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Major label execs "fear" Apple

Posted by aubin on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 11:00 AM (EST)

According to a New York Times report, many music industry executives operate in fear of angering Apple. Apple's online digital music store has become the defacto standard for digital music online, while CD sales plummet.

The dynamic is interesting because the record companies used to be able to dictate everything from supply to price, but the unusual power of the Apple store has made this kind of control over the industry much more difficult for the music labels and given Apple significant bargaining power.

It is an interesting bit of irony after many years of artist complaints about the uneven bargaining power of major labels and the one-sided royalty system.

Games and Technology (59 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. Seriously.

foldskool (February 3, 2009)

I hope the Major Labels DIE!

1+ Reply

JayTee (February 3, 2009)

Even if you're being facetious, I agree.

miniblindbandit (February 3, 2009)

Apple's a bully.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid= aon_lTSxUQxI

2+ Replies

ConsumedByMusic (February 3, 2009)

i agree, but you gotta look at the greater 'evil' in the music biz sense. I hate all the artsy fuckers who worship Apple when they have their own downfalls. Microsoft may not have invented anything and mass produced everything, but apple is the exact opposite, they claim to invent stuff, then keep it as a closed niche product on purpose so they can overcharge you

The_Wayfarer (February 3, 2009)

I wouldn't call it overcharging. But I think it's silly to lean either way. It's possibly to be neutral, is it not? And just use each for what they're intended for. Apple is great for multimedia work and such, and that's my business, so I use them. But Windows is great in their own right. Their new OS should be awesome, I'm beta testing it as we speak. In any case, any dissent to the monopoly that is Microsoft sounds good to me. And I think CDs should die out in favor of mp3s, just so long as we keep the vinyl!

royalt (February 4, 2009)

Here here on the vinyl/mp3 part!

AnarchyPants (February 3, 2009)

How do you like them apples?

2+ Replies

Ravnos (February 3, 2009)

Applesauce, bitch.

AnarchyPants (February 3, 2009)

Correct answer!

el_matt (February 3, 2009)

Fuck paying for mp3's

2+ Replies

scientistrock (February 3, 2009)

fuck mp3s

baldsteve (February 3, 2009)

Mp3s are responsible for you having the "lost" Mummies record.

scientistrock (February 3, 2009)

fuck the mummies

crackpotdemagogue (February 3, 2009)

death to you... by UNGA BUNGA

scientistrock (February 3, 2009)

I ain't Never Been Caught

The_Wayfarer (February 3, 2009)

Fuck CDs. Long as vinyl's still around, I could care less what happens to those overpriced throwing discs.

mill83 (February 3, 2009)

I'm playing the world's smallest violin for the music exec's right now.

4+ Replies

JayTee (February 3, 2009)

I'm downloading that violin for 0.99.

Gotyoback bro.

miniblindbandit (February 3, 2009)

im playing the world's smallest pong game.

StuckInBielers (February 3, 2009)

I'm playing with myself

Grue (February 4, 2009)

World's smallest dick?

actually_OFFENDS_me (February 3, 2009)

Another thing that actually OFFENDS me, which is hard to to these days, are the people who are pissed that musicians make money. The strange, slow, old people on punknews.org and the few annoying stragglers on this website.

2+ Replies

ilovelamp (February 3, 2009)

this is getting a tad annoying.

royalt (February 4, 2009)

wah wah, I love it

the_other_scott (February 3, 2009)

i'm surprised more indie labels aren't pissed at apple for the same reason. you'd think they would be even more concerned about one retailer dictating prices.

3+ Replies

get_crazylady (February 3, 2009)

That would make sense, but some of them just want their music out there.

squelch84 (February 3, 2009)

Well, I think the reason you don't hear about it as much is because a lot of indie labels don't exist solely to make money. A lot of indie labels are run by people who just want to put out records for their friends and bands they like.
Perfect example: Justin from Underground Communique. The guy has a day job and as far as I know, has never really made any money putting out records. He does it cuz he's the perpetual music fan and pretty much everybody's best friend. Solid dude.

