Apple Music sets date to end free steaming for iTunes Radio users
In a move that can only be viewed as an attempt to solidify its place in the music streaming market, Apple Music is set to move its formerly free iTunes Radio service over to the paid subscription based Apple Music.
Starting January 28, iTunes Radio will only be available to users who pay $9.99/month to subscribe to Apple Music, per a statement released by the company:
We are making Beats 1 the premier free broadcast from Apple and phasing out the ad-supported stations at the end of January. Additionally, with an Apple Music membership, listeners can access dozens of radio stations curated by our team of music experts, covering a range of genres, commercial-free with unlimited skips. The free three-month trial of Apple Music includes radio.
Though the move will surely draw the ire of some users, industry experts say it isn’t at all surprising. Since its launch, the goal was always to sway users in the direction of digital downloads and keep diehard music fans intertwined within the iOS system so that they wouldn’t venture off to other streamers such as Pandora and Spotify. Unfortunately for Apple, their plan didn’t work as well as they’d hoped mostly because iTunes Radio didn’t give users anything unique that they couldn’t find elsewhere.
The gamble now is that with iTunes Radio bundled into the Apple Music fold, the prospect of having commercial free radio like Pandora, as well as a complete on-demand streaming service for only $10 per month will prove irresistible to consumers.
Whether the gamble pays off remains to be seen, but Apple Music is doing just fine regardless.
Last week, the company reported having over ten million paid subscribers in less than seven months of being available. It took Spotify approximately six years to reach that plateau.
#EGGPLANTNATION! Rapper Ca$hout revisits The Nation!
Rapper Ca$hout is originally from Columbus, Georgia, and landed a hit in 2012 with his song “Cashin’ Out.” With lyrics that explored various ways that Ca$h Out was cashing out, “Cashin’ Out” seemed like the perfect way for the then-unknown rapper to quickly live up to his name by, yes, cashing out in the music industry and never being heard from again. Well after he unloaded these pics I’m sure he will be heard from soon enough! Wanna see?
GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! NSFW!
Thank us later!
#RHOA: Apollo Nida Reveals Which RHOA Co-Stars Are Being Supportive, & Even Filling His Commissary While He’s Behind Bars!
Apollo Nida obviously has a lot of free time on his hands, so he decided to call TMZ over the weekend and blab from behind bars.
Apollo confessed most people he’s tried to call haven’t answered the phone, giving him a clear picture of who is really there for him. He also revealed a constant source of support in his life since he turned himself into prison; Kandi and Todd Tucker.
Apollo himself is shocked to be on such great terms with his reality co-stars turned friends, given his wife Phaedra’s falling out with former BFF Kandi. I don’t think it’s shocking however, Todd and Apollo formed a genuine friendship, and Kandi isn’t one to kick you when you’re down.
Even juicier; the Tucker’s have been keeping Apollo’s commissary full, it really does pay to have rich friends! Between Kandi, Todd, and TMZ Apollo is rolling in the prison dough!
Thoughts on Kandi and Todd still supporting Apollo while he’s in prison? Are you surprised they’re giving him money?
New Music: Tank – ‘Relationship Goals’
Those late night calls that’ll have him “coming to break you off,” Tank lets his love interest know “this could be us,” on his new song – “Relationship Goals” – a play on the hashtag floating around social media.
“Girl we all alone, let me hear you moan.. louder,” he sings on the seductive cut. “This could be us, I’m with anything you wanna do.”
LISTEN HERE
“Relationship Goals” appears on the R&B crooner’s upcoming album, Sex, Love & Pain II – due out on Jan. 22nd, and available for pre-order on iTunes now.
R.I.P! Glenn Frey, Eagles founder, dies aged 67
Glenn Frey, Eagles guitarist, has died at the age of 67 in New York.
The founding member of the US rock group had been suffering from intestinal problems for several months and had surgery in November.
The band announced his death on their website.
“Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia,” a statement read.
“The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery.
Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide.”
Frey was born in Detroit and moved to Los Angeles with his then girlfriend in the late 1960s and began writing songs and performing. He briefly shared an apartment with Jackson Browne, with whom he wrote many songs.
