AxgetMusic
The latest news and reviews of music.
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Spotify’s Basic plan returns to $11 a month by cutting audiobooks
Spotify has a new plan for US subscribers that brings back the old $11 monthly pricing — as long as you don’t mind ditching audiobooks. The new Basic plan includes the music and podcast content you get from Premium but without 15 hours of audiobook access.
Spotify’s HiFi plan could finally arrive this year, but you may need to pay extra
Spotify's HiFi streaming option may finally be available
Spotify will start showing you personalized banners and messages based on your listening habits
The "My Spotify" initiative will show users home page banners and personalized messages within the app that contain information about their listening habits.
Record labels will start reaching into the pockets of Twitch DJs
Twitch DJs who monetize will have to pay labels to use their music. The company says the status quo “was not sustainable.”
Spotify is raising the cost of Premium subscriptions, again
Spotify announces price hikes less than a year after its last ones.
What we’re listening to: Trail of Flowers, Hyperdrama, Science Fiction and more
In this installment of What We're Listening To, the Axget team discusses some of the recent releases we've had on repeat, including new music from Sierra Ferrell, Justice, Utada Hikaru and Caroline Polachek.
What we're listening to: The Tortured Poets Department and Eternal Sunshine
Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low dives into new releases from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and explores what music means to us when songs are consumed more like books and journal entries.
Amazon debuts a generative AI-powered playlist feature
Amazon Music has announced a generative AI-powered playlist feature. Enter a prompt (which can include emoji) and Maestro will try to find songs that match it.
Spotify tests AI-generated playlists based on text prompts
Spotify is rolling out a beta feature called AI Playlists that uses prompts to create playlists.
Tidal cuts $9 from the price of its hi-fi audio streaming plan
Tidal is combining its two individual tiers into one option for $11 monthly. It aligns the brand with competitors like Apple Music and Spotify.
Apple Music debuts a monthly version of its annual Replay feature
Apple Music is now offering a monthly version of its annual Replay feature. You'll be able to access an archive of your top songs, albums and artists, as well as your personal milestones for each month.
Indie labels say Apple Music’s spatial audio royalties only ‘benefit the biggest player’
In a report from the Financial Times, indie label executives have spoken out about Apple's plan to offer higher royalties to artists who offer spatial audio. They argue it will take money from indie labels and in favor of the biggest players, like Universal.
Taylor Swift and other Universal Music tracks are disappearing from TikTok
TikTok profiles for some of the world's biggest music artists no list their available music.
EU says music streaming platforms must pay artists more
The European Parliament is calling for new regulations to ensure streaming services pay artists fairly.
Stylophone-maker Dubreq created its own version of the theremin and it’s only $110
The Stylophone Theremin is a $110 synthesizer that has a single antenna that interacts with your movement to create experimental sounds. The company has started taking signups for pre-orders.
The LG DukeBox puts vacuum tube audio behind a transparent OLED display
More information should be available at CES 2024.
Teenage Engineering's K.O. II sampler proves the company can do cost-friendly cool
At $300, the K.O. II is pretty reasonably priced for what it can do. Despite some quality assurance issues, the EP-133 proves cool doesn't have to be costly.
Spotify is laying off 1,500 employees, who will be notified later today
In a pre-holiday shocker, Spotify is laying off 17 percent of its workforce across the company.
Kiss’ final show ended with a performance by digital avatars made to immortalize the band
Kiss performed its final live show at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night, and introduced a virtual band featuring digital avatars of the four current members. They were created by George Lucas' special effects company, Industrial Light & Magic.
Google’s new AI experiment composes abstract musical clips inspired by instruments
Google’s new generative AI experiment lets you create music “inspired by” over 100 instruments worldwide. It will spit out a 20-second sound clip as a starting point to compose soundscapes that may or may not include the instrument you entered.
