11.17.2015
Good to Know: Where did I put my phone?! The U.S. government is working on implantable memory chips so we don’t forget things – ever. It’s tested the chip out on those who suffer from brain injuries.
THE SKINNY
Setting Yourself Up …
Online music service Pandora just swooped up Rdio, a bankrupt music subscription service, for $75 million. Rdio’s intellectual property rights and technology included.
When You Start Trash Talking …
Pandora says it plans to “offer an expanded Pandora listening experience by late 2016…” No one really knows what that’s going to look like, but people are reading between the lines. Pandora fired shots at Spotify and YouTube’s ways of letting people listen to unlimited music for free by calling the practice “unsustainable.” All signs point to Pandora looking to create an Apple Music-type subscription service to go along with its current radio offerings.
Mending Difficult Relationships…
Unlike Apple Music, Pandora has always had a complicated relationship with music labels and publishers. It all comes down to dolla dolla bills. Labels and publishers think Pandora’s been short-changing them since it came on the scene. But, Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews wants to fix the relationship for the sake of the company’s future. He says, “[e]stablishing productive and collaborative partnerships with music makers puts Pandora in the strongest possible position to deliver on our long‐term vision.”
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
When You’ve Been Shut Down …
Fantasy sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings are not getting their way. Soon after the New York Attorney General fired off letters to both companies asking them to stop operating in the state, the fantasy sports companies ran to a state court. They asked the court to tell the AG to get off their backs. But, the court wasn’t having any of that and denied their request. Verdict’s still out on whether their sites are illegal or not under U.S. federal law. The companies now have a November 25th court date.
When SomeThing Brings Up Old Drams …
In the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks, U.S. lawmakers are calling on Internet and tech companies to give law enforcement access to encrypted devices. In the name of protecting consumers’ privacy, Internet and tech companies upped encryption on their devices after the Edward Snowden government surveillance leaks. U.S. lawmakers note that these days bad guys are turning to things like apps and video game systems (e.g.,Playstation 4) to communicate. Basically, lawmakers say that law enforcement needs access to encrypted devices because they can’t stop what they can’t see.
THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’
Earlier this year, e-commerce marketplace eBay and payments company PayPal went their separate ways. Now, billionaire investor Carl Icahn has chosen sides. He dumped his entire eBay stake for PayPal.
Need a ride to the game? Ride-hailing app Uber’s got you. It’s trying out a new partnership with the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars. The company’s experimenting with offering rides along with discounted tickets to Jaguar games.
Daily deals company Groupon is shutting down more offices. This time, it’s bowing out of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
It’s been a hot second since Twitter announced that it was replacing its “stars” with “hearts” for users looking to “like” tweets. But, the “hearts” may not be working out. It’s being reported that Twitter is tinkering with emojis instead. BTW, Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year isn’t a word but the “crying laughing” emoji.
Local recommendation service Angie’s List said thanks but not thanks to IAC/InterActiveCorp’s offer.