This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today
1. Spotify unveils video streaming service to compete with YouTube, Apple Music
In a bid to reshape the fan-artist connection landscape, Spotify, the music streaming platform, has launched a video streaming service.
Charlie Hellman, Spotify’s Vice President and Head of Music Product confirmed this in a statement seen by Ripples Nigeria on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
The beta release, now available for assessment, features a curated selection of music videos showcasing global sensations like Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, alongside regional favorites such as Aluna and Asake.
The move poses a challenge to established leaders in the music video streaming realm, including YouTube and Apple Music.
Initially accessible to premium subscribers in select markets including the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya; the service spans across iOS, Android, desktop, and TV platforms, with notable exclusions being the U.S., home to the largest Spotify user base, and Nigeria, where local artists dominate Spotify’s Sub-Saharan Africa streaming charts.
Trivia: What type of software produces .MOD and .XM files?
A. Image editor
B. Word processor
C. Music tracker
D. CAD designer
See Answer below
2. ORA Technologies secures $1.5M seed funding
Morocco’s ORA Technologies has announced closing a $1.5 million seed funding round, led by local entrepreneurs.
Omar Alami, Founder and CEO, confirmed this in a statement seen by Ripples Nigeria on Thursday March 14th, 2024.
Founded in 2023 by Omar Alami, the ORA app encompasses a range of features, including P2P transactions, e-commerce services, on-demand functionalities, chat capabilities, social networking tools, and an upcoming digital wallet.
The injection of new capital will drive ORA’s initiatives to launch its e-wallet, facilitating instant money transfers through a partnership with M2T, a subsidiary of Banque Centrale Populaire.
The funding round builds upon a previous financing secured in November, where ORA secured $1 million in pre-seed funding from local private investors.
Omar expressed gratitude for the support from local entrepreneurs, emphasizing their role in advancing the company’s vision of digital and financial inclusion.
He said: “Our mission is clear: to provide e-commerce and digital payments to all Moroccans, bridging the gap between traditional and modern modes of commerce, and ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in the digital economy.”
Trivia Answer: Music tracker
A music tracker is a type of music sequencing software for arranging digital music. It allows composers to create music using sound samples and synthesized instruments using text and numbers in a spreadsheet-like grid.
While music trackers were most popular in the 1980s and 1990s, they are still used now by creators of chiptune music. Unlike full-featured DAW applications, music trackers present musical information as text
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