News Byte

Rdio Head of Design Wilson Miner Goes to Facebook

Wilson Miner, the lead designer at streaming music application Rdio, has left the company for a design position at Facebook, according to a message Miner posted from his Twitter account on Monday. Miner was most recently responsible for a complete redesign of the Rdio web application launched at South by Southwest in March, and had been at the company for more than two years. Facebook also recently snagged two other prominent hires to work on design: Ex-YouTuber Margaret Stewart, and Elizabeth Windram, formerly of Quora.

On Valentine’s Day, Ol’ Fashioned Phone Calls Beat Video Chat for Long-Distance Love

There’s a reason Stevie didn’t sing “I Just IM’ed to Say I Love You.”
OldTelephone

Rara Sells Streaming Music to Everyone Who Hasn’t Heard of Streaming Music

Which is many more people than you’d think. Big question: Do those folks want to pay for music?
rara pc

SoundTracking for Android Adds Spotify, Rdio Streaming

Social music app SoundTracking is launching an Android music app — one that definitely flirts with Spotify and Rdio, but still doesn’t seal the deal.
SoundTracking

Hey Facebook, Where’s That Timeline and Open Graph You Promised?

Two and a half months after Facebook promised that a huge revision of its self-expression and sharing tools were coming soon, users and developers are still waiting.
FacebookTimeline

Free, Legal Music Downloads, Few Strings Attached

Just a couple of Facebook clicks away, courtesy of brands like Budweiser and two-year-old start-up Free All Music.
free

Facebook’s Overhaul Gives MOG a Rocket Ride

A 4x leap for the music subscription service in a month. Now it has to keep those users, add more, and eventually get a few of them to pay.
rocket

Voices

Music for Nothing and the Fans for Free

Consumers won’t pay for recorded music in the future — but fans will pay for music experiences.

How to Solve the Mystery of Spotify and the Missing Coldplay Album

Don’t need Sherlock for this one. Follow the money, straight to iTunes.
coldplay_album

Free Music For Everyone! Rdio Joins MOG, Spotify in the Big Digital Music Giveaway

A few months ago, free music looked dead. Now it’s up and at ‘em. Why now? Ask Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook next Thursday.
free

BlackBerry Launches Its $5 Music Service

BlackBerry Music: $5 a Month, 50 Songs