The Next Web: The music industry uses your social data to predict it’s next big artists. “Fifteen years ago, Steve Jobs introduced the iPod. Since then, most music fans have understood this has radically changed how they listen to music. Less understood are the ways that raw information – accumulated via downloads, apps and online searches – is influencing not only what songs are marketed and sold, but which songs become hits.”
Music
CDM: Perform these cool music tech search engine tricks, with DuckDuckGo
CDM: Perform these cool music tech search engine tricks, with DuckDuckGo. “While we normally think of personalization as a good thing, with search, there’s some advantage to seeing generic results, not weighted to your own previous searches. It can create a filter bubble and prevent you from seeing new information. But, okay, that’s not a whole lot of fun. So let’s instead try some tricks with DuckDuckGo that make it really useful for electronic musicians. Some of this is possible with Google, to be sure, but part of what makes DuckDuckGo a unique alternative is its community engagement. There are tools for creating custom integrations, clever original content pages, resources for developers, and even open source-licensed access to some of the code that makes the search engine work.”
TechCrunch: ‘Despacito’ is the new most-watched YouTube video ever with more than 3 billion views
TechCrunch: ‘Despacito’ is the new most-watched YouTube video ever with more than 3 billion views. “Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee’ is not only the most-streamed song of all time, it also is the most-watched YouTube video ever, surpassing more than 3 billion views on the Alphabet-owned video site.” This is how I know I am old: I have yet to hear this song.
Digital Trends: Youtube Music Gains Ability To Download Songs, Albums, And Playlists
Digital Trends: Youtube Music Gains Ability To Download Songs, Albums, And Playlists. “Now, this isn’t the first time users have been able to download music on YouTube Music, but it is a serious improvement for ease of use and convenience. Previously, you could download music through the offline mixtape feature, which was automatically created based on your listening history — that meant you had little control over the specific songs that were downloaded.”
Billboard: Inside the Music Publishing World’s Epic Struggle to Build a Single Song Database
Billboard: Inside the Music Publishing World’s Epic Struggle to Build a Single Song Database. “When ASCAP and BMI announced July 26 that they had been working together for almost two years on a joint database for the more than 20 million songs they represent combined, they thought that all sectors of the music industry would welcome the news.”
Pitchfork: Neil Young Announces Massive, Interactive Online Archive
Pitchfork: Neil Young Announces Massive, Interactive Online Archive. “Neil Young recently announced the release of Hitchhiker, a long-lost album he recorded back in 1976. In a new note posted on his website, Young confirms that there is plenty more archival material on the way. While Young has been prolifically releasing material through his Neil Young Archives series—including live shows, remastered albums, and box sets—he has now announced a massive new online component.”
Classic FM: We’ve put these opera arias through Google Translate and the result is bonkers
Classic FM: We’ve put these opera arias through Google Translate and the result is bonkers. “Translating operas is a notoriously tricky business – so we wanted to see if a computer could make sense of two arias by Verdi and Puccini. The result was… interesting.” Very funny.
