Xbox Music will soon undergo a full rebrand to become Groove, following in the footsteps of the Windows counterpart. The latest update allows iOS and Android users to interact with the app without an Xbox Music Pass. Although certain features within the app will still require an active Xbox Music Pass subscription, it’s great news that interaction is available for those who choose not to subscribe.

Another great addition in this release is that you can now upload your MP3 music files to OneDrive and then stream it from for free within Xbox Music app for iOS or Android. Previously, this feature was only available to Windows users, but has now been extended to iOS and Android users as well

Microsoft has also made some rather important changes around how users can interact and handle music for offline playback. In addition to being able to download entire playlists to be played back when there is no connectivity, Microsoft has also extended that level of usability to individual tracks and entire albums that haven’t been stored as an explicit playlist. The software giant has also introduced a very handy little filter that allows immediate distinction between tracks stored offline and those that require a data or WiFi connection to stream.

The new features definitely represent a marked improvement to the app and service by making the platform a lot more accessible and useful to those without a subscription. With that said, those who want to stream ad-free music that they don’t own will still need to have an active Xbox Music Pass, or Groove Music Pass, as it will soon be known. Xbox Music lives on and is continually being serviced, hopefully with the Groove rebranding being just around the corner that should bring with it some serious stability improvements.

Unlike ordinary music streaming services, the content on Apple Music is curated by "world’s leading music experts," hence you can rest assured that you'll stumble across the right tune every time. At least according to Apple.

Besides giving you access to a collection of new music, Apple Music also features your own collection from your iTunes library. This means that all those tunes which you’ve come to love - and own - over the years will be up for listening at a moment’s notice. You either have the option to stream your iTunes tracks, or you can download them for offline listening.

The music library in Apple Music is an almost 1 to 1 copy of iTunes, except for a few exceptions when it comes to artists, such as The Beatles. This means you can keep on listening to your music and you'll never ever run out of stuff to listen to. Ever.

According to Apple, you can "Get recommendations for albums and playlists you'll love from experts - real people who know and love music." Rather than let someone slightly off track choose your music for you, Apple is taking a more hands-on and professional approach in this department.

Additionally the new service comes integrated with what they're calling a "groundbreaking 24/7 global radio station," which broadcasts non-stop music to 100 countries directly from LA, New York and London. If you're a fan of interviews, guest shows, news and culture, then you'll be pleased to know that Apple Music comes bundled with ‘Beats 1′ which will be hosted by the world’s “best voices” such as Zane Lowe.


Apple Music gives artists a brilliant hub of their own through which they can ‘Connect’ with their fans. Artists can “post their latest tracks, behind-the-scenes photos, in-progress lyrics, or a new remix.”


Additionally common people like you and I can also share content with others, which means your creative harmonies have a chance to be heard by the industry’s big guns. And who knows, you may even get discovered in the process.

If you're a music video fan then there’s good news for you as well; Apple Music hosts ‘ten of thousands’ of add-free music videos.

Apple Music also integrates with Siri, therefore your favorite songs or genres are just a voice command away. We bet you haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else, right? Yup, neither have we.

Unlike Beats Music, Apple Music will live in iTunes on the desktop.


Release and Availability

Apple Music will be available on June 30th in 100 countries, and will work on iPhones, iPads, iPod touches and Macs. For iOS devices, it will be a part of the iOS 8.4 update, due for release on the 30th of June.

Windows and Android users get the taste of the action too, and they’ll be able to dive into the Apple Music action this fall.

Apple Music will cost $9.99 a month for individual users, and Apple is throwing in a family plan too, in which 6 people can share one single Apple Music account for just $14.99.



But wait, it gets better; Apple Music will be free for the first three months, giving every user ample time to decide whether or not they’re going to stick with Apple’s brand new service.

