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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Most expensive Spotify bills ever ‘incoming' as membership change ‘makes your songs sound even better for extra fee'
SPOTIFY bills are set to become more expensive than ever amid reports the global streaming service is moving forward with its long-awaited "lossless" audio feature. The new development was spotted by a reverse engineer who found multiple mentions of "lossless" in Wednesday's build of the Spotify desktop app. Advertisement 1 This is the first sign the 'lossless audio' service is still under development at Spotify These code snippets mainly refer to help cards that would appear to inform users about what the lossless tier offers and how to use or troubleshoot it. It's been more than four years since the company first announced its plans to launch a "lossless audio" tier that has yet to arrive. While there have been numerous leaks and teases from company execs, this is the first sign the service is still under development. Sites such as Tech Crunch are reporting that the code indicates the feature could even be getting closer to launch. Advertisement According Chris Messina, the engineer who uncovered the roll out, one card says, 'Lossless music, now in premium,' while another describes it as the 'best sound quality on Spotify for music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz'. Some of the cards warn users that particular songs aren't available in lossless or when their device has bad connectivity, which could affect playback. Another notes that lossless music is 'best enjoyed on devices compatible with In addition, Reddit user u/bendotlc noted that other changes were seen in the latest version of the mobile app, where the code now mentions lossless . Advertisement Most read in Tech Exclusive Exclusive How to save money on Spotify They wrote: 'Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.' The user claimed the feature is actually present in the app, but is currently disabled. Of course, code references don't mean the lossless feature is coming anytime soon. Leaks and code references have appeared before, and yet the high-quality audio tier never arrived. Advertisement When asked directly about lossless and other plans for premium tiers on recent earnings calls with investors, Spotify execs, including CEO Daniel Ek, would only hint that the company was investing in premium products for 'super fans'. They wouldn't give a time frame on when these or any other higher-quality streaming options would finally launch. Most recently, 'Now, with regards to higher tiers, we see great potential in them as we've mentioned before,' he said. 'So creating higher tiers around new offerings is something we are working towards as it really opens up new opportunities to delight users." Advertisement When Spotify first announced its plans for Spotify HiFi, as it was then called, in 2021, it said that the service would offer users music in 'CD-quality, lossless audio format.' It had run tests of a lossless option in the years before this, however. Eventually, Spotify pointed to licensing issues as the reason for its delay in launching. In what could be promising news on that front, the streamer signed new deals with labels including Warner Music and Universal Music Group in early 2025, which could pave the way for the lossless tier — or so music fans hope. Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun Bloomberg also reported earlier this year that a premium Music Pro tier would launch later in 2025, which would include high-quality streaming, remixing, and other features. Spotify declined to comment on the Bloomberg report. How fraudsters use AI and bots to squeeze royalties out of Spotify, Deezer and the rest Fraudsters are flooding Spotify, Apple Music and the rest with AI-generated tracks, to try and hoover up the royalties generated by people listening to them. These tracks are cheap, quick and easy to make, with Deezer estimating in April that over 20,000 fully AI-created tracks – that's 18% of new tracks – were being ingested into its platform daily, almost double the number in January. The fraudsters often then use bots, AI or humans to endlessly listen to these fake songs and generate revenue, while others are exploiting upload services to get fake songs put on real artists' pages and siphon off royalties that way. Aurelien Herault, Chief Innovation Officer, Deezer, said: 'AI generated content continues to flood streaming platforms like Deezer, and we see no sign of it slowing down. "Generative AI has the potential to positively impact music creation and consumption, but we need to approach the development with responsibility and care in order to safeguard the rights and revenues of artists and songwriters, while maintaining transparency for the fans. "Thanks to our cutting-edge tool we are already removing fully AI generated content from the algorithmic recommendations.'