After meeting Henley in 1970, the pair formed Eagles and released their self-titled debut two years later.
The band was wildly successful in the 1970s, selling some 100m albums in the US alone, and a further 50m worldwide.
The 1976 release Hotel California is perhaps their best known, although the Greatest Hits album of the same year was, for a time, the best-selling album in US music history, certified platinum 29 times..
Frey had a successful solo career in the 1980s with hits including The Heat Is On, which featured on the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy film Beverly Hills Cop, and You Belong to the City from the TV show Miami Vice.
His most recent album, After Hours, was released in 2012.
SNEAKER FIENDS! The Air Jordan XXX Revealed [Photos] #AJXXX
The Air Jordan XXX was revealed today at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
Tinker Hatfield, and Mark Smith, once again designed the top of the line basketball shoe. The shoe started with the Mr. Cosmos image (see below) that Hatfield created and didn’t move forward until Jordan himself gave him the thumbs up.
See detailed images of the new Air Jordan XXX below.
The shoe is lighter than the Air Jordan 29 and has a woven upper. The FlightSpeed tech was “refined” from the previous model and the smooth toe cap features the Jumpman logo.
The latest signature shoe bearing Michael Jordan’s name, which will be rocking by Russell Westbrook, will be available on February 12—just in time for NBA All-Star Weekend.
Lil Wayne & Birdman Perform Together At LIV
Lil Wayne filed a $51 million lawsuit against his father figure last January and Birdman was said to have conspired to kill Lil Wayne.
Birdman and Lil Wayne performed together at LIV nightclub in Miami according to TMZ.
"This my motherfucking son and Ima die for him," Birdman says to the crowd in a video captured by the website. "Ima live for him and Ima motherfucking kill for him. Ya hear me? That ain't never gonna change, fucker. It's YMCMB for life."
The two were spotted together at Drake's New Year's Eve party a few weeks ago and Mack Maine says he is trying to get them to resolve their issues with each other.
Birdman, who Lil Wayne often refers to as a father figure, was named in an indictment for conspiring with Young Thug to kill Lil Wayne when Weezy's tour bus was shot in April.
WATCH HERE
In January 2015, Lil Wayne filed a $51 million lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money Records for delaying the release of Tha Carter V.
Cher Sends Over 181,000 Bottles Of Clean Water To Flint During Lead Poisoning Crisis
Singer Cher is sending thousands of clean water to Flint, Michigan to help with the disastrous lead poisoning crisis caused by the inept local government. According to People Magazine:
The water will arrive at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, according to the release, and the bank “will immediately begin the distribution process to those who need it most for drinking, cooking and washing.”
“The water will go directly to community centers, food banks and fire houses focusing in on low income housing areas,” according to the release.
“This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country,” Cher said in the release, adding, “I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned.”
On Saturday, President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint, sending $5 million in federal aid in support of a solution to the crisis, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The lead poisoing crisis is affecting Flint, Michigan which has a mostly Black and Hispanic community…
The Michigan state government had also asked Obama to declare a disaster, though the administration declined, as federal law does not allow man-made catastrophes to be considered “disasters,” according to the Free Press.
Experts say the tap water in Flint became contaminated after the city, in a cost-cutting move, temporarily switched its water source to the Flint River, according to CNN.
A far more corrosive source, which was not treated properly as it flowed through the city’s service lines, the Flint River leached lead from the pipes that poured it into people’s homes, according to CNN.
A number of children in the city have already suffered lead poisoning, whose effects from exposure are irreversible.
Director Michael Moore added his thoughts on the racist crisis in his hometown…
Cher begged other celebrities to donate as well:
You can help as well!
GOOD NEWS! Sylvester Stallone Confirms ‘Creed’ Sequel Is Happening
*Sylvester Stallone and MGM CEO Gary Barber tell Variety in an exclusive interview that a sequel to “Creed” is definitely a go. However, whether or not Ryan Coogler will be back to direct is unknown, as he’ll most likely be tied up for the next two years working on “Black Panther” for Marvel and Disney.
