proof that Apple Music is a complicated mess and not very intuitive for users when it comes to how likes, hearts, and other user input features of the service affect recommendations.

Head over to The Loop for the full guide on how the way you use Apple Music might make for a better, more personalized experience.

Apple Music will be available on Sonos speakers by end of the year

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Update: Apple has confirmed in a statement to Buzzfeed that Apple is working with Sonos to get Apple Music available on the connected speaker system by the end of the year. Original story below.

Apple Music senior director Ian Rogers — ex Beats Music CEO — has announced on Twitter that integration with Sonos for Apple Music is coming as soon as possible. Although Beats Music did have native support on the popular internet-connected speaker system, there have been no announcements about a partnership with Apple Music so far. In the tweet, Rogers confirms that there will be no Sonos integration at launch.


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Mini review: Home Radio, the Mac app that could plug the gaps in Apple Music radio (free today only)

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While we’re all expecting good things from the radio side of Apple Music, it’s going to be a curated experience, meaning we’ll get the radio stations Apple chooses to offer. If it doesn’t cover all of our favorite stations, we’re going to need another radio app to plug the gap.

For listening on the move, the free SwipeRadio iOS app is a delightfully minimalist way to do it. Developer Dataphase has now taken the same approach on the Mac, with Home Radio. The philosophy is the same: no bells, no whistles, just the radio stations you want to listen to in an extremely lightweight app.

I’ve been trying it out, and if you want to do the same, developer Noam Gordon is kindly making it free for today only (22 June) especially for 9to5Mac readers … 
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TuneIn Radio adds real radio stations to CarPlay + Apple Watch controls

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TuneIn Radio is the latest addition to Apple’s short list of App Store apps that work with the iPhone’s CarPlay feature. The service streams “over 100,000 real radio stations from around the world, including sports, news, talk, and music.” The latest version of TuneIn for iPhone brings radio station streaming to the CarPlay interface and includes Apple Watch support for controlling stations from your wrist.
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Apple’s digital stores face second outage this week across all platforms (update: resolved)

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Earlier this week, iOS users discovered that the App Store was experiencing some technical issues that caused every item for sale to become unavailable. Now, only two days later, the company’s status page indicates that the App Store on Mac and iOS, iBooks Store, and various iTunes services such as the music store and Radio, are all suffering from even more downtime.

According to the status page, the issues first cropped up around 4:30 PM and have persisted for about three hours so far. A notice on the page states that only “some users” are having difficulty accessing the store, but there’s no mention of exactly how many users could be impacted.


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Apple confirms acquisition of Swell as website and app shut down

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Apple’s acquisition of talk-radio service Swell appears to now be a done deal: the start-up’s App Store app and website shut down this morning. The website now provides the following message:

Thank you for using Swell over the past year. We wanted to let you know that the Swell service is no longer available. We’ve been inspired by the opportunity to create quality products that positively impact users’ lives, and we are grateful to all our listeners. Thank you everyone for your support!


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Apple to acquire Swell talk radio and podcast app for $30 million

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Apple appears to be looking to further improve the iTunes Radio service through the $30 million acquisition of a radio application called Swell, Re/code reported early Monday morning. Unlike the $3 billion Beats Electronics (and Beats Music) buyout, however, this purchase centers more on talk radio than music.

Swell currently carries news from sources such as NPR, ABC, ESPN, the BBC, and more, and uses a user’s listening history to create personalized content playlists. Apple, on the other hand, only recently jumped into the streaming news market through iTunes Radio with ESPN and NPR stations, including over 40 local stations.


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Watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup on your iPhone or iPad

World-Cup-BBCThe 2014 FIFA World Cup is officially kicking off today and, while Google might have you covered for updates through search or Google Now, you’ll need one of a few other iOS apps if you plan on streaming live audio or video of all the upcoming games. Head below for our full list of options for video and audio including options for both those in the US and abroad. Most on the list below have streams on TV and online, but you’ll need to download some apps if you want to tune in on your iPhone or iPad:

US: For video you’ll need to download the WatchESPN apps, which will require you to sign into a supported cable provider to access all 64 games being streamed live on the network. That includes streams in English, Portuguese and Korean, but for a Spanish broadcast Univision has streams also available through its app for iPhone and iPad. Support cable providers for Univision include AT&T, Bright House, DirecTV, Optimum, Cox, Dish, Time Warner Cable and Verizon.

If audio will suffice, iTunes Radio is live streaming games from the ESPN station and TuneIn Radio is aggregating all 64 games from ESPN Radio in its iPhone and iPad app.

