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Spotify branches out into its own social network

With its feed, user profiles, and people tab, Spotify is already well on its way to becoming its own social network. And now, the music-streaming service is about to beef up its social aspect even more.

Spotify is in the middle of rolling out a "Follow" tab to replace its "People" tab for desktop users, according to The Next Web. The idea of the "Follow" tab is for people to be able to connect with friends, music artists, and top influential users. The way it works is similar to "liking" an artist … Read more

Pandora caps free mobile listening at 40 hours a month

Streaming radio service Pandora announced today it will introduce a cap on mobile listening as it grapples with rising royalty rates.

Nonpaying users of the service will be limited to 40 hours of free music each month, after which time they will be invited to pay a one-time fee of 99 cents for the remainder of the month or subscribe to the premium service, which features unlimited music and is advertising free. Users will also have the option of listening to unlimited listening via desktop.

Pandora, which eliminated a similar listening limit for desktop users in September 2011, blamed increasing … Read more

Feds strike a deal with alleged illegal streaming site operator

After taking down Channelsurfing.net and arresting its alleged owner in 2011, the feds now seem to be easing up. Before going to trial, the government struck a deal earlier this month with the alleged site owner Brian McCarthy.

In a "Deferred Prosecution" memo filed on February 11, which was obtained by TorrentFreak, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara writes that "after a thorough investigation, it has been determined that the interest of the United States and your own interest will best be served by deferring prosecution in this District. Prosecution will be deferred during the term of … Read more

Find streaming shows or movies with Can I Stream It?

In recent years, new technology, fast Internet access, and an explosion of portable devices has meant that you can access hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows almost instantly, as long as you have an Internet connection and a credit card. At the same time, with dozens of streaming services and stores, it's harder than ever to find any one show or movie quickly. Can I Stream It? is designed to solve that problem, compiling data from Neflix, Google, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Crackle, iTunes, Vudu, and more to show if a movie or TV show can be streamed, … Read more

Reed Hastings says rise of rivals helps Netflix

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings insisted today that the rise of rivals Amazon Prime Instant Video and Hulu Plus has actually helped the relationships his video streaming service has with studios.

The competition has led to bidding in the marketplace for programming, allaying studios' fears of Netflix dominance in video streaming.

"One fear they had is that we would run away with the prize.... They don't feel as strategically vulnerable," Hastings said at Morgan Stanley's Technology, Media & Telecom Conference this morning. "It's an overall healthier situation than it was two years ago."

Netflix, … Read more

DoubleTwist and Qualcomm to bring AirPlay-like streaming to Android

DoubleTwist, maker of the popular eponymous music player software, has teamed up with chip maker Qualcomm in an attempt to make wireless streaming easier for Android users. The fruit of their collaboration is dubbed MagicPlay, a new open-source wireless streaming platform that the two companies hope OEMs will integrate into present and future devices.

Built atop Qualcomm's already existing AllJoyn platform, DoubleTwist's MagicPlay can stream to wireless speakers, headphones, televisions, and other devices. Since MagicPlay is open-source, any number of devices or apps could potentially integrate its code and stream to hardware that has a Qualcomm chip and … Read more

Oscar awards show can now be seen online via ABC, Hulu

Those of you who missed the Oscars on TV last night can catch the entire show online.

As of 3 a.m. PT this morning, the full awards ceremony has been available for streaming through several outlets, including ABC.com, the ABC Player app for iOS, the free Hulu site, Hulu Plus, and ABC On Demand.

The streaming Oscars will be available only until this Wednesday at 9 p.m. PT. The online version will also offer its fair share of commercials. But the ads will be short and sweet -- 15 to 30 seconds in length.

"Tonight's … Read more

Live stream your life with Looxcie HD (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--If you live an extraordinarily fascinating life and believe that everyone should be able to witness every glorious second of it as it happens, the Looxcie HD may well be the gadget for you. It's a video camera that's small enough to attach anywhere on your person that, thanks to its built in Wi-Fi, allows you to live stream everything to your Facebook wall.

Like the ever-popular GoPro Hero range of video cameras, the Looxcie HD is designed to be as small and inconspicuous as possible. It's small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of … Read more

Google in talks with labels over streaming music service -- report

When your market cap is north of $263 billion and the company's stock price is hovering around the $800 level, the prevailing question du jour becomes "well, why not?"

So it is that we learn, courtesy of the Financial Times, that Google has been talking with the major music labels about a possible streaming music service. The Times report said that "it is expected that the streaming service will offer a subscription model as well as free unlimited access to songs, supported by advertising, mirroring models adopted by Spotify and Deezer."

What with everyone seemingly … Read more