All new digital music startup remix site, tracksandfields.com this week launched the public beta of its new remixing and online collaboration music platform.
Led by a team of music pros, Tracksandfields.com has been in development since 2006. The development was funded by the German minister of economy and technology and the European Social Fund.
EMI Music has launched its very own digital music service at EMI.com, promising to use the place as a launch pad for experimental digital technologies and for the development of music discovery systems.
We caught up with UK online music service 7digital’s chief executive Ben Drury this week. A seasoned digital music industry professional, he shared his insights on Apple’s music market challenges as competition proliferates, social networking in music, lossless music downloads and much more.
Distorted Loop: Why does music matter?
Ben Drury: Although music is not defined in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow_hierarchy_of_needs), I believe it must figure pretty highly on most people’s lists. In all cultures, with the possible exception of some extremist religious societies, music forms an integral part of self-expression, social cohesion, worship etc
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Tapulous has been big news recently, with last week’s release of two fresh titles in the Tap Tap family and continued music industry interest in harnessing the power of the iPhone to connect artists with fans, and company CEO Bart Decrem holds even bigger plans for 2009.
Next year the company will upgrade the free version of its application, Tap Tap Revenge. The new game will offer support for upgrade packs, selling music to gamers from independent and major labels. The company hopes to release a new upgrade pack each month subsequent to the release of version two.
Tapulous is serious in its strategy to link-up with musicians and labels for numerous generations of its hugely popular Tap Tap Revenge for the iPhone, following news of yesterday’s link-up with EMI with the announcement of a special Christmas version of the game, featuring music from Weezer.
Christmas With Weezer is available now and costs £2.99 (UK), $4.99 (US). It shares the same gaming engine as Tap Tap Dance, and is especially made for holiday season.
Guy Kawasaki loves it, Facebook wants it, but Twitter won’t sell to the social networking service, at least not right now.
We reported on Facebook’s failed $500 million all-stock deal for Twitter last month, and now it seems money and monetization stood in the way of the deal.
Discussing the failed deal, Twitter CEO and co-founder Evan Williams this week told the New York Times, “We explored it, as we should. We took it seriously. It definitely made sense – the strategy we talked about with them – but it wasn’t the right time.”
Shazam has increased its music database from six to eight million tracks following new major partnerships and direct sourcing of new material.
The world’s leading mobile music discovery application, this news means Shazam users can access more music than ever before in order to help them discover pre-release and specialist music.
By extending its database to include additional North American, Asian and European content, Shazam now offers the facility to recognise the widest range of music.
Will Mills, Head of Music, Shazam comments: “This increase in our database cements Shazam’s position as the leading mobile music discovery service in the world.
Facebook could potentially lose a critical digital music application, as the popular iLike service is seeking a purchaser, according to MediaMemo.
While the company is actively hunting an acquirer, there’s no imminent purchaser on the horizon, the report explains. “Nothing imminent nor active discussions,” a company spokesman said.
Facebook has failed in its bid to acquire Twitter for $500 million in stock following several weeks of intensive discussion, Kara Swisher reports for D: All Things Digital.
A deal between the two companies has been whispered of for weeks, but there was in fact meat on rumour’s bone, the report informs. Discussions began at the behest of Facebook in mid-October, the report informs.
Former Apple evangelist and serial entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki explains why Twitter is the leading casual social networking. Oh, and social networks “broaden the mind” because you get to communicate with so many people from so many places.