I’ve been eagerly awaiting the new Coldplay release, Mylo Xyloto for sometime now. Call me soft, call me ladylike, call me simpleminded; I think they’re a great band that has constantly been able to re-invent themselves while somehow retaining the core elements of their identity as a group. Also… I like the music.

I was really perplexed when I opened up Spotify on Tuesday morning to find that Coldplay’s latest release was absent from the album library.

“That’s werid, I guess they released it early on iTunes…”

Wrong.

It came out yesterday on CNet that Coldplay will NOT be releasing the album on Spotify… like, ever.

This is so backwards on a few levels. Some people in the Coldplay camp are saying that the band wants their new work to be heard in its entirety as an album, rather than allowing listeners to pick and choose singles. If that’s the case, why can I pop on iTunes right now and buy any ONE track from the album? Not to mention the fact that the band let the album out one track at a time via iTunes last week anyway.

I think the true motive is that they want to collect more revenue from the songs now, rather than waiting for smaller payouts from streaming services. This solution is VERY short-sighted though.

Restricting your music to pay-only channels is going to drive certain consumers toward other free channels, since the legal ones are closed (and by “other free channels,” I mean piracy).

The public is moving toward streaming at a furious pace. Every time I open Spotify, my friends list seems to be multiplying faster than a nest of rabbits; and with saturation in every demographic on Facebook. Artists need to be where the people are.

EMI, the band’s label, is quiet on the matter and is continuing to hurt after losing Robbie Williams to Universal. Likely too scared to ruffle any more of their artists’ feathers, they’re content to allow their larger artists to do as they please.

As for me, I’ll have to wait until Monday when the vinyl comes in to my local shop to pick it up. Why they released that a week later, I’m not sure. Scratch that. I think they were hoping fanboys would need to hear the new album so bad that we’d buy it on iTunes this week, then get it on our preferred medium, vinyl, next week… kind of like when movies do the DVD release before the Blu-Ray or “collector’s edition.”

To clarify, I’m not against the band trying to make a buck. On the contrary, I want long-term success for them. A business model that at best ignores, and at worst spits in the face of, where trends in music acquisition are headed is exactly the model that will perpetuate the struggles of the music industry.

This goes for you too, Adele.

To be clear, this is not a debate over download vs. streaming. I’m an advocate for legal download channels, as well as streaming. I simply think that artists need to get behind streaming services if they hope to cut back on piracy.

Without the support of chart-topping artists, streaming services have no shot at overtaking downloaded content as the primary means of media consumption. While that may sound great to those rooting for the success of downloaded media, it basically puts us in the same place we’ve been for the better part of the past decade; extinguishing the one technological advance that could have saved the music industry.

Coldplay Snubs Spotify is a post from: wax&wires

[Via CNET]

With the iTunes’ banner waving supremely over the digital music landscape, Google continues to build its own music service, CNET has learned.

According to multiple music industry sources, Google could launch a music service that offers song downloads and streaming music as early as this fall.

Google has already signaled that it wishes to give users of phones equipped with Google’s Android operating system a better music offering. At Google’s I/O conference last month, the search engine offered attendees a demonstration of a Web-based iTunes competitor. Also TechCrunch reported two weeks ago that it discovered a “Google Music” logo hosted on Google’s domain.

But Google’s plans go beyond Android, say music sector insiders. CNET has learned that Google first stoked excitement among executives at some of the top four major labels during the Consumer Electronics Show in January. That’s where they revealed some of the features that a Google music store might include, such as tying digital downloads and streaming music to Google’s search results.

Google did not respond to interview requests.

Read Full Article…

Google Streaming Music Service Rumored By Fall is a post from: wax&wires

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1) Google will not handle any licensing with the big 4 labels since its partners (LaLa, iLike, etc) have already brokered their own deals, and the streaming is funneled through their sites.

2) Google will NOT allow purchases through the search engine, but will push all commerce to its partner sites.

