Youtube Music App will come pre-installed on Android 10 as well as new Android 9 devices - The Tech Portal

Youtube Music App will come pre-installed on Android 10 as well as new Android 9 devices - The Tech Portal
Alexa, Find Me a Hit: Smart Speakers Taking Center Stage as Discovery Tool for New Music, Nielsen Says - Billboard
Theater in L.A. this week 'Miss Saigon' - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 29 Sep 2019 11:43 AM PDT

No one loves bloatware but apparently the biggest tech-juggernaut on the planet is about to push "bloatware" into their OS-based devices. There has been a lot of competition in the music-streaming market lately. Google too has been pushing its own Youtube Music app to the worst extent possible.

So here's the deal, what should a company do to force an app on to new customers ?? Google has an "amazing" solution for this – pre-install the app into millions of Android-based devices and don't even care about what the customers really want. Safe to say that Google has always been business-minded and this time Google might just have crossed certain limits. The company announced today that the Youtube Music App will come pre-installed on all new devices launching with Android 10 as well as Android 9, including its own Pixel series of smartphones. Isn't that a wonderful way to thrust an app on users !!

With big players in the market like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music and the likes, Youtube Music was having difficulties in being "seemingly popular" within a short time. So Google had a solution to make the app available on every smartphone running android. The Google Play Music service (which also of course comes pre-installed in android ) was launched by Google in 2011. The other music streaming service from Google was introduced in 2015 as "Youtube Music". As of last May, Google also allowed you to buy YouTube Music separately, if you'd prefer. Since the app was launched, it didn't really gather as huge attention as its competitors had achieved. YouTube also offered a subscription tier, originally called YouTube Red and re-branded later to YouTube Premium, which would provide access to both Google Play Music and YouTube Music. Besides that, Google Play's subscribers would also receive access to YouTube Premium.

Google is desperately trying to establish itself in the music-streaming industry. However this isn't for free, everything from Google comes with a price, be it your private information or be it your cash. With a paid subscription, YouTube Music users can listen ad-free and offline. It also just introduced its own version of Spotify's Discover Weekly, with the launch of its own Discover Mix.

Spotify claimed to have 232 million monthly active users and 108 million paying subscribers at the end of June. Apple Music in June surpassed 60 million subscribers. Youtube Music on the other hand, in May, had some 15 million subscribers. So there's over a 100 million user gap between Youtube Music and its competitors. Google is well aware of this fact and it sure is desperate to make its music streaming app popular especially when (according to recent reports) Google Play Music was "supposed" to shut down soon.

An engineer with love for literature.

Alexa, Find Me a Hit: Smart Speakers Taking Center Stage as Discovery Tool for New Music, Nielsen Says - Billboard

Posted: 26 Sep 2019 09:57 AM PDT

As smart speakers become ubiquitous and teens get hooked, new studies show how users are engaging with music through the devices — and how the music business can take advantage.

Five years ago, when Amazon first introduced its voice-activated Echo smart speaker, it was advertised as a product that could make a grocery shopping list, tell users the weather — and play music from Prime Music or iHeartRadio. But as the smart speaker market grows, music is becoming the focus for device owners.

Music engagement through smart speakers has grown overall: Earlier this year, the Smart Audio Report from NPR and Edison Research stated that 77% of U.S. smart speaker owners use them to play music every week. This year, 17% of U.S. music listeners say they play music through smart speakers in a given week, up from 15% last year, according to Nielsen Music's new 360 2019 U.S. report, provided exclusively to Billboard. The biggest growth has been among Gen Z music listeners, as usage among teens jumped from 9% in 2018 to 20% this year, a 122% increase, according to the Nielsen study.

In April, tech analysis firm Canalys said it expects the global install base for smart speakers to pass 200 million devices by the end of 2019. Since Amazon kicked off the smart speaker arms race, Google launched a line of Home speakers in 2016, Apple started selling its HomePod last year, Facebook debuted its Portal device last October and earlier this year Sonos added Google Assistant to its home audio speakers to go with Alexa, which became available on the platform in 2017.

The smart speaker takeover has some wondering what the streaming business could look like once it shifts further away from people typing search terms into query boxes and more toward voice-operated speakers. "This whole topic is less about devices and more about just a gigantic, tectonic shift from text as a motor of interactivity to voice," says Larry Miller, director of the music business program at NYU Steinhardt. "Over the next several years, it's going to be much less about talking to or talking at or interacting with your Amazon or Google device than talking to the voice-based operating system that interacts with your life. This is a shift in the way that we fundamentally ask for the information and entertainment that we want, and in music this is a critical issue."