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Pregnant Georgia Harrison leads stars at Boohoo's summer party as Princess Andre and Joey Essex turn out for the event
PREGNANT Georgia Harrison lead the stars last night at Boohoo's summer party. The glowing star, 30, was joined by a whole host of celebrities including Princess Andre and Joey Essex, as the stars turned out for the event. Advertisement 10 Georgia Harrison cradled her bump as she led the stars at Boohoo's summer party Credit: Click News and Media 10 Princess Andre looked stunning in her pink dress Credit: Click News and Media 10 Arabella Chi looked stunning - just weeks after giving birth Credit: Click News and Media 10 Joey Essex was also spotted at the party Credit: Click News and Media The fashion brand pulled out all the stops for their Martinis At Sundown summer party in London last night. The stars were treated to cocktails and canapes, and also a surprise performance from Not wanting to miss out on this incredible party, the celebrities flocked to the event. All the stars were decked out in the latest Boohoo clothes. Advertisement Read more on star parties She was joined by her Love Island: All Stars co-star The new mum, who Another Love Island star there was Joey Essex, 34, who opted for a white t-shirt and jeans. Advertisement Most read in Celebrity Exclusive Exclusive Other past Islanders at the event included She looked stunning in her yellow summer dress, as she had a night out without Love Island: All Stars winners Princess Andre looked stunning in a pink dress, as she headed into the party with step-mum Advertisement The teenage daughter of Peter Andre and Katie Price looked effortlessly chic in her nude heels as she joined fellow stars at the showbiz bash. Meanwhile, The pair - who have a close bond - posed together sweetly on the red carpet . 10 Love Island OG Megan Barton Hanson joined in on the fun Credit: Click News and Media Advertisement 10 Talia Storm went ultra glam for the occassion Credit: Click News and Media 10 Princess was at the event with her step-mum Emily Andre Credit: Click News and Media 10 Love Island couple Molly Smith and Tom Clare enjoyed the evnt Credit: Click News and Media 10 Harriett Blackmore looked stunning in her yellow dress Credit: Click News and Media Advertisement 10 The stars were treated to a performance by Craig David Credit: Instagram
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jessica Hecht Explains How She Was Nearly Cast As Monica in 'Friends' (Exclusive)
Jessica Hecht Explains How She Was Nearly Cast As Monica in 'Friends' (Exclusive) originally appeared on Parade. There's an alternate version of history where the cast of friends includes Jessica Hecht. The prolific actress, who was recently nominated for her third Tony Award for Eureka Day, was nearly cast as Monica instead of Courteney Cox. "Can you believe that?" Hecht says laughing about the sliding doors theory while chatting with Parade in our New York studio, although she admits that she thinks she was "a total backup." 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 "I knew the casting director from high school," Hecht says, telling the story of her audition. "I grew up in a small town near Hartford, Connecticut called Bloomfield. There was nobody else. The only other person from my town who's an actor or has anything to do with entertainment is Anika Noni Rose. But there was this woman, Ellie Kanner. I was out in Los Angeles, and my agent said, 'Oh, I sent your picture into this casting director for Friends. There's one part, they're not sure if the actor will take. They want to still look at some other actors, and I think she knows you from high school.' So I went in, mostly excited to see Ellie Kanner, and then they started to read me for Monica." Obviously, Hecht didn't end up booking the role, which went to Cox instead. "I think looking at me back then, I'm tall and I just had a bigger size than the rest," Hecht says, regarding why she wasn't ultimately cast. "Now I look at it, and I think how perfect Courteney was, I would have been more of a Lisa, just physically and energetically." Fans of Friends will, however, recognize Hecht as Susan Bunch, the new girlfriend of Ross's ex-wife Carol. "They just couldn't figure out how to make Susan work," Hecht says about her casting, "Because they – well, it's terrible. But they just wanted a lesbian that didn't look exactly like lesbians had previously, let's be honest." "Use your imagination!" Hecht continues laughing, "They're wonderful. They come in all sizes." Related: Hecht appeared on 13 episodes of the series, making her debut in the second episode of Season 1. She filmed many of her episodes before the series became the juggernaut it would eventually become. "If you're at the very beginning, you don't know what it's going to be. So you're just there trying to help them figure out what the show is. And you don't feel the weight of its history, because it has no history, and you don't know what it'll be," Hecht says of working on that first season. "In Friends, it's not that it was casual, but the show was not iconic by any stretch. So I had more creativity, and I had more of a sense of just trusting my gut about what I wanted to do with this character. And Jane Sibbett, who played my beautiful wife, we were so locked into each other, so it was mostly about our energy together. The actors were awesome, but nobody had that confidence yet, so it was a very delicious time." It is crazy to think about how different Hecht's life would be now if she were one of the six titular "friends." But perhaps then she wouldn't have three Tony nominations to her name either!Jessica Hecht Explains How She Was Nearly Cast As Monica in 'Friends' (Exclusive) first appeared on Parade on Jun 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Irish Sun
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Arabella Chi reveals parenting struggle as she's left home alone with new baby daughter just days after giving birth
