Spotify Sees 400 Percent Increase in App Downloads After Free Streaming Launches

It’s been one week since Spotify announced it would allow anyone on an iOS or Android tablet or smartphone to use its music streaming app free of charge. And, it appears this was a good move for the company as far as growing its listener base. The streaming music service said Thursday that downloads of the app have increased by four times in the last week; this means four times as many people are downloading the app today compared with a week ago. While Spotify would not release specific numbers, it’s likely a hefty amount of people are downloading the app. In March, Spotify said it had surpassed 6 million subscribers, a gain of 1 million since December 2012, but it hasn’t updated its user numbers since then. Spotify also has more than 24 million active users in 55 markets worldwide. A year ago, the company’s service reached only 17 countries.

Read the full story at CNET.

Full Steam Ahead: Court Refuses to Rehear Case Against Aereo

In another victory for Aereo, the controversial TV-over-the-Web startup, a federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to rehear an earlier decision allowing the service to continue in the New York City area. Aereo, which is backed by IAC Chairman Barry Diller, uses antenna/DVR technology to let consumers watch live, local over-the-air television broadcasts on some Internet-connected devices, including the iPad and iPhone. That capability provoked a lawsuit from TV broadcast giants including NBC, ABC, and CBS (the parent of CNET), which allege that the service violates their copyrights and that Aereo must pay them retransmission fees. Today’s decision lets stand a ruling in April in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied a preliminary injunction (PDF) from the TV networks preventing Aereo from transmitting recorded broadcast television programs to subscribers.

Read the full story at CNET.

Popular iOS TV App Fanhattan Launches Online Version

There’s no shortage of places to watch your favorite TV shows and movies online, but trying to figure out who offers what can be a frustrating experience. Fanhattan made that task easier with its intelligent video-discovery iOS app, and now it’s expanding beyond mobile devices to the Web. Starting on Thursday, users can sign up for an email invite to try out the new Fanhattan website. But if you already use the iOS app, you can start using the site right away. As with the mobile app, you can search the Fanhattan website for a TV show or movie, and Fanhattan will not only show you which content providers offer what you’re looking for, but will also directly link you to those services. The company has partnered with 29 content providers, including Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, HBO and NBC, and has more than one million titles in its database.

Read the full story at All Things D.