3) Users can stream entire songs within the search engine, as well as watch relevant music VIDEO clips via MySpace (kind of odd since Google OWNS YouTube…)

4) Song lyrics will be provided by GraceNote.

5) Yahoo! had a prepared statement trying to steal some thunder from Google, citing that they’ve had a similar music search for quite some time now.

So now, the RIAA is hoping when you type in “Taylor Swift” into your search bar, you see a music player and options to buy songs rather than a gaggle of torrent links. Let’s all welcome them to the 21st century.

If it’s snappy enough, I think it will be find strong success. iTunes is a slow and tough way to preview and find music since it’s a standalone program. Nobody wants to boot up an entire program to hear a 30-second clip of a song they MIGHT like. Most users always have a browser open, and likely with a Google start page, in which they can quickly look up and listen to entire tracks. Sure this was possible through Google’s partner’s sites earlier, but said sites did not have nearly the massive exposure that the king of search does.

I’m sure Google’s music partners are none too happy to collect the new exposure and potential revenue from added traffic.

How do you find your music? Do you think it will fly?

Google Music Search – One More Thing For Bing To Catch Up On is a post from: wax&wires

Some are reporting that the service will function like Google China’s Audio search, which allows users to find and download audio content for free. That’s doubtful stateside, especially given the partners of the service, iLike and LaLa. What the service will actually shake out to be will be a search engine that lets users type in the name of a song or artist, and then stream said song via either iLike or LaLa.

The brilliant side of it on the Big G’s end is that they shouldn’t have to work out too many legalities with the RIAA since iLike and LaLa will already be running interference for them. With said partnership, users can expect to find all of the content currently on LaLa, as well as iLike, which was just picked up by MySpace a few months back.

You can currently search for music on Google by typing “music:” before a search, but it does not allow direct streaming and is more of a power user function for the standard search engine.

Google To Announce New Music Service Next Week is a post from: wax&wires

It’s being reported that Universal Music Group, the largest label in the world, has earned more money from Spotify in the past 5 months than it has from iTunes Sweden. The premium Spotify subscription runs for 10 euros a month ($14.27 USD), and users can also use the program for free with an ad-supported version.

“In five months from the launch, Spotify became our largest digital source of income and so passed by iTunes… It’s a fantastic development, explained by the fact that Spotify really has exploded.”

- Per Sundin, managing director UMG

So before we declare Spotify the new king of the music player hill, let’s break down what this could really mean.

Spotify is based in Sweden. Undoubtedly, there will be a lot more users supporting the home-grown product there; which may or may not translate to the tech-saturated US of A.

We also don’t know the rates that Spotify is paying UMG per play. If it’s some exorbitant amount greater than iTunes pays per track sold, then Spotify earning more money than iTunes for UMG does NOT equate to Spotify actually being more popular than iTunes.

What also may be of concern is that if Apple feels threatened by Spotify, they may block the Spotify iPhone App from the App store, just like they did with Google Voice. Without a way to take songs with you on the go (and don’t suggest a proprietary mobile device, those are lame and never worked for Pandora), Spotify would be doomed.

Spotify has also been tinkering with ways to enhance the social element of their product by including options to share songs on Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites. That’s where Spotify has a one-up on iTunes. Because it’s free and streaming, anybody with net can check out the songs that their buddies are listening too for free. Apple could never achieve that with iTunes because all songs must be purchased (or at least downloaded) to be heard in their entirety. The likelihood of me purchasing a song from iTunes solely because my friend tweeted it out… slim to none.

What Spotify needs to do next is borrow a play from the Zune marketplace; yes, I just said that. At the end of each month, premium subscribers should get to download and keep a certain amount of songs. If you paid $15/mo for unlimited streaming music AND got to keep 10 of the songs you played at the end of each month, the incentive to move towards the premium subscription increases dramatically.

