A prescient email by a senior Microsoft executive shows that there were concerns in 2003 about Microsoft-based portable media players “sucking”, to the point that partnering with Apple was considered. Microsoft’s Jim Allchin was so distraught by his user experience with partner digital music devices on the market in 2003 that he considered calling Steve […]

Warner, Sony, Melodeo and Access China Media Solutions today announced they are working together to develop and distribute world-class solutions for delivering mobile music and multimedia entertainment to wireless customers throughout China and other Asia Pacific marketplaces and beyond. Melodeo is known to many in the world of podcasting for its mobile podcasting offerings. Access […]

NexTune, a Redmond WA. based music software company, has announced the release of its new desktop music player, online music recognition service, and Music Store. According to the company, NexTune’s digital music software is the first desktop application capable of playing multiple digital music formats, including songs purchased from Apple’s iTunes Music Store and from […]

According to reports in Forbes and elsewhere, German and French consumer groups have joined a Nordic-led drive to force Apple to make its iTunes online store compatible with digital music players made by rival companies. Currently, song purchased and downloaded through iTunes will only work with iPods and iTunes. Likewise, iPods generally can’t play copy-protected […]

According to reports, Apple plans to open up the Fairplay digital rights management software that is used to control the use of music and movies content bought from the iTunes Store. The iPod maker is expected to make two announcements, possibly as early as this week – the first will be to allow streaming of […]

Deutsche Welle, an English-language news site from Germany, has introduced a podcast, Beethoven Festival Bonn, that features Beethoven’s most famous symphonies performed by young orchestras. A recent episode features a live recording of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, performed by Istanbul’s National Conservatory orchestra at the 2002 Beethoven Festival in Bonn Opus 68, dubbed the “Pastoral,” is […]

CES Update: MusicIP introduced MyDJ, technology which is designed to make it easier to create music playlists. With one button, users can scan their music collections, select a song that fits their mood, and create dynamic playlists directly on a device. The company is hoping to licensing the technology to portable media player manufacturers. “Increased […]

The Smithsonian has introduced the Folkways Collection Podcast, a series of 24 one-hour programs that explore the collection of music, spoken word, and sound recordings that make up the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The music of modern day giants like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Ani Difranco is interwoven with original Folkways recordings to demonstrate the […]

According to recently published research from Telephia, there are now 23.5 million mobile subscribers in the U.S. who have phones with integrated music players, but only a tiny portion of these users are downloading music over the air. The low adoption rate of over the air (OTA) music services could be an opportunity for Apple. […]

The Skullcandy MacGyver MP3 Watch not only has possibly the coolest name ever for a watch, it puts up to 1 Gig of memory for podcasts and music on your wrist. The Skullcandy MacGyver MP3 watch features a selectable 5-mode audio equalizer, 3-D stereo sound, music shuffle play feature, a built-in voice recorder and an […]