The Zune era is about to come to a definitive end. Microsoft’s new Xbox Music–the service it announced at the E3 conference in June–arrives on the Xbox console on Tuesday and on Windows 8 on the operating system’s debut day, …
music
Who Cares About Neil Young’s Ultra-High Quality Music Standard?
Neil Young claims he’s going to change the way we listen to digital music by pairing a new iPod-competitive Pono music player (I see “Ponyo” — how about you?) with an audiophile-caliber music download service. The claims are …
Old-Timey Scanner Rocks Vocals on ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’
Just give in. There’s no escaping Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.”
Know how I know? Because it’s been made into a cover tune played by an old-school HP Scanjet 3C, two hard drives, auto-striking xylophone, Amiga 600 …
Pono: Can High-Quality Audio Sell Neil Young’s Portable Music Player?
Having conquered rock and roll, Neil Young is setting his sights on consumer electronics with Pono, a portable music player and accompanying high-quality audio service coming next year.
The Perfect Playlist: How Your iPod Can Help You Run Faster and Harder
Sometimes you need an extra push to hit the pavement or treadmill — or to make it through that last grueling mile of training — and the key may simply be loading right songs on your iPod.
Musical DNA: WhoSampled iPhone App Scours Tracks for Borrowed Riffs
If you’ve heard all of the new Bruce Springsteen album, Wrecking Ball, you’ve probably wondered, listening to its final rousing track, “We Are Alive,” why that song sounds so familiar. Or maybe you got the riff right away on your …
How the Business of Streaming Music Will Change Culture…For the Better
The rise of the iPod and iTunes made it harder for labels to pack long-playing albums with subpar “filler” tracks. It also made it easier for music fans to fall for a hit single for the low price of 99 cents, arguably …
Go Home, Folks: ‘Guitar Pee’ Urinal Tops Everything (Times Infinity)
My uncle built a home several years ago and to reward himself for a lifetime of hard work, his sprawling, unfinished basement is filled with tools, gadgets and other items of whimsy. He also had a urinal installed in the …
No Supreme Court Relief for Joel Tenenbaum’s $675K Piracy Fine
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear the case of Joel Tenenbaum, who illegally downloaded music during college and now faces a $675,000 fine.
Tenenbaum’s been battling the music industry since 2007, over charges that …
Spotify Releases Long-Awaited iPad App
While plenty of people are in love with Spotify’s all-you-can-stream desktop app, its mobile products have left many — including our own Jared Newman — wanting more. Today, Spotify filled a huge gap in its offerings by …
Video: Wherein Songs Are Skipped by Chucking Stuff at a Poster on the Wall
Agency Republic, billing itself as “a digital creative agency based in Battersea, London” has cobbled together quite a digitally creative way to enable anyone in the office to skip over unwelcome songs that have been added to the …
Paper, Figure, and the New Casual Creativity of iOS
I’m a terrible at drawing (see above), but that didn’t stop me from having some fun with Paper, a new drawing app for Apple’s iPad.
Paper isn’t even close to being the first iPad drawing app, nor is it the most comprehensive. …