UK: The BBC and ITV will be broadcasting the games in the UK, which will also be available in their iOS apps including the iPlayer BBC app and the ITV Player app for iPhone and iPad.

Australia: SBS On Demand will have the games to watch in its iOS apps for Australia, but it doesn’t appear to be offering live streams.

Canada: CBC has all 64 games live through its iOS app and doesn’t require users to sign into a cable provider.

A full list of who has broadcasting rights in which countries this year is here. If there are streams in your country, they will likely be through the broadcaster’s iOS app. FIFA has a full match schedule on its website here.

Report: Apple planning to introduce locally targeted ads, additional non-music content to iTunes Radio

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According to a new report from The Information, Apple is planning to offer “locally targeted advertising” to users through its iTunes Radio platform sometime this year. The report also says Apple is planning on working with “broadcast radio stations” to increase the amount of content it offers on the platform. This additional content would focus on non-music offerings that would further expand Apple’s content streaming platform. Earlier this week, 9to5Mac reported that Apple is planning to introduce several local NPR stations as well as sports content from ESPN to iTunes Radio…
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Apple and Shazam planning to team up for music identification feature built into iOS

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Apple and Shazam are teaming up to build a music identification feature natively into iOS, according to a Bloomberg report. The feature will allow users to find the name and artist of a song that’s playing, likely with the option to download the song from the iTunes Store or create an new iTunes Radio station.

Unlike some of Apple’s other music-releated features (such as Podcasts and iTunes U), the system will be built into the OS directly rather than require a separate download. So far there isn’t any confirmation of whether this feature will appear in iOS 8 or a later version, but with WWDC right around the corner, Apple will need to work quickly to secure the deal if the feature is to be announced with the next-gen software update.


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Pandora adds alarm clock feature for iPad, new app for Pebble users

After introducing a new alarm clock feature for iPhone users back in December, streaming music service Pandora today updated its iPad app with the same functionality. The app already let users fall asleep to music using a Sleep Timer feature, and with today’s update to version 5.3 iPad users will now be able to set song or artist stations as alarm clocks.

The alarm clock feature also packs in the usual snooze feature and can be configured from Settings inside the Pandora app. The update also includes “other improvements and bug fixes” for both iPhone and iPad users. pebble_app_store

Also available starting today is a Pandora app for Pebble smartwatch users available through the app store within the Pebble Smartwatch app for iOS. Pandora announced the new feature on its blog today and noted Pebble is the first wearable platform that Pandora is debuting on:

Using the Pebble, you can view and change stations, thumb songs up and down, skip, play and pause tracks – all from your wrist!   If you already have a Pebble that is paired to your mobile device, you should get a notification that you can install Pandora, or you can start the install process at any time from the Pebble Settings Page.

Pandora version 5.3 is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 5.3

Start waking up to music you love – the Pandora alarm clock is now available for iPad
• Pick your your favorite station to play as your alarm
• Not ready to wake up? Adjust the snooze time to catch more zzz’s
• Use with the sleep timer to hear your music morning and night

Other improvements and bug fixes to give you the best listening experience

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Apple updates Remote app with the ability to control iTunes Radio

Apple has updated its Remote application for iOS with the ability to control iTunes Radio playing on a user’s computer. Previously the app could only control playback of music that was stored locally in an iTunes library, but now Mac and PC users will be able to control their streaming stations remotely as well. The feature does not appear to work with Apple TVs running iTunes Radio yet.

The app was recently overhauled for iOS 7 along with Apple’s other iOS software. Remote is free on the iOS App Store.

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Pandora Radio 5.1 turns stations into alarms on iPhone

Proving it can stay competitive with iTunes Radio, the streaming music service that debuted with iOS 7, Pandora Radio is busy at work bringing new features to its own customizable streaming music service.

The company released a feature update today to its iOS app bringing with it the ability to set song or artist stations as alarm clocks.

While the native Clock app in iOS can awake you to a specific song, Pandora’s station alarm clock is a nice addition to iOS and a compelling reason to use Pandora Radio even if you’re an iTunes Radio evangelist.

Pandora Radio 5.1 also brings full iOS 7 compatibility as it was previously designed for the iOS 7 but built for iOS 6,

Check out the full release notes below and download the latest version from the App Store.


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In tandem with iTunes Radio launch, Apple starts using @iTunes Twitter account

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Alongside the official launches of both iTunes Radio and iOS 7 today, Apple has begun using the @iTunes Twitter account. While the account only has two tweets at the time of this writing, it appear that the page will be used for general purpose, iTunes related announcements.


