Amazon Music is joining Spotify in starting to offer a generative AI-powered playlist feature. For now, Maestro is available in beta to a small number of Amazon Music users in the US on iOS and Android.
Folks who are included in the beta will see Maestro on the home screen after they update to the latest version of the app. They can also access the tool by tapping the plus button to create a new playlist.
The idea is to use natural language prompts to create any kind of playlist imaginable. Your prompts can include sounds, activities, emotions and even emoji. Amazon suggests you might ask Maestro to whip up a playlist of songs that sound like the robot emoji (in which case you'll probably hear a bunch of Daft Punk tracks). Other prompts the company suggests include "đ and eating đ," "Make my đ¶ a genius," "Myspace era hip-hop" and, bizarrely, "Music my grandparents made out to." Ewwww.
Based on those ideas, it does seem that Maestro is more or less ready to handle whatever prompts you can throw at it, though Amazon notes that the tech is still in beta. As such, Maestro might not always get things right immediately. The company also says that it has safeguards in place to prohibit offensive language and inappropriate prompts.
Amazon plans to roll out Maestro more broadly over time. As things stand, Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can listen to Maestro playlists instantly and save them for later (or share them with friends). Prime members and users on the ad-supported free tier can listen to 30-second previews of their playlists before saving them.
Earlier this month, Spotify debuted a similar feature for Premium members in the UK and Australia. AI Playlist works in much the same way as Maestro.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-debuts-a-generative-ai-powered-playlist-feature-150848360.html?src=rss
Amazon Music is joining Spotify in starting to offer a generative AI-powered playlist feature. For now, Maestro is available in beta to a small number of Amazon Music users in the US on iOS and Android.
Folks who are included in the beta will see Maestro on the home screen after they update to the latest version of the app. They can also access the tool by tapping the plus button to create a new playlist.
The idea is to use natural language prompts to create any kind of playlist imaginable. Your prompts can include sounds, activities, emotions and even emoji. Amazon suggests you might ask Maestro to whip up a playlist of songs that sound like the robot emoji (in which case you'll probably hear a bunch of Daft Punk tracks). Other prompts the company suggests include "đ and eating đ," "Make my đ¶ a genius," "Myspace era hip-hop" and, bizarrely, "Music my grandparents made out to." Ewwww.
Based on those ideas, it does seem that Maestro is more or less ready to handle whatever prompts you can throw at it, though Amazon notes that the tech is still in beta. As such, Maestro might not always get things right immediately. The company also says that it has safeguards in place to prohibit offensive language and inappropriate prompts.
Amazon plans to roll out Maestro more broadly over time. As things stand, Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can listen to Maestro playlists instantly and save them for later (or share them with friends). Prime members and users on the ad-supported free tier can listen to 30-second previews of their playlists before saving them.
Earlier this month, Spotify debuted a similar feature for Premium members in the UK and Australia. AI Playlist works in much the same way as Maestro.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-debuts-a-generative-ai-powered-playlist-feature-150848360.html?src=rss
Itâs unclear what kind of deal Swift struck with TikTok to allow her to return to the platform, but we know one thing. The deal did not include provisions for fellow UMG artists, so Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and Drake, among others, are still missing from TikTok. Taylor Swift, being the most popular musician on the planet, likely worked some magic here.
Sheâs not alone in her return to TikTok. Some songs by other UMG artists have begun appearing on the platform, ready for use in short-form videos. These artists include Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello. Variety suggests that their music was put up either by fans or representatives from the artists. We donât know if they struck their own deals like Swift may have.
The return could also be a promotional move for her upcoming album. The Tortured Poets Department comes out on April 19 and will likely have plenty of tracks that will be perfect for TikTok singalongs. Itâs worth noting that she partnered with the platform to promote Midnights, her last album of all-new material.
This all started when UMG threatened to pull songs from the platform after contract negotiations fell apart, with the label writing in an open letter that TikTok wanted to pay a âfractionâ of the rate paid by other social media sites. "As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth,â the company wrote. âTikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.â
TikTok went full âfake newsâ in response, writing that âdespite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.â Itâs worth noting that TikTokâs rebuttal did not mention artist payments, but did say that it has been able to reach agreements with other musicians and publishers.