As smart speaker adoption continues to explode and music streaming on such devices takes on a bigger role, particularly among younger listeners, the music business has worked to adapt to the model. That has meant streamlining metadata, addressing fluctuations in user behavior and creating hyperpersonalized playlists.

Smart speakers are also playing an increasing role in how music listeners discover new artists and songs, with 61% of owners saying that new technologies like voice assistants have made it easier to discover new music, according to Nielsen. That number drops to 54% for teens and 44% for all music listeners, which is still impressive for a segment that didn't exist in a meaningful way half a decade ago.

Device ownership has changed as well, according to Nielsen. As expected, Amazon still controls a large portion of the smart speaker market, with 48% of owners stating they own a version of an Echo. But surprisingly, Facebook's Portal has overtaken Google's Home devices in market share, at 36% compared with 35%, according to the study. Several analysts who spoke to Billboard were shocked by the numbers Nielsen is reporting for the Portal, given the privacy-related public-relations debacle the company has brought on itself over the past 18 months and the complexities of getting into smart speakers in the first place.

"It's difficult to enter that market and challenge those incumbents," says Werner Goertz, a research director at Gartner. "The best example for that is the Samsung Galaxy Home, which doesn't seem to be coming because of those definitive barriers that were set up by the incumbents."

Globally, the smart speaker market has plenty of room to grow, with only 3% of music listening time taking place on smart speakers, according to the IFPI's Music Listening 2019 report. The United States outpaces the world when it comes to music usage on smart speakers, where 34% of people have used a smart speaker to listen to music in the last three months, compared with 30% in the United Kingdom and 22% in Germany, according to the study.

Despite the lackluster global growth for smart speakers, music labels need to figure out how to deal with voice assistants — a discovery tool that doesn't easily lend itself to music promotion — and fast. Amazon recently announced the Voice Interoperability Initiative, an agreement signed by more than 30 companies including Spotify, Tencent and Sony Audio Group, to make sure devices work with multiple voice assistants, which would theoretically allow users to summon assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana on the same device or smart speaker.

"All three of the major music companies have significant efforts underway to examine how to optimize the reach and discoverability of catalog music via voice," says Miller. "Record companies are beginning to think really hard about what this is going to mean for them for front line and catalog, but in particular for catalog — given the dramatic move toward streaming as the dominant source of monetizing music over these last five years. It's uncharted territory, frankly."

This article originally appeared in the Sept. 28 issue of Billboard.

Theater in L.A. this week 'Miss Saigon' - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 29 Sep 2019 01:00 AM PDT

Here is a list of new plays, Critics' Choices, etc. for Sept. 29-Oct. 6. Capsule reviews are by Charles McNulty (C.M.), Philip Brandes (P.B.), F. Kathleen Foley (F.K.F.), Margaret Gray (M.G.) and Daryl H. Miller (D.H.M.).

Openings

The Bob Baker Marionettes Family-friendly puppet show. Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo. Sun., 3 p.m. $5, $15. (949) 480-4278. soka.edu

The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston Salutes the late music star. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos. Sun., 7 p.m. $50-$90. (562) 916-8500. cerritoscenter.com

Yoga Play The new female CEO of a yoga-apparel giant tries to right the company's ship in the wake of a scandal in Dipika Guha's comedy. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Sun., 5:30 p.m.; Tue.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 1 and 5:30 p.m.; ends Oct. 13. $45-$65; group discounts available. (949) 497-2787. lagunaplayhouse.com

Elton — The Early Years Kenny Metcalf salutes the British rocker. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Tue., 7:30 p.m. $35. (866) 811-4111. elportaltheatre.com

Miss Saigon Hit musical, inspired by the Puccini opera "Madame Butterfly," about an ill-fated romance between a young Vietnamese woman and an American soldier. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tue.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 1 and 6:30 p.m.; ends Oct. 13. $26 and up. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org

A Kid Like Jake A mother and father try to figure out what's best for their gender-nonconforming 4-year-old son in the West Coast premiere of Daniel Pearle's drama, presented by IAMA Theatre Company; with Sharon Lawrence. Carrie Hamilton Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $35, $40. (323) 380-8843. iamatheatre.com

Red Thread Magician Siegfried Tieber performs in this intimate show. Pskaufman Gallery, 8th St & Werdin Pl. (subterranean space, down the alley), L.A. Thu., 8 p.m.; Fri., 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 4 and 7 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $74. atlasobscura.com

