Spotify might be entering the hardware space

Looks like Spotify doesn’t just want to stick with software. A new job listing on the company's website shows that they're looking to build "a category defining product akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo, and Spectacles" designed to "affect the way the world experiences music and talk content." There isn't that much information about the device but based on the listing it will be internet connected and will come "directly from Spotify," meaning it won’t just be an integration with a third-party company.  

Aside from that, there seems to be another listing that shows Spotify wants to dabble into voice control. This will be handy for both software and hardware. Don't expect this to surface anytime soon, though. Especially since the hardware job listing even states that the person who fills the position will "define the product requirements." 

Source: The Verge 

Spotify brings half-price student discount to Canada

Canada joins 35 other countries around the world where Spotify offers its 50 percent discount for students. Initially rolled out to the US, Germany, and the UK, students here can avail the discount for "every student year of their student life." To avail of the student discount, you need to sign up over at this link. 

Source: Android Central 

Study shows music streaming services are shortening musical intros

Music streaming services aren’t just disrupting traditional record labels. It seems they’re changing the way songs are made, too. A new study from Hubert Léveillé Gauvin, a doctoral student in music theory at The Ohio State University, finds that songs are getting shorter instrumental introductions to try and accommodate the shortening attention span of listeners. And it seems the streaming services—such as Spotify and Pandora—are to blame.

Gauvin listened to and analyzed songs that made it into the top 10 from 1986 to 2015 and found “a dramatic shift away from long intros” and “a marked increase in tempo.” Songs back in the mid-80s had intros averaging over 20 seconds, now they’re down to five seconds on average so they immediately get to the lyrics. Tempo has also increased by around eight percent.

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Jay Z pulls music catalog from Apple Music and Spotify

Joella Marano/Wikimedia

Seems like an odd move at this time but Jay Z has pulled out all his solo work from Spotify and Apple Music. Tidal, the streaming service that the hip-hop star owns, will be the only place you’ll get to stream all his music. According to Spotify, his catalog was pulled “at the request of the artist.” This isn’t the first time he’s taken away his songs. When Tidal launched, he took out is debut album, Reasonable Doubt, from all streaming services. His Blueprint series has been removed as well. The only other service that has most of his catalog (except for Reasonable Doubt and Blueprint) is Google Play Music.

Source: The Verge