That brings us to our POLL (You can select multiple options if pertinent):

Spotify Overthrows iTunes… for UMG… in Sweden… is a post from: wax&wires

Listen To Imogen Heap’s New Album Streaming Now is a post from: wax&wires

The thing that impresses me most about the iPhone App is the ability to load  a playlist to your phone for offline listening. That’s a must-have feature to make the application viable for travelers. Can you imagine having access to all that music, which you pay a monthly subscription for, and then not having any music on your dreadful 5-hour flight across the country? It would kind of defeat one of humankind’s primary listening environments right off the bat. Good heads up to the Spotify team for catching that before it was a problem.

Spotify iPhone App Preview is a post from: wax&wires

After two rough years of negotiations, and rumors that royalty fees would send internet radio to a miry grave, SoundExchange reports that they have reached an agreement on streaming-music royalty rates.

As it breaks down, larger ad-supported sites like Pandora will either need to share 25 percent of their revenue with the music industry, or fork over 0.08 cents ($0.0008) per play. That rate will gradually increase, and cap off at 0.14 cents ($0.0014) per play in 2015. The kicker is that the rate is retroactive to 2006. So while Pandora will have a big check to write, it’s a much better alternative to completely tanking.

The new structure affords for smaller sites to break into the market too. If a site generates less than $1.25 million in revenue per year, they only have to pay 12-14 percent for rights to stream music. Once they cross that $1.25 million threshold, the rate jumps to 25 percent (or the per play rates stated above), but by then, hopefully the company would be large enough to sustain the rates.

I like this deal. It seems like a good compromise. The 19 cents per play that the Copyright Royalty Board was initially asking for would have potentially done irreparable damage to web streaming sites, and prevented new sites from starting up due to the crippling start up rates. The new structure offers a manageable rate where both parties can survive.

With the ever-expanding availability of wi-fi, a deal needed to be reached soon, as net radio is sure to replace terrestrial radio soon enough. This deal is a step in ensuring that we plan for longevity with streaming music.

Net Radio Reaches Royalty Deal is a post from: wax&wires

I aim to crank out one episode every two weeks for you, and hope you enjoy. If you do, please be sure to comment it up and share with your friends!

Thanks!

EPISODE 1!

In this episode:
- Airquote Abuse
- Seattle-based rock group Barcelona
- Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
- thesixtyone.com

As promised, here’s a link up to Kind of Blue. You can also pick up the Legacy Edition for an additional $7, which is well worth it for the added tracks. If you can track down a mono recording on vinyl, be sure to check it out, as it brings a completely different experience to the album.

You can read a previous post about Barcelona, as well as pick up their album here.

Check out what I’m listening to at thesixtyone.com/timothydean!

Follow me on Twitter, where I will likely post nothing about music…

Email me questions, comments, suggestions, thoughts, anything you got!

wax&wires tv – Episode 1 Now Available! is a post from: wax&wires

Pull those roots to the now, and you have thesixtyone.com.

thesixtyone makes music culture more democratic: artists upload their work for review, but, rather than allow a stuffy suit in a boardroom to decide what’s good, thousands of listeners do. The best music automagically bubbles up on our homepage where you can listen to the most popular songs for any genre. It’s a quick way to find new music for your iPod powered by pure excitement as opposed to some contrived marketing budget.

Think you’ve got a good ear? Aside from customizing your experience, creating an account allows you to earn reputation, level up your influence, and collect badges for discovering and recommending good music that others may enjoy. On thesixtyone, tastemaking becomes fun, competitive, and trackable.

We’re on a quest to help people fall in love with something new while giving deserving artists an efficient channel for finding their audiences. To learn more about how thesixtyone works, please see our FAQ.

Don’t get this mixed up with Pandora, where you select songs you like to find recommendations generated by their staff. TheSixtyOne is a different animal. While it does stream music for free, that’s about where the similarities end.

TheSixtyOne allows artists to submit their own content, and have it voted up to the homepage by users of the site. There’s an incentive for users to vote too, as listeners get credits for discovering music and voting it up before it becomes trendy to. Users also get credits for various “achievements,” like reaching a particular play count, being the first person to favorite a song, or getting others to listen to your playlist. You can check out the leaderboard to see which users are the hottest trend spotters.

