7digital to drive the Galaxy S 4’s Music Hub, ship on 100 million phones in 2013

7digital to drive the Galaxy S 4's Music Hub, ship on 100 million phones this year

If you've shopped at Samsung's Music Hub, there's a good chance that you've used 7digital's music services at some point: it's been involved in supplying songs for the past two generations of Galaxy flagships. That influence is carrying on to the Galaxy S 4, where 7digital will handle the Music Hub's storefront and purchased track streaming. While the deal doesn't represent a radical break for either side, it does give Samsung some odd bedfellows this time around -- 7digital is also operating music stores for BlackBerry 10 and Ubuntu One, and its apps have regularly surfaced on HTC devices and various Windows Phone models. Ultimately, 7digital expects its music shopping backbone to reside on more than 100 million smartphones before 2013 is over and done. That's no mean feat when the limelight often falls on music service rivals that insist on putting their names front and center, such as Amazon, Apple or Spotify.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: 7digital

Samsung expects Music Hub to reach competitors’ devices, more countries

Samsung Music Hub

Samsung's Music Hub has only had a comparatively small reach to date, delivering tunes to seven countries (six with scan-and-match) and just a handful of devices. Senior VP of Media Services TJ Kang expects the audio service to broaden its horizons -- he tells The Next Web that Samsung wants to widen access to rivals' gear as well. There's no convenient timetable to put on the calendar, but the expansion is a significant move for a service that's frequently seen as more of a brand-specific checklist feature than a full competitor with the likes of Google Music or iTunes. Plans for Samsung's own devices are more definite, Kang says. Music Hub is coming to more countries in 2013, as long as licensing deals work out, and further device support (including the non-mobile variety) will depend on flagship hardware releases scattered throughout the year. No matter where Media Hub heads next, it's safe to presume that it will be more than just a nice bonus in the near future.

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Google’s Music Explorer hits the Play store, recommends artists based on…

Google's Music Explorer hits the Play store, recommends artists based on...

When we got a look at the new Nexus 10 running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, we expected Google's Music Explorer feature would slot into the Play store alongside the OS update. As it turns out, the feature has been quietly implemented, so you can now check out similar artists from within another's catalogue. We had a fiddle with it, but weren't particularly impressed -- you can only see three similar artists in the bubble-like UI at any one time, with no explanation of why they are linked together, or how the recommendations are decided. Some people will probably appreciate the casual browsing experience, but we found it a little too uninformative. Of course, you can make up your own mind by grabbing your tab and heading for the Play store. Just don't be surprised if the whole experience ends up bursting your bubble.

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Google's Music Explorer hits the Play store, recommends artists based on... originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM taps 7Digital to power official BB10 music store

RIM taps 7Digital to power official BB10 music store

RIM is already well acquainted with 7Digital thanks to joint efforts on smartphones and tablets, and now its chosen the firm to power the official music store of BlackBerry 10. Not only does 7Digital bring its tech and catalog of downloads to the table, but the duo are promising to integrate the service with BB10 to provide features including recommendations and social integration. When RIM's fresh slate of devices launch next year, folks in the Americas, Australia, Europe, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa will be able to purchase tunes from the new storefront.

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RIM taps 7Digital to power official BB10 music store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neil Young’s Pono music service wants to democratize high-quality audio (video)

Neil Young's Pono music service wants to democratize highquality audio video

Neil Young isn't shy when it comes to embracing new technology, something he put beyond question with his latest appearance on The Late show with David Letterman. The artist took the opportunity to reveal plans for his high-fidelity Pono music service. The aim is to tackle the poor quality in which he believes most people receive their music these days -- the humble MP3. Young's offering would comprise a three-pronged approach, including a music store with high-resolution recordings, a digital-to-analog style conversion technology, and portable hardware to listen to it all with. The simple intention is to offer music as it was originally intended to be heard, but at this time there's no detail as to what this actually entails (sorry specification fans).

According to Rolling Stone, the big three labels are interested, and the goal is to unify, rather than diversify, the quality of recorded content. The Pono players (that yellow wedge you see above) will serve up your existing catalog, but you'll likely need to re-buy some of your collection if you want the holistic experience. With no cards fully on the table, we're at the ransom of Young's celebrity endorsements, which all claim that the benefits are tangible. Young, of course, says "You can't get better than this, this is what they do in the studio," but until we get some details, or ears on, everybody knows this is nowhere.

