Laura Sydell

Pandora Buys A Radio Station, Songwriters' Group Calls It 'A Stunt'

Laura Sydell — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:09:00 +0000

This week, the Internet radio broadcaster Pandora made what seems like a backward move — technologically speaking. Pandora purchased a local radio station in Rapid City, S.D. The company says it's aiming to get the more favorable royalty rates given to terrestrial broadcasters, but the move has songwriters and composers up in arms.

Blake Morgan is an independent musician whose "Better Angels" was among a number of his songs that got some 28,000 plays on Pandora.

Competitors Try To Chip Away At Pandora's Audience

Laura Sydell — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:23:00 +0000

On Monday, Apple announced iRadio — its entry into the crowded field of music streaming services. iTunes has become the top music retailer by selling song files. But no one in the music business thinks the iTunes model is the future. Pandora is the oldest and most successful streaming service so far. But it's been a disappointment to investors.

Apple's Music Streaming Service Smaller Than Anticipated

Laura Sydell — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:25:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Now to another topic in tech. Today, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference launched in San Francisco. The company made a slew of announcements: new MacBooks, a new operating system, and the most anticipated announcement - Apple's entry into the streaming music market with iTunes Radio. But as NPR's Laura Sydell reports, many analysts are underwhelmed.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: The hype around Apple getting into the Internet radio biz was so intense that it sent rival Pandora's stock plunging.

Apple: Price-Fxing Charges 'Not True'

Laura Sydell — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:30:00 +0000

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Lawyers for Apple will be back in court today, defending the company against government charges that it conspired with publishers to fix eBook prices. All the major publishing houses settled months ago with the Justice Department.

But as NPR's Laura Sydell reports, Apple's lawyer told the court the company won't settle because it did nothing wrong.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: In his opening statement, a very poised Mark Ryan, the Justice Department Attorney, brought in Jobs' statements and emails before and after the opening of the iBook store.

Apple Gets Day In Court Over Alleged E-Book Price Fixing

Laura Sydell — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:14:00 +0000

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Now, in today's ALL TECH CONSIDERED, Apple on trial. The company is in federal court today fighting government charges that it colluded with book publishers to drive up the price of electronic books.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The Justice Department claims publishers used the introduction of the iPad as an opportunity to set higher prices. Five publishers have already settled civil charges with the government, but Apple has not. Laura Sydell is in New York, covering the first day of the trial.

Microsoft Unveils Its new Xbox One

Laura Sydell — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:47:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

The wait is over for many Xbox fans. Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled its next generation Xbox gaming console. It's called Xbox One. It's the first major revamp of the gaming system since 2005.

With New Xbox, Microsoft Makes A Bigger Play For Living Room

Laura Sydell — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Microsoft hasn't exactly had a great couple of years.

Its new Windows 8 operating system was held responsible for the drop in PC sales last quarter. Sales of its Windows Phones lag far behind both the iPhone and Google's Android phones.

The light in the darkness for Microsoft has been the Xbox 360, which has been the top-selling game console for over two years — beating out both the Nintendo Wii and Sony's PlayStation.

Google Launches A Streaming Music Service

Laura Sydell — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

The competition for your ears — and dollars — just got a little tougher. On Wednesday, Google launched a paid music subscription service that will put it in direct competition with other streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. The announcement may just be the beginning for Google.

As it gets easier to access the Internet, more fans are streaming their music — not downloading it.

Consumers Facing Subscription Service Overload Will Only Get More Choices

Laura Sydell — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:33:00 +0000

YouTube is expected to announce in the coming days that it will launch paid subscription channels, a first for the online video platform that's been around since 2005. But, with the growing number of subscription services available for entertainment, shopping and news, some consumers say they're reaching digital subscription overload.

Mary Gaughan and her husband get near that point when they think about what movie or TV show they want to watch on free evenings at home. "Where do we get it?

Tech Week Ahead: YouTube's Subscription Service

Laura Sydell — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:57:00 +0000

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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

I'm Audie Cornish. And it's time now for All Tech Considered.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC)

CORNISH: YouTube, the website that made its name as the place where you can broadcast yourself, is on the verge of launching a subscription service. NPR's Laura Sydell joins us now to talk more about it. And, Laura, what is YouTube up to?

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: My sources are telling me that initially, this is going to be kind of a limited.