All of that creates a system in which the homepage reflects a current sampling as to what music is on the rise.

The interface is clean and easy to use, the sound quality is very good, and there are more than enough users to make it a fun site to use.

I could write a bunch more, or you could just check it out.

TheSixtyOne – Game Theory Meets Music Discovery is a post from: wax&wires

[via wired.com]

Spotify, already the best music app on the planet, is coming to a device near you. We’re talking XBoxes, PlayStations, Slingbox, mobile phones, networked audio players, SlimDevices — any place developers want to put it.

The release Tuesday night of libspotify, the company’s Application Programming Interface, means that the sky is the limit: Any developer (for approved devices) can build apps that access Spotify’s massive music catalog and use its P2P architecture, which streams Ogg Vorbis files between users like a streaming version of BitTorrent.

The bad news: It’s still not legally available in the United States and lots of other places, though there are ways to fake being in another country. In fact, this is great news at the moment only for music lovers in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

But those who have tried Spotify know it’s like a magical version of iTunes in which you’ve already bought every song in the world — and it’s free to use if you can put up with a 20-second ad every half an hour.

“With the release of libspotify, we hope to empower our users to build upon what we’ve started and come up with imaginative and innovative new ways of interacting with Spotify,” reads the blog post announcing the program. “There are hundreds of features that users have suggested to add to Spotify and by taking this step, we hope to encourage the developer community to expand our service.” (Developers should note that the API key cannot be shared, so resulting programs can’t be open source — thanks, Sander.)

As a journalist and beta tester, I’ve had access to Spotify for months, and my valid Spotify username should mean I’ll be able to use whatever programs result from this API. However, anyone who can’t use Spotify will also not be able to use apps developed with the API. According to a line in the agreement, “You may not make the API, Service or Content available to any person who is not a User having valid login credentials for the Service issued by Spotify.”

All four major labels and indie consortiums The Orchard, Merlin and CD Baby already allow Spotify to play their music in these supported European countries.

Hopefully, for the sake of U.S. music fans, this delay in rolling out the service stateside is a mere matter of getting ducks in a row, rather than another frustrating instance of the music industry dragging its heels on new technology. Otherwise, Spotify could be available on videogame consoles in Europe before it’s even available on computers in the states.

Spotify Everywhere… Except The U.S. is a post from: wax&wires

You can find more over at wired.com.

NIN iPhone App Demo is a post from: wax&wires

Muziic keeps things legal by taking advantage of YouTube’s Content ID system, which is how label compensation is calculated on the back end. I’m not sure how YouTube generates revenue to pay those label fees though. If that money stems from ad revenue, and Muziic robs YouTube of site hits by streaming the music directly to end users rather than forcing the users to visit YouTube’s site, YouTube would be losing potential revenue to Muziic. Needless to say, I doubt YouTube would be too thrilled about that.

Provided that Muziic and YouTube stay on the level, Muziic is a pretty ingenious idea, similar in functionality to Spotify.

Muziic Player puts millions of songs right on your desktop, free and legally. Interested?

To use Muziic Player, simply type the name of the song or artist you wish to hear into the player’s search bar. Muziic then searches and returns the most relevant results from the world’s largest music database – YouTube.

While traditional media players only allow you to import and play music from your own collection, Muziic Player streams all of your favorite songs directly to you, 100% free and legally. Through YouTube’s state of the art Content ID recognition system, major record labels are fully compensated for each song play.

What were you doing when you were 15?

Muziic Player Streams Free Music From YouTube is a post from: wax&wires

Tech Crunch UK mentions rumors of the app only being available to paying premium Spotify users, versus their standard ad-supported users. Said rumors have Spotify mobile offering over-the-air streaming of the entire Spotify library, and access to playlists.

My guess is that Apple will never let this into the app store.

Spotify iPhone App is a post from: wax&wires

You can learn more about twisten.fm here.

Twisten.FM – Find New Music Through Twitter is a post from: wax&wires