Whatever the reason for Swiftâs return, the nationâs teens are no doubt rejoicing at once again being able to lip sync to "Cruel Summer" and "You Belong With Me." UMG and TikTok, however, are still battling it out, so this is likely not the last weâll hear about all of this.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/taylor-swifts-music-is-back-on-tiktok-184726589.html?src=rss
Itâs unclear what kind of deal Swift struck with TikTok to allow her to return to the platform, but we know one thing. The deal did not include provisions for fellow UMG artists, so Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and Drake, among others, are still missing from TikTok. Taylor Swift, being the most popular musician on the planet, likely worked some magic here.
Sheâs not alone in her return to TikTok. Some songs by other UMG artists have begun appearing on the platform, ready for use in short-form videos. These artists include Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello. Variety suggests that their music was put up either by fans or representatives from the artists. We donât know if they struck their own deals like Swift may have.
The return could also be a promotional move for her upcoming album. The Tortured Poets Department comes out on April 19 and will likely have plenty of tracks that will be perfect for TikTok singalongs. Itâs worth noting that she partnered with the platform to promote Midnights, her last album of all-new material.
This all started when UMG threatened to pull songs from the platform after contract negotiations fell apart, with the label writing in an open letter that TikTok wanted to pay a âfractionâ of the rate paid by other social media sites. "As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth,â the company wrote. âTikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.â
TikTok went full âfake newsâ in response, writing that âdespite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.â Itâs worth noting that TikTokâs rebuttal did not mention artist payments, but did say that it has been able to reach agreements with other musicians and publishers.
Whatever the reason for Swiftâs return, the nationâs teens are no doubt rejoicing at once again being able to lip sync to "Cruel Summer" and "You Belong With Me." UMG and TikTok, however, are still battling it out, so this is likely not the last weâll hear about all of this.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/taylor-swifts-music-is-back-on-tiktok-184726589.html?src=rss
Fairphone has strongly proposed the idea of a repairable and modular smartphone, and they ventured into a new product category last year with the release of Fairphone headphones dubbed Fairbuds XL. The pair of cans offered a more flexible ecosystem of individual components that give audio lovers the option to swap an outdated or broken piece of hardware. Thatâs in the landscape of big names like Sony, Sennheiser and Bose who donât give this liberty.
Now the Dutch electronics manufacturer has revealed a similar option for listeners like me who prefer the compactness of a pair of true wireless earbuds. While the audio accessories come with a host of advantages few disadvantages could cost you money. Prime on being, losing one of them down the street potholes, or battery going rouge after frequent cycles of use. With the Fairphone Fairbuds you donât have to worry about either of them!
The pair looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy Buds with the usual features like ANC, multipoint connectivity and IP54 rating for water and sweat resistance. What makes them different is the flexibility to replace seven parts without any hassle. These replaceable components include the battery on the buds, the charging case battery, microphones, silicone ring and earbud ear tips. That means you are no longer forced to throw the buds in the trash can once the battery goes dead. Fairphone will also replace one of the earbuds if you are the more carefree audio listener whoâs always searching for them after a couple of hours of non-listening time. The red cherry on top is the three-year warranty for complete peace of mind.
For listeners who value sound quality more than anything else, youâll not be disappointed either. The Fairbuds come loaded with 11mm titanium-coated drivers and three microphones on each bud for superior ANC and call quality. These can seamlessly switch between two devices courtesy of Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The earbuds will last around five hours with ANC turned on, and the charging case extends that number to 26 hours in total. The intuitive app (Android and iOS) offers an 8-band equalizer.
The best thing is the offer price of âŹ149 (~$162) in Europe and ÂŁ140 in the UK which makes Fairphone Fairbuds so lucrative. Considering some premium earbuds cost $300 or more for the same set of features, the Fairbuds stand out with their value-for-money proposition.
Consuming music in digital format is as easy as compressing thousands of MP3 files into your phone storage and playing it with just a few taps on the screen. This is not the case with long play discs that ensure the unmatched sensory experience of sliding a record from the sleeve – featuring an artful cover design, – placing it on the turntable, adjusting the needle on the groove, and then enjoying the clean, clear music watching the disc rotate in visual ecstasy.
With vinyl disc players, you are treated to analog music where sound revibrates unlike any other medium. This fascination in the otherwise digitalized world has triggered a resurgence of record players in the last decades. Now, with the booming sales of vinyl, designers are willing to take the dive, presenting digital ways to playback LPâs and make them time-relevant without compromising the rich sound quality.
Case in point the Vibrary Digital LP Player that is more than its vibrant orange color and pleasant design. It is a modernized high-quality player for your vinyl collection that features a modular design you can customize with colors and materials of choice to match the artist’s official color and more. Of course, itâs not the most fascinating collectorâs item still, but if youâre someone who is generally on the move and wants to carry their love for LPs along, the Vibrary Digital is a remarkable option.
