SoundCloud signs royalty agreement with Merlin to gain access to 20,000 indie labels

SoundCloud you probably heard of or are already using but we’re sure Merlin might be a new name to you. Merlin works with 20,000 indie labels and distributors to work out licensing and loyalty deals, which is what they’ve done with SoundCloud. This will bring labels like Beggars Group (Vampire Weekend), Domino (Animal Collective), Secretly Group (Bon Iver), Kontor Records (Tiësto), and a lot more to SoundCloud’s streaming service. These musicians will also be offered compensation when you play their music.

SoundCloud already has a deal with Warner Music Group and is rumoured to unveil its own streaming service this year. They‘re still, however, having a tough time convincing Sony and Universal to join because the site also hosts copyrighted material without permission. We’re going to have to watch and see if this plan will push through and if they can provide a better alternative to streaming options we have out at the moment.

Source: SoundCloud | Via: Engadget

Chrome on Android lets you search more info on any word with Tap to Search

If you want to pull up more information on a specific word while using Chrome on your Android device, Google has something for you. They’re calling it Tap to Search, which as its name suggests, lets you find more information about a word via a long press on the word. For example, if you’re reading this on your mobile, you touch and hold the word Google and it’ll pull up different information related to Google. It can be an app, about the company, or any other link related to that word. It’s currently rolling out so you should be getting it on your Chrome for Android pretty soon. Asian language is reportedly coming soon.

Source: Google Chrome Blog | Via: Engadget

Tumblr takes on Reddit’s AMA with Answer Time Q&A

Tumblr takes a page (quite literally) from Reddit’s Ask me Anything series with its question and answer platform. The blogging site/social network is calling it Answer Time. It’ll let Tumblr users chat with celebrities and other important people. It kicks off on Monday, June 8^th with a daily Q&A session. They’re kicking it off with Fall Out Boy on Monday, and they’ll be followed by the likes of rapper Vic Mensa, Tumblr CEO Peter Karp, and Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards.

Source: Tumblr | Via: The Verge

Sony accidentally reveals new Smartband through a new app

Whether an intentional or unintentional slip, Sony might have unveiled its new wearable through a new app on Google Play Store (which has, of course, been taken down already). Called the SmartBand 2, it will supposedly still track different aspects of your life but adds a heart rate monitor. This means it’ll work as a better fitness tracker.

Like the current SmartBand, it can track steps and sleep, send notifications, and vibrate when there’s an alarm. It can also take screenshots of the data it has at a given moment via a dedicated button. If the accidental release of the app is any indication, the SmartBand 2 should be unveiled any time soon.

Source: The Verge