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News Byte

Spotify Launches in Australia

Peter Kafka in Media on May 21 at 1:46 pm PT

Spotify opened for business in Australia and New Zealand today. The move broadens the streaming music service’s reach as it raises a new round of funding that should value the company at $4 billion by the time it closes. Last month rival service MOG announced an Australian expansion but hasn’t launched yet.

News Byte

Paid Newspaper Aggregator Ongo Shuts Down

Peter Kafka in Media on May 8 at 1:12 pm PT

Ongo, a newspaper-backed startup that tried to sell digital subscriptions to a variety of publications, is shuttering after less than two years. The New York Times, the Washington Post and Gannett each put a reported $4 million into the company, but it never got traction with subscribers. Nieman Journalism Lab has a good exit interview with CEO Dan Haarmann, who blames Apple’s subscription policy, among other factors, for the company’s failure.

News Byte

Get Yer Subscription Xbox for $99 (And $15 a Month)

Lauren Goode in News on May 7 at 11:03 am PT

Microsoft will sell the Xbox 360 game and media console, with the Kinect sensor, for $99 as part of a two-year, $15 per month “Gold” contract. The news was first reported last week by The Verge. Interested takers, however, will have to live near one of the 21 Microsoft stores across the U.S. to opt in to the deal.