While turntables offer a warm vinyl sound; this new design offers a tangible click-through operation for ease of use, and promises to match the sound experience through its long speaker body that houses the record. The new Vibrary Digital concept digital album player, as it is referred to, is designed to enjoy your favorite records whenever and wherever you want.
It is envisioned with a detachable â cylindrical â wireless controller stationed next to the speaker (also with onboard controls), which would allow you to play music from the slotted record from a distance. Digitalizing the idea of a record player is not limited to size and altered vertical design, it is presented with state-of-the-art listening modes including spatial sound mode and a voice-specific mode that would allow you to customize sound according to the artistâs content.
Spotify is following the lead of many companies over the last year and dipping its toe into the world of AI prompts. The platform has announced AI Playlist, a new beta feature that lets you create playlists with a few words that get into the music vibe you want, such as "an indie folk playlist to give my brain a big warm hug."
According to Spotify, the AI playlist will accept prompts involving things like animals, movie characters, colors, places, activities and emojis. Examples from Spotify include everything from "sad music for painting dying flowers" to "relaxing music to tide me over during allergy season." It recommends using a mix of characteristics in your prompt to create the ideal playlist for your vibe.
The AI Playlist beta is available to Premium subscribers on Android and iOS devices in the United Kingdom and Australia. If you fall into that group, access it through the "+" button in the top right of your library. Click AI Playlist and choose an existing prompt or create your own. Spotify will create the playlist, and you can preview it, delete tracks, and provide notes. Once you're happy, click Create, which will save to your library.
Spotify's AI Playlist comes over a year after Spotify unveiled its AI DJ, which pulls together a selection of music you're currently listening to, previously played and songs it thinks you'll like based on your history. If the songs playing aren't precisely what you're in the mood for, then you can ask the DJ to switch things up.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-tests-ai-generated-playlists-based-on-text-prompts-103115117.html?src=rss
Spotify is following the lead of many companies over the last year and dipping its toe into the world of AI prompts. The platform has announced AI Playlist, a new beta feature that lets you create playlists with a few words that get into the music vibe you want, such as "an indie folk playlist to give my brain a big warm hug."
According to Spotify, the AI playlist will accept prompts involving things like animals, movie characters, colors, places, activities and emojis. Examples from Spotify include everything from "sad music for painting dying flowers" to "relaxing music to tide me over during allergy season." It recommends using a mix of characteristics in your prompt to create the ideal playlist for your vibe.
The AI Playlist beta is available to Premium subscribers on Android and iOS devices in the United Kingdom and Australia. If you fall into that group, access it through the "+" button in the top right of your library. Click AI Playlist and choose an existing prompt or create your own. Spotify will create the playlist, and you can preview it, delete tracks, and provide notes. Once you're happy, click Create, which will save to your library.
Spotify's AI Playlist comes over a year after Spotify unveiled its AI DJ, which pulls together a selection of music you're currently listening to, previously played and songs it thinks you'll like based on your history. If the songs playing aren't precisely what you're in the mood for, then you can ask the DJ to switch things up.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-tests-ai-generated-playlists-based-on-text-prompts-103115117.html?src=rss
It gives Tiny Desk Concerts a run for their money!
They say that your creativity is probably the highest as a child, and the world introduces you to logic, practicality, and adulting through the years, diminishing that creative spirit. You spend years honing your skills, learning how to paint properly with the right technique, color theory, etc. and by the time you’re a master of your craft, you’re an adult who wasn’t as creative as your younger self. With music too, you spend years learning instruments instead of just expressing yourself, which is why the myTRACKS is such a remarkable little device. Designed to be a highly capable synth that’s good enough for even seasoned musicians, this tiny MIDI device introduces you to all the aspects of music-making, including melodies, filters, audio processing, sampling, looping, etc. It isn’t that tiny toy xylophone that we played with as kids – it’s the world’s first child-friendly music production studio that allows kids to intuitively express themselves musically.