You can also download the latest version of MixRadio for Windows Phone

You can download the update directly on your device through the Windows Phone Store or by using the following link


Xbox Music for Windows Phone version 2.6.674.0 has the following new features and improvements:

• Better explanation of how to get started with OneDrive in the Music App on Windows Phone 8.1
• When you set a playlist to ‘Keep playlist offline’ it will automatically download all streaming tracks, whether from Music Pass or OneDrive

Xbox Music is a digital music service by Microsoft that brings you all the music you love in one simple app. The music app lets you play and manage your personal music collection, or stream and download unlimited content with an Xbox Music Pass.

Microsoft has launched a new OneDrive and Xbox Music integration service called Infinity, which allows users to stream their OneDrive music files directly from the Xbox Music service. This is a free service and doesn’t require a paid Music Pass.

This service will allow users to stream their local music tracks stored on OneDrive via the Xbox Music app on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone, along with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles and on the Xbox Music website.

All you have to do is upload your MP3 music collection to the Music folder in OneDrive, open your Xbox Music app on your supported device and all your music will be available for your enjoyment. In addition to MP3 tracks, this new service also supports audio files in M4A (AAC), and WMA formats. You can currently add up to 50,000 songs to your collection. And if you are a Music Pass subscriber, you'll get 100GB of additional storage in OneDrive to save all the music you love.

This service currently works only on PCs and tablets running Windows 8.1, phones running Windows Phone 8.1 and the Xbox 360 and Xbox One gaming console. Windows 8 users will have to get the free Windows 8.1 upgrade in order to take advantage of this feature. While Xbox Music is available for iOS and Android, this functionality won't be available across these platforms, even if you have an Xbox Music Pass.

This service is currently available in following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.


source - Microsoft

MixRadio will now be a separate company owned by LINE. MixRadio will continue to offer the world’s most personal music streaming service to millions of listeners across 31 countries and will continue to collaborate with Microsoft to offer a personalized music experience on Lumia smartphones. In terms of the MixRadio app and service itself, MixRadio fans can expect the same level of commitment to deliver the best possible mobile-first, personalized music experience.

Interested users can now sign-up for the beta program and get started with the popular music service on iOS or Android devices. MixRadio also launched a brand new website with more details:


Checkout the following video which announces the beta program and hands-on with iOS and Android version of app:

You can download the update directly on your Android device through the Google Play Store or by using the following link:

Download
Price	Free
Requirements	Android

You can also download the official APK is signed by Google and upgrade your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.

APK Mirror

File name: com.google.android.music-5.8.1836R.1787745-1836-minAPI14.apk
Version: 5.8.1836R.1787745 (1836)
MD5: 5735aa55b690eba07187e1e4ac001e59

Actually, the enhancements are mostly meant for those subscribed to Google Play Music All Access (or Unlimited as its being referred to these days). If you are a subscriber, you will notice that search results now return both songs from Play Music and videos from YouTube, providing a central way to find the music you need without having to hop back to the YouTube app to benefit from Music Key.

For those who don't have a subscription, the changelog also mentions improved album art handling and the ability to see all albums in your library without clicking on "More." The update should also have the usual bug fixes and performance improvements you would expect from each release. We will update this post if we notice any other significant features.

source - Google Play

Google Play Music for Android has been updated to version 5.8 which brings some layout changes, feature tweaks, and more. Google Play Music makes it easy to discover, play and share your music. With our new All Access service, you can enjoy millions of songs, listen to custom radio with no limits, and discover more of the music you love.

With the Songza integration in the Listen Now section, you can choose what you're doing - working, driving, taking an autumn stroll - from a list that will change based on the time of day. Then, you choose the type of music you want to hear within that category.

You can download the update directly on your Android device through the Google Play Store or by using the following link:

Download
Price	Free
Requirements	Android

Google usually rolls out their updates in phases, so in case you don't like waiting for the update on the Google Play Store, you can download the official APK using the following link.



