Although Billboard’s Music App Awards may be over, developers are churning out new music apps on a regular bases for mobile phones, iPad and other devices. Here’s the latest worth noting that came out in the last week:
Rhapsody
Music subscription service Rhapsody is no stranger to the mobile app space, as illustrated by its finalist’s position in our recent Music App Awards. The most recent move is extending its mobile app presence to BlackBerry phones from Research in Motion. Like its other mobile apps, the BlackBerry app lets subscribers stream their playlists and Internet radio channels to the mobile phone. Other apps have more functionality though, such as on the iPhone where users can download entire albums for offline playback.
uPlaya
The company’s technology is supposed to predict which songs will be hits vs. which won’t based on the characteristics of the song. Putting aside any argument over whether software can accurately predict taste, the company is now using that technology to power the Head to Head game, which asks users to pick which of two songs have the better chance of being a hit. Labels and artists have to be a uPlaya partner to have their music included in the game.
L.A. Philharmonic
Not really a music app per-say, but the L.A. Philharmonic app is a sort of mobile interactive concert program and guide to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It includes concert schedules, program notes, performer bios, composer histories, photos, video, and so on. Most interestingly, it lets fans buy tickets from within the app, as well as create favorites from the schedule that will issue alerts about upcoming dates, a GPS navigator to find ones way around the concert hall, and access to the “Upbeat Live” pre-concert discussion series. It’s a free app and available on the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices.
Musicpix
The company is best known for its online library of live concert photography, which it has now extended to a mobile app. Users can browse the app for photos and live recordings of any artists in the catalog, as well as access news, artist interviews and tour information. It also includes links to artist websites, Facebook and Twitter profiles, and to iTunes for buying music.