Designer: Playtime Engineering
The myTRACKS isn’t your average kids’ toy. It’s a genuine groovebox â a miniature music production studio packed with features that would impress even seasoned musicians – but intuitively packaged in a design that’s kid-friendly and encourages curiosity. It boasts a built-in microphone for sampling sounds, just like the SK-1, but with a significant upgrade: 50 high-quality instrument sounds at their disposal. These sounds can be triggered by hitting any of the 25 pads, allowing kids to create rhythmic sequences and melodies with ease.
myTRACKS boasts an impressive collection of 48 instruments, from classic acoustic sounds like pianos and guitars to cutting-edge synthesizers perfect for crafting electronic music. But it doesn’t stop there. Built-in effects levers allow users to experiment with filters, delay, and pitch bend, adding texture and personality to their creations. This level of control goes beyond simply playing pre-programmed melodies â it opens the door to crafting unique sonic landscapes. You can make a simple piano melody sound ethereal with a touch of delay, or transform a basic synth line into a pulsating lead with a filter sweep.
The real magic lies in myTRACKS’ ability to record and arrange complete songs. Aspiring musicians can layer instruments and samples on the five-track studio, creating a dynamic composition. A dedicated drum track helps lay down a rhythmic foundation, perfect for creating anything from a driving beat to a laid-back groove. The colorfully lit play pads allow for recording custom melodies or rhythmic loops. This intuitive interface makes it easy to translate musical ideas into reality, fostering a sense of accomplishment and encouraging further exploration. Don’t have a piano in hand? No problem! myTRACKS allows you to sample any sound with the built-in microphone, turning a beatboxed rhythm or a household object into a unique musical element. Modify your samples with cool effects to create otherworldly sounds or recreate the ambiance of your favorite video game soundtrack. The bright purple levers on the side function as mod wheels, just like those found on professional synthesizers. These allow budding musicians to control and manipulate sounds in real-time â a feature any electronic music producer would appreciate.
myTRACKS isn’t afraid to break free from the stereotype of being a “kid’s toy.” The 5-pin MIDI Out port allows for seamless connection to external synthesizers, like the Blipblox, for even more creative possibilities. Imagine layering the warm sounds of a Blipblox analog synth over your myTRACKS composition, or using an external MIDI keyboard for more precise control over your melodies. Battery-powered portability with a built-in speaker means you can create music anywhere, whether it’s jamming with friends in the park or capturing inspiration on a camping trip. The universal USB-C port allows for power and sound pack upgrades, ensuring myTRACKS can grow alongside your musical ambitions. As you develop your skills and explore different genres, you can expand your sound library with additional instrument and effect packs, keeping your musical creations fresh and exciting.
A good nightâs sleep is the best way to wake up energized and fresh the next morning. But if barking dogs in the neighborhood or a snoring partner alongside is giving you sleepless nights; noise-blocking sleep earbuds could be the go-to option to save yourself from any more nights spent tossing and turning.
If you are aware of noise-cancelling sleep earbuds, you may have already landed on the Anker Soundcore Sleep A10. An average option against a Bose or an Apple, the Soundcore A10 is now getting a refreshing uplift with the upcoming pair of Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds that are designed to block out as much outside noise as possible; deliver extra comfort while sleeping; and offer battery life that competitors donât match.
Sleeping while wearing earbuds has not been a comfortable experience for me. Iâm predominantly a side sleeper and the earbuds tend to hurt the ear when pressure is exerted. Anker believes it has worked its way around this problem with the new Twin-Seal ear tips that fit snuggly within the ear canal to ensure they are comfortable to wear in bed.
Even though the Soundcore Sleep A2 wireless earbuds are meant specially to block the outside noise while sleeping, the earbuds do not support active noise cancellation feature. Instead, it features a four-point noise-masking solution to ward off common disturbances such as snoring. This is made possible by the budsâ two-layer silicon construction with ear wings that offer âthree times stronger passive noise blockingâ and âblend perfectly with the shape of your earâ spreading the âpressure evenlyâ for night-long comfort.
The new Anker earbuds can pair with Bluetooth device to play music, though information is scanty about the specs the Soundcore A20 would support. Things will become clearer in mid-April when Anker would start a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for its wireless sleep earbuds. Anker informs, the device will be offered at 40 percent discount through Kickstarter, and will go on sale for $150 after the crowdfunding campaign is over.
Until then, what we know from the companyâs product page is that the device will feature a library of sleep noises that you can play to cancel out any seeping ambient sounds or perhaps to sleep to a piece of soothing music playing directly into your ear. Soundcore Sleep A2 touts a whopping 80-hour backup with a charging case in support. A companion for peaceful, disturbance-free sleep, it offers 14 hours of playback in Sleep mode and 10 hours of playback with Bluetooth.
