Spotify tries out Stories feature for artists

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Spotify has its own take on Snapchat’s Stories feature and is calling it Storyline. The idea behind this is that musicians can share Stories-like content on their songs—whether these be a song’s influences or making-of trivia fans would love to hear. Unlike the Behind the Lyrics feature, which pulls information from Genius, artists will have to work directly with Spotify. The streaming service is trying out the feature on both Android and iOS, but it won’t say if or when this feature will be widely available to its users. The company says it’s always trying out new features and experiences. Expect it to show up for popular musicians.

Source: Engadget

Beyoncé releases ‘Lemonade’ on Spotify and Apple Music after three years

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When Lemonade first came out, Beyoncé made the album a Tidal-exclusive, which is a streaming service that the star had a stake in. Now, three years after its launch, the album is coming to the big streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Lemonade was the best-selling album of 2016 with 2.5 million worldwide sales. It came with a visual album and racked up different awards include an Emmy, Grammy, and Peabody Awards.

It’s been a big week for Beyoncé and the Beyhive. She just released her Coachella 2018 performance through the Netflix documentary Homecoming. There was a live album to accompany said documentary. And there are even rumours she has more projects in the work with Netflix. And in case you’ve forgotten, she is going to star as Nala in the upcoming The Lion King remake.

Source: Engadget

Windows 10’s Game Bar tests Spotify support and meme generator

Microsoft updates its Game Bar overlay in beta to add a few features you gamers might welcome. One is adding a Spotify widget to let you play, pause, and skip tracks within a game. You can also change the current playback device as well as adjust volume without leaving the game you’re playing. The widget will offer playlist recommendations, too. Another feature coming to the Game Bar is letting you create memes you can share to Twitter, right in the game. It’ll let you edit the videos, add overlay text to the screenshots, and send it off to the social network.

The overlay also adds new features to the Xbox Social widget. You can text and voice chat your friends, watch their Mixer streams, and see what they’re playing. You get the same friends list and communication features on the Xbox One as well as within the Xbox App on Window 10, iOS, and Android. You also now have customization options that will let you show, hide, and pin specific widgets. Microsoft said they made the changes based on user feedback. To access the Game Bar, just press the Windows key + G.

Source: Xbox Wire

Spotify tests out Premium Duo

For couples or roommates who want to save a bit on their Spotify subscription, the streaming service is testing out a new plan. It’s called Premium Duo and it offers two Premium subscriptions for 12.49 euro per month. The catch for this subscription plan is you need to provide an address to make sure you and the person you’re sharing a plan with live in the same place. On top of the discounted price, you both get an auto-generated playlist called Duo Mix based on your listening habits. The playlist has “Chill” and “Upbeat” options to let you switch between songs with different tempos. You’re also allowed to share your playlists with your Duo partner. This feature is currently being tested in Colombia, Chile, Denmark, Poland, and Ireland. Spotify hasn’t given any sign yet if it’s bringing it outside those markets.

Source: The Verge