Prince's family planning memorial service to remember him 'the right way'

Prince's family is planning a memorial service to remember him in "the right way." 

In a statement obtained by Mashable, the family — half-siblings Alfred Jackson, John Nelson, Norrine Nelson, Omarr Baker, Sharon Nelson and sister Tyka Nelson — said that they will hold an official ceremony "in the near future." 

"We would like everyone to know that, contrary to previous and current reports, there has been no memorial, funeral or tribute service for Prince that was organized or authorized by the family or Paisley Park representatives," the family wrote in the Friday statement. "Together, the family is planning an official memorial service and public event to take place in the near future."

The statement continued: "Prince and his music influenced so many people that we feel inspired to celebrate his life and legacy in just the right way. We appreciate the public’s patience and have been comforted by your outpouring of love, support and condolences. We look forward to sharing with the world this celebration of, and farewell to, our Prince. Details will be coming soon." 

Reports had surfaced that a private ceremony was held last month at Paisley Park. 

Also on Friday, a judge authorized Prince's blood to be DNA tested as "parentage issues might arise." According to a court document (below), the testing can be used "for any purpose relevant to the administration of the Estate."

Prince Order by mashablescribd

On April 26 — five days after Prince's sudden death at age 57 — his younger sister, Tyka Nelson, filed to become executor of his estate, saying that he did not leave a will. 

Apple Music’s new student membership option discounts the service by 50%

Amid news that Apple Music is getting a makeover come this summer, Apple today launched a new plan to boost subscribers to its streaming music service and competitor to Spotify, SoundCloud, Tidal and others. It’s introducing an Apple Music student plan which will discount the service by 50 percent for those who are enrolled in an eligible college or university.

That means in the U.S., where an individual membership to Apple Music costs $9.99 per month, the student membership will be $4.99 per month instead.

The option isn’t just arriving in the U.S., though. Students in other countries, including the U.K., Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, will also be able to take advantage of the new membership option.

However, because Apple Music is priced slightly differently in other markets, the cost of the student membership will vary. But in all markets, it will be 50 percent off the standard subscription price.

The cost reduction will be available for up to four years following sign-up, and those years don’t have to be continuous. In other words, a student who takes breaks in between semesters can still sign up for a student membership when they return to school. In addition, those who are enrolled in Master’s programs are also able to sign up for a student membership, as it’s aimed at anyone attending college or university, regardless of degree.

The membership tier will be made available starting today to both new and existing subscribers who will be able to either sign up or change their membership from the web or the Apple Music mobile application for iOS and Android.

The company is also working with a leading student verification technology provider, UNiDAYS, to ensure that those who are signing up as students are actually enrolled at a supported school.

Apple Music, of course, has been plagued with complaints about its cluttered and unintuitive user interface (which is reportedly being addressed by a redesign) and it has struggled with issues and glitches where it has had caused songs to disappear from users’ hard drives, thanks again to its confusing and complex nature.

However, that hasn’t impacted its ability to grow – the service is nine months old now and isexpanding its subscriber base at a faster rate than Spotify. The company recently reported that it now has 13 million subscribers, up from 11 million in February this year.

Competitive pricing has contributed to this growth. While its individual plan is a par-for-the-course $9.99 per month, the Family Plan is $14.99 per month. This has made it the most affordable option on the market for multiple users, as it permits up to 6 people to stream. (For the same price, Spotify only allows 2 users to share an account, for comparison’s sake.)

The addition of yet another low-cost membership option will also likely have a similar impact on subscriber growth, as there are a number of budget-conscious students who may now choose to join Apple’s service.

Apple is no stranger to the power of the student discount, it should also be noted. The company already offers discounts on its hardware to those with a valid student ID. However, it not yet offered a similar discount on a software service.

The student membership is rolling out now in the available markets.

Children’s magazine Highlights reinvents itself as a subscription service with videos, activities

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember flipping through the classic children’s magazineHighlights while in the waiting room of your doctor’s office, many years ago. Now this long-running, 70-year old print magazine is making a serious attempt at transitioning into the digital age with the launch of a mobile, subscription-based service that costs less than a Netflix subscription. The company’s new app, Highlights Every Day, includes original videos, games, stories, and other activities for kids. And, as the name implies, it updates daily with new content.

The magazine makers announced their intentions to make the shift to mobile last summer, by partnering with San Francisco-based startup Fingerprint to help them develop a suite of free, paid and subscription-based apps and games that will accompany the print magazines – magazines that still have surprisingly have a larger circulation than Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair, thanks to over 2 million subscribers, the company said.

But print is the past, and today’s kids don’t spend time reading magazines. They’re tapping screens.

This is not Highlights’ first effort in the digital arena, we should note. The company introducedseveral games on the App Store, starting in 2010, but never was able to establish itself as a mobile brand. That’s why it brought in Fingerprint to help.

Founded by a former Leapfrog exec, Nancy MacIntyre, Fingerprint has its own library of kids’ mobile applications, as well as a framework that allows developers to integrate their own apps into Fingerprint’s platform, plus those of partners like Astro Play or Sylan Play. Its technology offers features that let developers track app statistics, while the app’s users are pushed recommendations, and parents can keep informed about their child’s learning progress.

Fingerprint’s usage has grown 10 times since January 2015, and it saw more than 15 million play sessions last month. Its newest app, Scribble Press Deluxe, was downloaded over 600,000 times in March and is being used in over 35,000 classrooms, to give you an idea of Fingerprint’s traction.

The company has also grown its network of content partners to include several big names in the digital arena, such as PBS Kids, Thup Games, and Cupcake Digital.

Meanwhile, its third-party app library is now up to 2,000 apps, up four times since the first quarter of 2015 and on track to double to 4,000 by year-end. Notably, it made a key addition on this front with Toca Boca, the most successful kids’ app developer worldwide with over 100 million downloads.

In other words, it has the experience to help Highlights finally make this leap.

However, parents may balk a bit at the price point for the new Highlights subscription service – $7.99/month – which feels a little high for an app that their children may not actually usedaily, despite the daily content additions. (Highlights says 5 new activities arrive each day).

It’s definitely an ambitious attempt at creating something that’s ultimately as sticky as Netflix, so it should be interesting to see how that pans out. I’m a bit doubtful they’ve nailed it, however.

Soft-launched in February while ironing out some kinks, the new Highlights Every Day appofficially debuted just last week, appealing to the Gen X parents who remember the mag from their own childhoods. The magazine is hoping to capitalize on that brand recognition, and for being known for its quality, educational content.

It’s also aiming to tap into the undercurrent of discontent that pains parents today – from all generations, but especially those who remember less digital childhoods. Kids spend so much time engaged with screens, that anything that claims to be better than digital “brain candy” is worth a look, many think.

To that end, Highlights Every Day delivers original videos, quizzes, fiction and non-fiction, puzzles and mazes, and its iconic “Hidden Pictures” game. As the content collection grows, kids can personalize their app by marking their favorites.

The app also offers a 7-day free trial, which will automatically convert to a subscription if you don’t disable auto-renew.

 

 

For what it’s worth, having looked at many of these kid-friendly mobile destinations over the years, ranging from “Netflix for kids”-esque services like Nickelodeon’s Noggin or Curious World, to more comprehensive destinations like PlayKids, Highlights’ attempt falls more squarely in the “edu-tainment” camp.

Its content is engaging, but much of it is also very informative (e.g. lessons on dinosaurs, read to the child). That’s not a bad thing, of course! But with fewer videos than rivals (and its videos tend to be short form, like kids telling jokes), it may have a hard time grabbing kids’ attention during screen time sessions in a world where YouTube and its many engaging stars already exist.