Beatles catalog now available from various streaming music services

Beatlemaniacs the world over have one more big reason to rejoice this Christmas as most of the iconic Beatles albums and singles are now available for streaming from the likes of Apple Music, Google Play Music, Spotify, Tidal and Microsoft Groove. Subscribers of these services can take a break from their Carols and Holiday Music and enjoy some of the best music ever made by John, Paul, George and Ringo. What a treat!

Spotify subscribers can now stream the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" OST

John Williams' iconic and masterful score for all the Star Wars movies has been one of the defining features of this beloved movie franchise and this continues for Episode VII. Just in time for the global opening of the film, Spotify is making available the entire soundtrack to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It's a nice, spoiler free way to ruminate on the movie before or after seeing it and Williams delivers another dramatic and heroic score that's intrinsic to the movie's character.

Spotify might let popular artists restrict songs to paying subscribers

A new report has surfaced claiming Spotify might be bending to pressure from pure-pay competition like Apple Music. There are claims they are considering limiting access to music from select artists to paying customers only. This new “windowing” policy will supposedly restrict certain albums to Spotify users who pay for premium. At the moment, musicians need to release their music both for paying and free users of the service. Spotify has reportedly informed music executives about said plan.

The streaming service could test this out to see how it will affect subscriber numbers and new sign-ups. The Wall Street Journal reports Spotify currently has around 20 million paying customers and another 80 million users who listen using ad-supported, free method. There were supposedly plans to window Coldplay’s upcoming album Head Full of Dreams but negotiations fell through after the band wasn’t able to guarantee it won’t be available on other free platforms like YouTube.

Source: Wall Street Journal | Via: Apple Insider

Spotify Running comes to Android

Spotify Running was introduced a couple months ago for iOS users. Now, Android users will get to use the feature as well. This section allows the app to create running playlists based on how you’re moving. To access it in the app, you need to head to the menu screen and select the Running option. From there you pick a playlist and start moving. The app will detect your tempo and base the songs it plays on your speed.

Source: Lifehacker | Download: iTunes App Store (Free) + Google Play Store (Free)