[Image credit:CBS]

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Neil Young's Pono music service wants to democratize high-quality audio (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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7digital named European music partner for Toshiba connected TVs

7digital named European music partner for Toshiba connected TVs

Media provider 7digital has mostly been making news on the Windows front recently, making its music offerings available for Windows Phone earlier this year and serving up 20 million tracks through its preview version for Windows 8. Now the digital media company is branching out to Toshiba televisions as well, inking a deal to be the European music partner for the Toshiba Places platform. The agreement, which represents 7digital's first foray into the connected TV market, will allow consumers with a Toshiba Places account to browse through the content provider's music catalogue, create playlists and stream music directly through the television. The company says the feature should be compatible with televisions equipped with Toshiba Places since May 2011. Five countries -- the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain -- are slated to get first crack when the service goes live in Europe in September. For more details about the service, feel free to peruse the company PR after the break.

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7digital named European music partner for Toshiba connected TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 03:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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7digital launches early digital music store for Windows 8, available now on Preview version

7digital to launch digital music store on Windows 8, available now on Preview version

Digital music store 7digital has announced that it's launching a Windows 8-based version -- and you can even shop around on the preview iteration, ahead of the operating system's October launch date. The store will offer up 20 million tracks, with your account still working across the existing platforms, including the recent Windows Phone version. This preview app, which runs on both the desktop and metro versions, also includes 7digital's music discovery service and 30-second previews of all its content. If you've already invested into 7digital's music library, then you can start syncing your collection to your experimental Windows 8 devices starting today. The music-seller also promises "further refinements" ahead of Microsoft's big launch.

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7digital launches early digital music store for Windows 8, available now on Preview version originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vimeo provides the soundtrack of our lives with new tools

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What's Wes Anderson without the Kinks, Pulp Fiction without Dick Dale or Benny Hill without "Yakkity Sax?" Vimeo knows the power of a good soundtrack, so it's adding a couple of tools to its arsenal. The Enhancer lets users choose from some 50,000-plus tracks from the Vimeo Music Store, adding them directly to videos, adjusting audio levels and shifting the beginning and end of the song. A partnership with SmartSound, meanwhile, offers up access to 4,000 songs that can be customized by adjusting length, instrumental mix and musical arrangement. Tracks from the latter service will run $1.99 for non-commercial use and $20 for commercial licenses. Press release after the break.

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Vimeo provides the soundtrack of our lives with new tools originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E-Onkyo music service becomes first to offer Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio

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Looking for something a little more than your average online music store has to offer? Then you may soon want to give Onkyo's somewhat niche e-onkyo service some consideration. It's set to be the first store to offer music in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 -- something that will initially be limited to just 100 albums (heavy on the classical, from the looks of things) and require a compatible Onkyo receiver. Those downloads will also only be available in Japan initially (where they're rolling out on May 30th), but Dolby says they'll be available "elsewhere in the world" sometime this fall. Not surprisingly, that new option will demand a bit of a premium as well, with albums starting at ¥3,000 (or about $35) and singles setting you back ¥400 (or $5).

Continue reading E-Onkyo music service becomes first to offer Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio

E-Onkyo music service becomes first to offer Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase

7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase
In news that can be filed under "better late than never," 7digital has finally brought its impressive music store to the Windows Phone platform. The company has previously promised a January arrival for its eponymous app, which now offers 18 million song tracks for sale. As you'd expect, it offers shoppers with 30 second previews of each track, and purchased music will automatically sync to one's mobile device. The Windows Phone version of 7digital now joins its Android, BlackBerry and iOS counterparts, but unique to this release is a Metro interface and support for Live Tiles -- which allows users to pin their favorite artists, tracks and albums to the home screen. Shoppers will discover a variable pricing scheme for the DRM-free music, where the majority of albums sell between $5 and $12. Inquiring minds will find the full PR after the break.

Continue reading 7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase

7digital music store offers Windows Phone users 18 million tracks for purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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