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Pandora for iOS now automatically pauses when muted, adds improved playback buffering

Pandora-app-iconPandora Radio for iPhone and iPad received a minor update today that brings a couple of welcomed improvements for users. The first notable new feature will automatically pause music when muting your iOS device, making sure you never miss a song when muting suddenly and forgetting to pause. The updated app also adds improved playback buffering for what Pandora says is ‘stutter-free’ music and the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements.

Pandora also notes that “all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone.”

Full list of what’s new below:

What’s New in Version 4.4

• Stuck with a flaky connection? We’ve improved playback buffering to keep your favorite music stutter-free.
• Never miss another great song: if you mute your phone, we’ll pause your music for you.
• More links to more of what you love: all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone.
• Bug fixes and improvements to keep your music playing as it should.

Apple’s iTunes Radio label royalities revealed, plans to add talk radio for sports, weather

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Leading up to the unveiling of Apple’s new iTunes Radio service earlier this month at WWDC, we reported on some small details regarding deals Apple had reached with the major labels necessary to get bring its Pandora competitor to market. Earlier reports claimed that Apple was paying Warner around 10% of ad revenue— that’s around twice as much as Pandora reportedly pays. Today, The Wall Street Journal provides us with some in-depth info on what Apple is paying labels and publishers after taking a look at the terms of the deal.

Apple will in fact be paying well over the 0.12 cents per listen Pandora offers the labels, as well as a percentage of ad revenue, and the payout will also increase during the service’s second year:

During iTunes Radio’s first year, Apple will pay a label 0.13 cents each time a song is played, as well as 15% of net advertising revenue, proportionate to a given label’s share of the music played on iTunes. In the second year, that bumps up to 0.14 cents per listen, plus 19% of ad revenue.

However, there are some exceptions. The report notes that Apple won’t have to pay royalties for songs that users already have in their iTunes library. That will apparently extend to “songs that might be on an album that a listener owns just part of.” Interestingly, Apple also won’t pay for songs skipped before the 20 second mark and those included in special promotions, but it can only skip paying royalties on two songs per hour for each iTunes Radio user:
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Apple unveils much rumored iTunes Radio service at WWDC 2013

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iTunes-RadioThere were no shortage of details regarding Apple’s much rumored radio service leading up to today’s keynote address. The rumors said Apple was planning on introducing a free, ad-supported radio service, similar to Pandora, that would be highly integrated with a tweaked model for its iAd business. Apple has now officially unveiled the service dubbed ‘iTunes Radio’ and provided some details on exactly how it will work during its keynote presentation this morning at Moscone West in San Francisco.

The new iTunes Radio app is built in to the iOS radio app, and works on the Mac and Apple TV as well. As rumored, iTunes Radio will be free, supported by ads. In a twist, however, iTunes Radio will be completely free (free of ads) if you’re a subscriber to iTunes Match:

The Music app has a beautiful new design and includes the new iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service featuring over 200 stations and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store®, combined with features only iTunes can deliver. iTunes Radio is the best way to discover new music. When you tune into iTunes Radio on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac®, PC or Apple TV®, you’ll have access to stations inspired by the music you already listen to, Featured Stations curated by Apple and genre-focused stations that are personalized just for you.

As we reported prior to today’s event, the underlining technology is based on Apple’s iTunes Genius feature with iTunes Radio tailoring the experience to your iTunes usage. Apple says there will be Siri integration, and also aims to offer users “access to exclusive “first listen” premieres from top selling artists.”
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Report claims Apple’s iRadio will include both audio ads and traditional iAds

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Image (2) tron-iad-121410.jpg for post 42302Following several reports from earlier this week claiming Apple’s much rumored free, ad-supported radio service would be tightly integrated with its iAd business, AdAge claims to have more details on how ads will work in the service.

In case you were wondering whether or not the ads would be audio ads or traditional app-like iAds, AdAge says both:

The audio ads will be sold via iAd, Apple’s mobile ad network, according to a former Apple executive with knowledge of the situation. In addition to audio ads, the streaming music service will also contain the mobile ads iAd currently sells.

The aim of the ad-supported service, which according to the report’s sources will not include the ability to search or play specific songs on-demand, is to drive song downloads to iTunes.

The report adds that a spokesperson for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the one major publisher that reportedly hasn’t made deal with Apple yet, said the company “is optimistic it will sign a deal with Apple soon.” 
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