Morning Music Notes – Why Does the Internet Keep Changing?
Phoenix to Release New Album in April
Phoenix’s last album was the career-defining Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – the album name doesn’t get any better over time. They are following this up with a new album next April (via Pitchfork). The announcement was made at the end of a Spotify event by the head of the band’s label, Daniel Glass. And speaking of that Spotify event….
Spotify Holds Event, Makes Upgrades and Reveals Stats
Music streaming service (that’s still not in Canada) Spotify had a press conference yesterday. They dropped a few stats on us, as well as telling us the future of Spotify. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said that there are over 1 billion playlists out there (holy fuck), and there’s a total of 5 million paid subscribers, with 1 million of those coming from the U.S.A. (via Hypebot). In lieu of the recent Pandora ‘we want to pay people less royalties’ outrage, Spotify tried to fend off some critics by noting that artist payments doubled over the past 9 months, with $500 million being paid out to rightsholders thus far. The breakdown of that money isn’t explained any further – be suspicious!
Perhaps more interesting (I promise!) is the new discovery features with Spotify. Oh, and the web-based app. You can now ‘follow an artist’ on Spotify, meaning you can see what your favourite bands are listening to. There will be integration with both Songkick and Pitchfork, so all of their snobby ratings and reviews will be there for you to read while you listen. Interesting that they chose to go with Pitchfork and not a more ‘mainstream’ website. I know Pitchfork is getting huge, but they aren’t universally loved, nor do they cover all the big rock and pop acts.
Next step: Bring Spotify and these cool features to Canada!
YouTube Also Undergoes Revamps
This was the week of online revamping it seems. YouTube has tidied up their homepage, and added an iPad app. They have also teamed up with Virgin Atlantic to bring original programming to their in-flight entertainment (via Digital Trends). The weather forecast will be brought to you by Arthur, hopefully.
YouTube put out a video (that’s such a YouTube thing to do) and noted “You come to YouTube to watch the videos you care about, so it’s important that the videos stand out. In this new layout, you’ll find the most crucial elements are front and center when you watch a video.”
Listen! Django Django – Life’s a Beach (The Very Best Remix)
Yesterday, we got a new video from Scottish experimental rockers, Django Django. The track, Life’s a Beach, has been remixed by The Very Best, giving a slowly, dancey feel, with a cool vibe during the chorus. Click play to hear it (did I really need to say that?).
