by niko
Spotify is getting closer to its massive, Goldman Sachs-powered round. The latest rumble comes from the New York Post, which is pointing to a $400 million airdrop that would value Spotify at an 'eye-popping' $4 billion. "Spotify wants to grow geography, building out in other countries, and they need money for rights negotiations," one source said.
And, the iPhone 5 debut may have overshadowed another big announcement from Apple on Wednesday.
An updated, iTunes 11 will feature a much slicker, simpler user interface and tighter integration with iCloud, along with other social integration tie-ins to Facebook and Twitter. The updates will get rolled into iTunes installations across iOS, OS X and Windows devices, with a planned rollout in October.
Unfortunately, there was nothing about the rumored, Pandora-like radio competitor during Wednesday presentations. That said, the updated features list is extensive. Apple executive Eddie Cue noted that users will be able to hear 90-second previews while browsing the rest of the store, and users will also enjoy perks like better search and improved playlist functionality. Cue also shared some accumulated iTunes accomplishments...
iTunes now has about 26 million songs.
More than 20 billion songs have been purchased over the last 9 years.
The iTunes Store is now available in 63 countries.
iTunes in the cloud is now being used by 200 million people.
In other Apple news, the tech giant is giving the ax to Ping. Apple discreetly slipped the news into an update of iTunes 10.7 that was released today to add support for iOS 6. "We tried Ping, and I think the customer voted and said this isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.
And, perhaps deepest in the shadow of the iPhone 5, Apple is also unveiling updated iPod touches and nanos. The nano is now in its seventh generation, and receives a nice cosmetic refresh and lots of color choices in the latest round. The touch is being treated to the much faster, A5 processor.
Elsewhere, legendary music mogul Clive Davis will release an autobiography this February. It will tell the story of 'the excitements, the disappointments and the triumphs' of Davis' career. Davis, now 80, has helped develop the careers of superstars like Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, and countless others. The new autobiography, which will be written with music journalist Anthony DeCurtis.
Davis, founder of Arista and J Records, is currently 'Chief Creative Officer' of Sony Music and working on Franklin's new album and a Houston compilation release. An earlier book, Clive: Inside The Record Business, was published in 1975. The upcoming autobiography is not yet titled.
As iTunes and Amazon run away with their scan-n-match music plays, Google is still negotiating the rights with majors. C|Net points to ongoing snags between Google Play and at least two different labels, though questions linger over whether licenses are needed at all.
And Virgin America will soon have lots of music videos for your onboard viewing pleasure, thanks to a just-inked content deal involving VEVO.
