In our latest Bulldog wrapup:

  • Apple Music’s trial draws 11 million users
  • Facebook launches streaming – but it’s limited to celebrities
  • Sentinel beefs up power at its Durham data center
  • Watch out for new chip card charges

The details:

  • Apple Music has more than 11 million members

Apple says more than 11 million people have signed up for a trial of its music streaming service since it launched on June 30.

The three-month trial membership is free. After that, individuals can pay $10 a month, while families of up to six people can pay $15 a month for unlimited access to Apple Music on their devices. Apple says 2 million people have signed up for the family plan trial.

In addition to the streaming subscription plan, Apple Music also includes a free Internet radio station and a media platform for artists to upload songs and videos for fans.

In comparison, popular music streaming service Spotify has more than 20 million paying subscribers.

  • Facebook launches streaming

Facebook on Wednesday launched its own Facebook Live streaming service. It’s similar to others such as Merrkat and Periscope.

It’s also limited to celebrities.

“Currently, the feature is available only to VIPs, which Facebook describes as “athletes, musicians, politicians and other influencers.” In other words, anybody with a verified account,” VentureBeat reports.

  • Sentinel adds voltage substation at Durham data center

Sentinel Data Centers has added a dedicated transmission voltage substation at its massive data center in Durham. It’s the first such substation for a data center hosting multiple tenants, according to the company.

Sentinel worked with Duke Energy on the project.

“The resiliency profile of the new NC-1 substation materially enhances our core offerings to the most discerning large enterprises,” said Todd Aaron, Co-President of Sentinel Data Centers. “Our ability to provide a truly differentiated utility solution resonates deeply with those users who require 100% uptime and appreciate the fundamental underpinnings of high availability.”

  • Chip cards? Small business owners unaware of planned changes

A majority of small-businesses owners are unaware of an impending shift that could leave them liable for fraud committed with a new generation of chip-imbedded credit cards.

That’s the finding of a survey by Wells Fargo & Co., which asked 600 small-business owners about the Oct. 1 deadline to get card readers and software to handle the new credit cards. Retailers and other businesses without equipment to handle the cards could be liable starting Oct. 1 if a customer commits fraud with a chip card.

But in the Wells Fargo survey, only 49 percent of owners of businesses that use card readers for transactions said they were aware of the deadline.