Tierney Sutton & Ann Hampton Callaway: In Technicolor The duo sings favorites by Gershwin, Sondheim, Cole Porter, et al. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Thu., 8 p.m. $38-$100. (949) 854-4646. thebarclay.org

All the Leaves Are Groundlings All-new sketch show. Groundlings Theatre, 7307 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 8 and 10 p.m.; ends Nov. 23. $20; opening night only, $50. (323) 934-4747. groundlings.com

Assisted Living: The Musical One-act vaudeville-style revue about an elderly couple recalling their golden years. Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Box Office, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7 p.m. $35, $45. (800) 745-3000. ticketmaster.com

Close to Home: The Moth in Santa Monica The popular storytelling series returns. The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $59 and up. (310) 434-3200. thebroadstage.org

The Dumb Waiter Sunscreen Theatricals stages Harold Pinter's classic 1959 tragicomedy about two hit men awaiting the arrival of their next victim. Stages LA, 12420 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 6 p.m.; ends Oct. 13. $15, $20. (800) 838–3006. brownpapertickets.com

A History of World War II: The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin Writer-performer John Fisher digs into the details of the war in Europe in this solo show. The Broadwater Black Box, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 26. $15, $25. howwii-theplay.com

I Dream of Jackie 3: Jackie's Nightmare Drag artist Jackie Cox returns in this mix of music and comedy. The Cavern Club, Casita Del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. $20. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

Measure for Measure Ensemble Theatre Company opens its season with Shakespeare's dramedy about power, politics and social and sexual mores in old Vienna. The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; ends Oct. 20. $62-$72. (805) 965-5400. etcsb.org

The Mystery of Irma Vep — A Penny Dreadful Two actors play multiple roles in Charles Ludlam's homage to Gothic melodramas and 1930-40s fright flicks. Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2:30 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $25-$35. (323) 462-8460. ActorsCo-op.org

Night of the Living Dead Stage adaptation of George A. Romero's 1968 zombie thriller. The Group Rep, Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $20, $25. (818) 763-5990. thegrouprep.com

Operation Ajax Matthew Spangler and Farshad Farahat's fact-based drama about the CIA's efforts to overthrow the government of Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $15-$28. (310) 512-6030. littlefishtheatre.org

Pressure L.A. Theatre Works records the U.S. premiere of David Haig's fact-based thriller about a Scottish meteorologist who advises Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower on weather conditions before the D-Day landings during WWII. James Bridges Theater, UCLA, 235 Charles E. Young Drive, Westwood. Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 and 8 p.m.; next Sun., 4 p.m. $15-$65. (310) 827-0889. latw.org

To T or Not to T L.A. premiere of queer/transgender writer-performer D'Lo's solo show about his personal journey. The Los Angeles LGBT Center's Davidson/Valentini Theatre, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $25. (323) 860-7300. lalgbtcenter.org

Urban Death Tour of Terror Immersive Halloween-themed theatrical attraction; contains graphic content, nudity. Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8, 9, 10, 10:45 and 11:30 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $16, $20. (818) 202-4120. zombiejoes.com

Variedades: Little Central America, 1984 This multidisciplinary work uses poetry, music, dance, etc., to revisit the arrival in Los Angeles of refugees fleeing violence in war-torn Central America during the Reagan era. Echo Park United Methodist Church, 1226 N. Alvarado St., L.A. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m. Free. RSVP at grandperformances.org

The Adventures of Peter Rabbit Storybook Theatre presents this family-friendly musical based on Beatrix Potter's classic tale. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West. L.A. Sat., 1 p.m.; ends March 22. $15. (818) 761-2203. theatrewest.org

Art Is Useless When You're Being Mauled by a Bear A grieving woman undertakes a fantastical journey toward acceptance in Alisa Tangredi's new drama. The Loft Ensemble, 11031 Camarillo St., North Hollywood. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $10, $20. (818) 452-3153. loftensemble.org

The Canadians Five actors play all the roles in Adam Bock's comedy about best buddies from Manitoba who receive two all-expense-paid tickets on a gay cruise; contains adult language and sexuality. South Coast Repertory, Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sat., next Sun., 2 and 7:45 p.m.; ends Oct. 20. $23 and up. (714) 708-5555. scr.org

The Everly Brothers Experience The Zmed Brothers and the Bird Dog Band salute the sibling pop-music duo. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Sat., 3 and 8 p.m. $40, $50. (866) 811-4111. elportaltheatre.com