“There’s no doubt that we’re making a ‘Creed 2,’ Barber said, with Stallone suggesting that Coogler may still serve as a produce on the sequel.
“I know Ryan is probably going to be gone for a couple years,” said Stallone, adding, “So there will be a quandary on: Do we work with another director and have Ryan produce, or do we wait? There’s a diminishing time acceptance of a sequel. Now they are cranking them out in a year.”
As for what the story will entail, Variety says: “One version of the story would take place in the past… bringing back Carl Weathers to play Apollo Creed, who died in 1985’s “Rocky IV.”
Stallone said that he “recently bumped into” Carl Weathers and he was impressed that the actor is still in “good shape.”
“You’ll have him face a different opponent, which I would say is a more ferocious, big Russian… You can start to meld my experiences and then you start to bring different cultures into it. And you can see what’s happening with the Russians today in America. The complication will come with the girl’s ambition, because she’s not Adrian. She has places to go, things to see, the clock is running on her hearing,” Stallone explained,
“The girl” he’s referring to is Tessa Thompson’s Bianca, a singer who ultimately becomes Creed’s love interest.
“Ryan has some ideas of going forward and backward and actually seeing Rocky and Apollo together,” Stallone said, adding, “Think of ‘The Godfather 2.’ That’s what he was thinking of, which was kind of ambitious.”
Read Stallone’s full Variety chat HERE
Did you know that Real Housewives of Potomac's Gizelle Bryant was married to megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant?
Gizelle Bryant, 45, is already the standout star of Bravo's latest entry in the Housewife franchise. And now she’s talking about ending her marriage after she discovered her husband cheated
She is already being billed as the sassy, standout star of new hit show The Real Housewives of Potomac.
But Gizelle Bryant has already been at the center of a marital drama every bit as salacious and sensational as some of the more memorable episodes in Real Housewives' history.
In the coming weeks viewers will watch as single mom Gizelle, 45, juggles a makeup business, charity work and a bustling social calendar as she raises three daughters in one of the country's most exclusive suburbs.
But they probably won't be privy to the full story of how her marriage to a prominent megachurch pastor crumbled around her amid lurid allegations of his extramarital affairs and illegitimate children.
Networker supreme Gizelle is one of six African American women who make up the cast of the latest Real Housewives installment, set in the wealthy Maryland enclave of Potomac, just outside Washington, D.C.
The glamorous former model is newly single and 'ready to flaunt that independence and make a name for herself,' according to a teaser on the Bravo website.
Gizelle's fresh start comes after her split from flash televangelist Jamal Bryant, 44, the founder of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, who last year briefly ran for Congress and delivered a eulogy at the funeral of Freddie Gray.
The pair enjoyed seven years of 'marital bliss' and have three children together - Grace, now aged 11, and twins Angel and Adore, both nine. But in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online, Gizelle says she had no hesitation in pulling the plug on her fairy tale marriage after it emerged her husband was cheating on her.
'There was infidelity. I found out about it and he told me about it,' she said. 'I decided I was not going to continue to stay in a relationship in which there was not a major commitment.
'I'm an old-fashioned girl and if you're going to commit, commit. But at this point in time it's so water under the bridge.'
'It was absolutely the worst of times. It was lonely and isolating.'
Gizelle grew up in D.C. and her father Curtis Graves served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973 and was a high-ranking official at NASA for three decades.
One of three siblings, she graduated from prestigious Hampton University, a private historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, in 1992 with a marketing degree before joining the NAACP as an events planner.
It was there that she met and began dating her future husband Jamal, a pastor's son, motivational speaker and rising star on the evangelical circuit. The pair were wed in 2002. He acknowledged a second daughter in 2007 after the girl's mother, Michelle Wedderburn, took the sharp-suited pastor to court to argue that he wasn't paying enough in child support.
Rev. Bryant openly denied a rumor printed in Ebony magazine as well as various online forums and gossip sites that was involved with a third woman, a 17-year-old female from his congregation who he had supposedly impregnated.
He would later insist it was 'categorically and completely untrue' in an open letter to Ebony magazine, who published the accusation in a March 2013 article on African-American scandals. Ebony later conceded that it was nothing more than an 'outrageous rumor'.
