music

With #Music, Twitter speeds its media domination march

When Twitter opened up its #Music app to everyone on Thursday, it was the strongest sign yet that the social-networking giant is aiming to become a media machine that dominates popular entertainment channels.

There's no doubt that many of Twitter's vast user base already have a deep interest in music, but until now there's been no structured way for artists or fans to leverage that. With the public launch of the company's new discovery service, Twitter has seemingly taken the next step to becoming an indispensable destination both for people to find new music to listen … Read more

Getting started with Twitter Music

Thursday morning Twitter finally revealed its new music service (branded #music) for all to see and use. The new service will allow Twitter users to see which songs and artists are currently trending on the social network. So what is Twitter Music, and how does it work? Let's take a look.

How you access Twitter Music

Currently, there are two options to use Twitter Music. You can access it through the Web site at music.twitter.com or by downloading the free iPhone app. Android users are once again left out in the cold by Twitter, at least for … Read more

Twitter #Music off to a glitchy start

CNET Update is not a Belieber:

Twitter #Music launched, but it hasn't quite found the beat. Bridget Carey explains the new music-discovery tool and its bugs -- and how to avoid embarrassing judgements about your music taste.

Also in this tech rundown:

- Facebook's latest changes include icons in status updates and Open Graph on mobile.

- Google bans early Glass owners from selling or loaning out units. If that happens, Google will deactivate the Glass unit. Harsh.

- Adding to previous reports, an image of a plastic iPhone has been posted online.

- In a survey of … Read more

Finally, Twitter Music is available to all

You don't have to be the host of "American Idol" to use Twitter Music anymore.

A little more than a month after CNET broke the news that Twitter was working on a stand-alone music discovery app and a week after that app was rolled out to an invite-only group of celebrities and others -- including Ryan Seacrest -- the general public can now get its hands on the music discovery app.

Twitter officially unveiled #music on Thursday during "Good Morning America." The company later provided more details about the service in a blog post, saying … Read more

'Big' Twitter announcement on 'Good Morning America'

Eschewing the common press event, Twitter is apparently once again taking to broadcast TV to unveil a new product or service tweak.

The microblogging site will be making a "BIG" announcement during Thursday's broadcast of "Good Morning America," according to a tweet on the show's twitter feed. No stranger to morning TV show's audiences, Twitter went on "Good Morning America" last year to announce a refresh of its profile page design.

Might we finally be getting an official launch of Twitter Music. After confirming the purchase of music discovery service We … Read more

Galaxy S4 launches begin next week

CNET Update is all a blur:

It would be great for Samsung if every carrier launched its flagship phone on the same day. Alas, it seems only the iPhone has that kind of global coordination. Today's Update counts the many launch dates for the Galaxy S4.

Also in this tech roundup:

- Why Microsoft won't build its own phone

- Artists are testing the new Twitter Music app and tweeting about it

- Leap Motion strikes a deal to bundle its sensor with HP products

- Photoshop's next update will fix photo blur

Watch CNET Update in … Read more

Apple's iTunes dominates the music downloading world

In this new era of music streaming, many people seem to wonder whether song and album downloading is becoming irrelevant. Apparently, not quite yet.

Music downloading is as strong as ever, according to a new NPD study based on data from 5,400 consumer surveys. In fact, streaming only seems to bolster downloads.

Though streaming services, like Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio, have grown at an extraordinary rate, music fans still want to own albums. According to NPD, 44 million U.S. residents paid for the download of at least one song track or album last year. And this number has … Read more

Spotify lands in Asia and Latin America

Spotify continues to turn up its music service around the world.

As of today, Spotify is now officially available in eight new countries, including Mexico, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland. The latest launches extend Spotify's global reach to 28 different countries.

CNET actually uncovered the news yesterday based on information from "a person familiar with the situation." CNET News reporter Paul Sloan reported the rollouts in the new markets with the launch date pegged for today.

Spotify kicked off in the U.S. a year and a half ago and now has 24 million active users, … Read more

Let guests DJ your party

I get all panicked when I have to put together music for a party. It's not because I hate music; it's because I love it too much.

Putting together a playlist is like putting my ego on the line. If someone doesn't like a song I picked out -- or just fails to love it as much as I hoped they would -- it has the power to send me into a depressive spiral of self-loathing.

I'm weird that way. I could never make it as a DJ.

That why I was excited to see CNET … Read more

Spotify set to expand in Asia, Latin America

Spotify's quest for world domination is continuing.

The top on-demand, streaming-music service is set to launch in eight new markets, including Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Baltics, and Iceland, according to a person familiar with the situation. The rollouts could come as soon as tomorrow.

Adding territories has been a top priority for Spotify, which is racing to boost its user base. Spotify, which launched in the U.S. just over a year and a half ago, now has 24 million active users, 6 million of whom are paying subscribers. It's become the fastest-growing digital music company ever, … Read more