The Fab Faux Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Abbey Road The tribute band performs the Beatles' classic 1969 album order in its entirety, along with other favorites. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. Sat., 8 p.m. $48 and up. (818) 677-3000. TheSoraya.org

Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years The veteran songwriter shares songs and stories. Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo. Sat., 8 p.m. $31.50-$65. (949) 480-4278. soka.edu

Mono/Poly The lives of two monogamous couples become entwined with a polyamorous triad in writer-director Brian Reynolds' new comedy; for adults only. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Sat., 8 p.m. next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $27-$37. (310) 477-2055. monopolytheplay.com

The Everly Brothers: Live at Royal Albert Hall [Revisited] Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers recreate the sibling duo's 1983 reunion concert. Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St. Long Beach. Next Sun., 2 p.m. $40. (562) 985-7000. carpenterarts.org

Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium Family-friendly show based on the children's books by R.L. Stine. Chance Theater, Fyda-Mar Stage, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Next Sun., 5 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $24-$30; discounts available. (888) 455-4212. ChanceTheater.com

The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? Robert Dubac portrays five none-too-bright characters in this solo comedy. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Next Sun., 3 and 7 p.m. $40, $50. (866) 811-4111. elportaltheatre.com

Where Is Your Groom? II Taleen Babayan's sequel to her comedy about an Armenian American family; performed in English with some Armenian. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Next Sun., 6 p.m. $20-$50. (818) 243-2539. alextheatre.org

Critics' Choices

Andy Warhol's Tomato In this deftly staged debut, Vince Melocchi's two-hander imagines an encounter in 1946 Pittsburgh between 18-year old Warhol (only an aspiring commercial artist at that point) and a blue-collar barkeep harboring secret dreams of becoming a writer. Carefully researched factual accuracy notwithstanding, the play isn't so much a biographical portrait as a touching exploration of cultural division bridged by a fundamental human need to create. (P.B.) Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice. Sun., 7 p.m.; Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 3 p.m. ends Oct. 27. $25-$34. (310) 822-8392. pacificresidenttheatre.com

Fefu and Her Friends There are many reasons to recommend the new production of María Irene Fornés' feminist theater classic, but chief among them is the rarity of this opportunity. This is play that's taught more often than it's performed — mostly because of the logistical difficulties it poses. Long before immersive theater was a trend, Fornés was experimenting with the form by having the middle section of "Fefu" take place in four different rooms. The audience breaks up into groups, with each group taking turns eavesdropping on a different set of characters. Director Denise Blasor handles this challenge ingeniously in a production that, fittingly for a work on the necessity of female community as a corrective to patriarchal culture, is distinguished by its teamwork. (C.M.) Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Ends Sun., 2 p.m. $32-$37. (310) 477-2055.OdysseyTheatre.com

The Gin Game Real-life husband and wife Alan Blumenfeld and Katherine James illuminate the darker loneliness and desperation beneath the comedy in D.L. Coburn's deceptively simple two-hander, providing an opportunity to see two of L.A.'s most accomplished actors at the top of their game. (P.B.) Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Ends Sun., 1 p.m. $10-$38; ages 4 and under, free. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com

Moby Dick — Rehearsed Director Ellen Geer and a cast of 19 imaginatively bring to life Orson Welles' 1955 adaptation of Herman Melville's philosophical whaling novel, constructing the Pequod of little more than a bit of rope and sending it into the rolling Atlantic. The ghostly title cetacean isn't physically manifested, but we see it nevertheless in the wonder and terror in the actors' eyes. (D.H.M.) Ends Sun., 4 p.m. $10-$42; 4 and under, free. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com

Witch Jen Silverman's delightful and provocative "riff" on a Jacobean tragicomedy, "The Witch of Edmonton," opens the Geffen Playhouse's 2019/2020 season, starring Maura Tierney in the title role of Elizabeth Sawyer, whom the villagers believe (wrongly) to be a witch. The devil, a smooth-talking salesman, happens to be in the area, shopping for souls in a dysfunctional noble family. He approaches Elizabeth with a pitch, assuming she'll jump at the chance to take revenge on her accusers. When she hesitates, he's intrigued, and the two develop an unexpected rapport, hanging out all night talking about the big issues — gender roles, the meaning of life, and whether human society will ever get any better or whether it might be time to toss it out and start again. Silverman's zingy script gives the design team and the lively, charming cast endless opportunities to amuse. (M.G.) Geffen Playhouse, Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. Ends Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. $30-$130. (310) 208-5454. geffenplayhouse.org

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