ARABELLA Chi has opened up on facing her first parenting struggle after being left home alone by her partner just days after giving birth. The model and Love Island alum delighted fans when she confirmed Advertisement 5 Arabella Chi has revealed her parenting struggle after being left to look after her daughter alone Credit: Instagram 5 It is hers and Billy's first baby Credit: Instagram 5 But now the star has been forced to parent alone Credit: Instagram Now, in a brand new Instagram snap, Arabella has opened up about the hardships of being a first time mum, especially since Billy had to leave her to parent alone. Confirming he had jetted off to work, the star revealed she'd found it "challenging" having to look after the tot on her own. Cradling her in a brand new mirror selfie, the ex of Ruben Dias declared: "One tired mumma." She added: "Billy has been away for work this week which has been challenging but has also given me so much confidence in getting out the house alone. Advertisement Read More on Arabella Chi "Can't wait for another pair of hands and to have a long shower when he's home." The 34-year-old gave birth to her first child less than a month ago. She confirmed she was expecting shortly after she went public with her romance with Billy which They begun dating just weeks after she took part in the first ever All Stars edition of Love Island early last year. Advertisement Most read in Love Island Exclusive Exclusive Confirming their tot's arrival at the end of May, Arabella uploaded a black and white snap of Gigi to her profile. She added the caption: "Our worlds are complete. Pregnant Love Island star Arabella Chi shows off huge bump as she lifts weights in the gym "Gigi Harper Henty, 20/05/2025, 6.2 lbs." She was recently Advertisement Arabella had chronicled her fitness journey throughout her pregnancy and clarified that her post was a means of continuing her regular content and not to be insensitive towards women struggling with their bodies just a few days after giving birth. She said online: "I was amazed that my body did bounce back as quickly as it did and I am proud of myself." "I was proud that all that training I had done had paid off and to inspire other people that if you train safely throughout your pregnancy it does make a difference." Arabella concluded by writing: "Don't get me wrong, post partum isn't always glamorous, most days I'm covered in sick, milk, blood or poo. But it's also nice to share the small wins on here." Advertisement Arabella first shot to fame on series five of Love Island in 2019. Love Island All Stars break-ups Anton Danyluk and Georgia Harrison Fans had hoped the popular pair would stand the test of time but just weeks after leaving the villa they called it a day. Distance was said to be a factor with 400miles between their homes in Essex and Aidrie, Scotland, respectively. But today He said: 'I just don't think there was really that romantic spark there. We did both try. At times it was there but just not enough for it to continue as a relationship.' Jess Gale and Callum Jones The fourth placed finishers always faced on uphill battle given many watching the latest series wanted Callum to reunite with his ex Molly Smith. The fireworks from the Boohoo party row put an end to the romance before it really got off the floor. Arabella Chi and Adam Maxted This visually striking pairing bloomed late in the series. Despite forming a close bond in the villa, the couple quickly went cold in the real world. Wrestler Adam was based in Northern Ireland while model Arabella moved into a new pad in London. Even though Adam revealed he was moving to Manchester, it wasn't enough to save them. They vowed to remain good friends and split on good terms. Luis Morrison and Demi Jones In another case of distance getting in the way, Luis admitted the 240 miles between Manchester and Portsmouth was just too much. He told The Sun: 'Me and Demi aren't together, but she was a huge part of my Love Island experience and she is one of the most loveliest, most beautiful girls I've ever met. 'The connection was definitely there when leaving the villa too. "But the distance was a killer for us both and wouldn't of worked as we are both at different parts of the country, we both have really busy schedules coming off love island too.' 5 Billy has left Arabella for work Credit: Instagram 5 The model commanded attention when she appeared on Love Island in 2019 Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Jessie J, 37, reveals she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery in days
JESSIE J has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery in days. The 37-year-old's shock revelation comes just a month after the release of her songs "No Secrets" and "Living My Best Life". Advertisement In an emotional post on Instagram she told fans: "I was diagnosed with early breast cancer." She added: "Cancer sucks in any form, but I'm holding on to the word 'early." The singer said she would be undergoing surgery after performing at the Summertime Ball in London on June 15. "It's a very dramatic way to get a boob job," she joked. Advertisement Read more on Showbiz She said: "One, because, selfishly, I do not talk about it enough. "I'm not processing it because I'm working so hard. I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories. I'm an open book." The Grammy nominee, who also shared her ADHD and OCD diagnoses with fans earlier this year, added that she hoped to show solidarity with other cancer patients. Advertisement Most read in Showbiz Exclusive Exclusive She said: "It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse—that's the bit that kills me." Referring to her latest tracks "No Secrets" and "Living my Best Life" she said "you can't make it up" - explaining she had no idea about her diagnosis at Her post read: "No (more) Secrets and is it too soon to do a remix called 'Living my breast life'? All jokes aside (You know it's one of the ways I get through hard times) This last 2 months have been so amazing, and having this go on along side it on the sideline's has given me the most incredible perspective. BUT… Your girl needs a hug. Advertisement "Also not getting massive tits. Or am I? No no… I must stop joking." 1 Jessie J announced to fans she has been diagnoses with breast cancer Credit: Getty
