Epic Games enters the music market

Despite the fact that the most recent acquisition news in the world of video games has concentrated on the expansion of Microsoft and Sony. Today, however, it was Epic Games that startled us by announcing the acquisition of Bandcamp, a firm focused on a music platform rather than a video game developer.

Although none of the two parties has disclosed a figure for how much the deal could be worth or when the agreement would become effective, the negotiations have already concluded favorably.

As both firms have stated, their objective is to provide the most artist-friendly platform possible, allowing creators to keep the majority of their hard-earned money. Epic Games has stated that this action will assist the company in developing a "creative market ecosystem" built on "fair and open" platforms.

Bandcamp, for its part, will continue to maintain its independent store and community, with co-founder Ethan Diamond overseeing operations. However, Bandcamp has stated that they are already working "behind the scenes" with Epic to drive their international development on a variety of fronts, including mobile apps, payment systems, business tools, and search features.

While this move may come as a surprise to many, it is part of Epic Games' ongoing acquisition of creativity-related companies, including ArtStation, Cubic Motion, and Sketchfab. And it is that, in addition to its popular video game platform, the company now develops visual effects tools for shows like The Mandalorian, as well as the development of creative platforms.

Bandcamp will also try to extend its vinyl making and shipping service, which has been operational since 2019 and is rapidly growing, under the cover of Epic Games. Although, as a complement to its previous acquisition of the video chat business Houseparty, it will also make use of and strengthen other services such as live broadcasts with tickets for musicians.

Also interesting: Spotify Car Thing

Years after the release of its mobile app and its simplified mode for vehicles, Spotify has finally released the "Car Thing," a new proprietary device with a small smart screen and hands-on capabilities, comparable to a smartphone or GPS device. We can use it to immediately access and control our music playback and other stuff on the platform for free.

However, it is not a completely self-contained device, as it will need to be associated with and within range of a smartphone with a Spotify Premium subscription in order to function. This implies that, despite the fact that it does not require any access or new ports, the Spotify Car Thing will consume our phone's mobile data.

As a result, we may use simple voice commands like "Next song," "Pause," or "Play" to operate directly without having to let go of the steering wheel or take our eyes off the road. Spotify Car Thing, on the other hand, takes voice control to the next level by allowing users to make more advanced requests such as "Show comparable artists" or "Shuffle tracks I like." The four buttons can be set to instantly display your favorite playlists and can be customized to your liking.

On the other hand, it emphasizes the fact that, according to the brand, after we detach the device, the music will automatically continue to play on your phone, rather than pausing as it does with other Bluetooth devices such as headphones.

So we get to the most significant aspect of this device: its cost. And it is that the Spotify Car Thing will be available for a not-so-cheap price of $90 in the United States (the only place where it will be available for the time being).