Amid a swirl of negative speculation, both Gizelle and her husband filed for divorce in early 2008, with Gizelle stating that she was an unemployed mother while her husband earned more than $350,000 a year.
In a January 9 petition she accused him of committing adultery, saying she had 'neither forgiven or condoned' his behavior and demanded a share of their assets and property along with custody of their children.
The petition was later withdrawn but Gizelle insists the pair did finalize their divorce in 2009 and says she has never reconciled with her philandering husband despite the pair remaining on surprisingly good terms.
'It was absolutely the worst of times,' added Gizelle. 'It was lonely and isolating, however I do have a strong support network of family and friends. I just leaned on them at that time.
'I'm not one to dwell on anything because I feel like we only have one shot at this thing called life. Life is too short to just be in a bad or a bitter place.
'So I moved on. He moved on. He's been doing some great things professionally. We were best friends when we got married and he and I are back at that place.
'We know that our kids are our number one priority and we make it work for them. We're doing a great job of co-parenting.'
The ladies are joining a long list of famous residents that has included Sylvester Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard, NBA legend Patrick Ewing and news anchor Wolf Blitzer.
'Myself and the rest of cast, we weren't living in LA wanting to be famous or wanting to be on the screen,' added Gizelle.
'We were literally living our lives, minding our business and then this opportunity came.
'So the authenticity that you see with me and the rest of my castmates is just that, we are strong confident women. We are not hungry for fame - nothing about his show is manufactured.'
‘Ride Along 2’ Cruises To No. 1 At The Box Office
Ride Along 2, starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, opened at No. 1 for the weekend with an estimated $34 million box office – ending Star Wars: The Force Awakens four-week run in the box office top spot.
According to Deadline, early Monday morning estimates project that Ride Along 2 will clear $41.5M through four-days at this point in time – with a FSS of $35.3M – putting its grosses a day behind Ride Along, which opened to $41.5M over three days (and finaled at $134.9M).
The Universal sequel is the sixth No. 1 opener for Kevin, seventh for director Tim Story, and the ninth for both actor Ice Cube and producer Will Packer.
Congrats!
The Celebs came out to The BMI Trailblazers Of Gospel Music Honors
Over the weekend there was a night of praise and worship at the 2016 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Honors held at the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta. The ceremony was a harmonious blend of performances and worship featuring the brightest young stars and iconic figures in Gospel music today. And it brought out one of our fave couples, Grant Hill and Tamia Hill.
Gorge. Tamia was tapped to perform during the show.
Gospel singer and former Trailblazer recipient Yolanda Adams looked amazing in this sparkly number as she posed it up all smiles on the carpet. She was tapped to host the event.
The gorgeous Deborah Cox kept it elegant in a black sequin gown with a train. Work!
Former reality star and R&B singer Keke Wyatt was looking snatched in a silver sparkly mini dress. Her post-baby bod -- and she has popped out SEVERAL babies -- is looking amazing. She hit the stage to pay tribute to gospel group Mary Mary.
Black love! Married couple and "Mann & Wife" stars David and Tamela Mann hit the carpet bringing the coupledom fab before hitting the stage. Their show has been renewed for season 2.
The Manns caught up with Keke on the carpet. We can only hope for a Tamela and Keke collab.
"Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Fields caught up with gospel singer CeCe Winans where they shared a few laughs on the carpet before Kim introduced her during the ceremony.
Legendary gospel singers and brother-sister duo BeBe and CeCe Winans were amongst the honorees of the evening.
Another sibling group being honored, Gospel singing duo Mary Mary were both slaying on the carpet.
Former reality star and R&B songstress Kelly Price strutted her stuff in a red hot high-low dress. She also took the stage to perform.
Gospel singer Kiki Sheard, who suffered a major wig slip a few months ago, looked fierce in black and white. She rocked out on stage with a lively performance.
Photos courtesy of @thephotomanlife
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘PJ PIMPS’
Probably beating the chicks off with sticks…or laser eyes in Superman’s case.
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!
EFREM
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