Google Play Music for Android version 5.8 has the following new features and improvements:

• Navigation drawer now full-height
• Bio and history on artist page
• Back/previous button now on notification  (lock screen and notifications), previously only in expanded view
• Library tabs are orange to match the header
• Library scroll bar now starts above the tabs
• Songs UI in My Library now a much more attractive card
• The entire header and tabs hide now when scrolling
• New slide-up animation when selecting playlists
• In the artists tab if there isn't an artist hero image, it will now use album covers instead of a grey icon

Apple may have scrapped its iTunes Single of the Week’ freebie offer a short time ago, but it is introducing the new 'Free on iTunes' section for those looking to try out some content without the usual fee.

For now it looks like this section is restricted to users in the United States. Also it seems the section is only populated with a free new TV show episodes and music. Unfortunately, there are no movies to be had at this moment, nor music videos.


While you may not find the exact content you are looking for, you may get lucky selecting from the list of up-and-coming artists like Purity Ring and Guster. You can also check out some new episodes from FOX, MTV or Animal Planet.

Apple's iTunes once dominated the market, and was the go to place for digital music. Now with the rise of services like Pandora and Spotify, along with the continuous growth of Android and its Google Play services, Apple has to rethink how it keeps its fans from moving onto greener pastures.

So if you are living in the U.S. and are invested in Apple's ecosystem, you may want to check out some of the free content and start building on your iTunes collection.

source: T-Mobile

source - Android Police

Google Play Music for iOS version 1.4.3057 has the following new features and improvements:

• Pick the perfect radio station for any situation easily on Listen Now [US/CA All Access only]
• Search for radio stations based on mood or activity (e.g Running, Feeling Happy or Partying) [All Access only]
• New Listen Now that shows recently played music and improved recommendations
• The queue understands and shows what you are playing from (playlist, album, etc)
• Shuffle fixes

Xbox Music for Windows Phone version 2.6.224 has the following new features and improvements:

• You can now see incredible artist art & visualizations when playing music on your LIVE TILE! Requires Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 (OS Version #8.10.14141 & higher)
• Album art should show up much more reliably in all areas of the app for files with embedded album art via ID3 tags V2.3 and below.

The update also brings several bug fixes focusses on:

• Performance / page loads
• Preventing any unexpected app exits
• Reducing our memory footprint, resulting in less app suspensions & terminations during multi-tasking
• Addressing playlist duplication issues
• Cleaning up Recent Plays interactions

source - Microsoft

Related Articles

• [Guide] How to add album art to your Xbox Music collection (external link)

Spotify for Windows Phone lets you shuffle play:

• All of the music: Listen to all the playlists you've created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.
• Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.
• Want the right playlist? Just Browse: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. Hosting a dinner or getting ready for a big night out? We’ve got you covered. We even have playlists for different moods, so regardless of whether you need an upbeat boost or something more relaxing to wind down to – we’ve got just the thing.

Spotify is available in 57 markets across the globe, with total paid subscriber base of 10 million users worldwide.

Beats Music for Android version 1.2.0 has the following new features and improvements:

• Tune Your Taste -- Want to switch up your Just For You recommendations? Change your favorite genres and artists with the Tune Your Taste feature in Settings
• Sentence History -- View your most recently played songs from The Sentence
• Verified Badges -- That red check mark means the profile is certified as legit by Beats
• Player Improvements -- We fixed a ton of bugs causing the app to crash or stall.

Xbox Music version 2.6.123.0 brings the following new features and improvements

• Improvements to how the app behaves under poor connectivity conditions.
• Improved download error handling so that messages are less frequent and more clear.
• When your phone is charging, the app will update your collection from the flash or SD card in the background.
• Addressed 70 functional bugs. A few notable issues we fixed:
• Unexpected playlist/playlist item duplications appearing.
• Downloads not resuming after a network connection was lost and regained.
• Purchased songs appearing twice in the collection.
• Showing “looking for music” when nothing had changed.

The XBox Music team is committed to continuing their progress in improving the app and promise to bring the following changes in future releases:

• Performance – we’re continuing to invest in improving the responsiveness of the app.
• Live Tile support.
• Kid’s Corner support.
• General UX improvements.