Point is, indies exist with slightly different motives than the majors with less at stake if they don't put out a record for six months or a year.

the_other_scott (February 3, 2009)

having worked directly with both indies and majors, i disagree. many people that i know that work at major labels love music, and love what they do. they are less concerned with money than you would think.

on the other side, some indie labels - whether they intended to or not - do make money, and because of that have employees that depend on their financial success for employment.

Preston (February 3, 2009)

This is the real reason to fear The Apple:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BY9cvgrP1c

CCSummers (February 3, 2009)

I know a little secret that can you get you mp3s for FREE

2+ Replies

scientistrock (February 3, 2009)

is it called the internet?

CCSummers (February 3, 2009)

why yes, yes it is

OldBeard (February 3, 2009)

Internet, eh?

Dante3000 (rich) (February 3, 2009)

They have the internet on computers now?
-Dante

dlangl4 (February 3, 2009)

Dante made me laugh. Six more weeks of winter. Yay.

scientistrock (February 3, 2009)

I fear apples because of the worms.

get_crazylady (February 3, 2009)

Apple rules the world! People just need to cool their jets, its about time someone put fear into the hearts of the big wigs in the industry. Of course it isn't that awesome, now artists have to worry about not only their labels stealing from them, but iTunes too. BUY CDs people.. digital music is for the birds!

2+ Replies

The_Wayfarer (February 3, 2009)

Fuck CDs.

squelch84 (February 3, 2009)

CDs ARE digital music.

JayTee (February 3, 2009)

I hope to live in a world without rockstars someday.

At some point, people have to just stop getting paid enough to have their grandkids not have to work, all because they "wrote" a catchy single with a stupid catchphrase, did a buncha drugs and dropped out of the public eye.

3+ Replies

scientistrock (February 3, 2009)

I don't know that all that many rock stars' grandkids don't have to work. Blow and herpes meds don't come cheap.

JayTee (February 3, 2009)

Feh, so pedestrian. Black Tar Heroin and AIDS is where it's at.

xote (February 4, 2009)

Your just mad becuase you are not a rockstar.

Rob-o (February 3, 2009)

Hahaha, you will all be without music when your ipods die and computers crash. Your precious libraries will be gone! A large collection of cds is a "sound" backup plan.

1+ Reply

JayTee (February 3, 2009)

Then the sun will distort them all and your dog will get to them and scratch them! Muahaha!

brentmills (February 3, 2009)

Mr. Card of Forrester, however, has a different take. “If it weren’t for Apple, God knows how bad the music industry would be,” he said.

LULZ.

1+ Reply

drugmoney (February 3, 2009)

so it could be worse? i dont rather to rejoyce or cry

SkolarX (February 3, 2009)

i hate to use him as an example of anything but kid rock seems to be doing ok without the help of itunes. just saying

4+ Replies

ConsumedByMusic (February 3, 2009)

yea cuz the army probably paid him a ton of money to do that god awful recruitment commercial that i had to watch at the movies.

nanobrontolo (February 3, 2009)

I guess the trick is to work in a genre whose fans are too dumb to use the internet. Maybe that's why country artists do so well.

SkolarX (February 3, 2009)

i honestly believe that's probably how he is managing

badbrain (February 3, 2009)

Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy diggy

deadelectromix (February 3, 2009)

Lee Ving?

1+ Reply

royalt (February 4, 2009)

There's too many apples.

Let's have an orange.

MattRamone (February 3, 2009)

It's been almost funny to hear people bitch about the "collapse" of thge music industry. People who used to make $10 million now make $3 million and think as a result the sky is falling. Boo fucking hoo.

1+ Reply

Ravnos (February 3, 2009)

The second paragraph of this sums up why I'm not terribly sympathetic towards any of these big labels. They piss away money left and right, and at one time they were able to do that and still make big money. Now they can't. How terrible for them.

Holy_Balls (February 3, 2009)

avoid the noid!

marsbar (February 4, 2009)

An Apple a day keeps the assholes away.

BloodDeathAndGlory (February 6, 2009)

Well... one tyrant is always replaced by another until a true revolution comes along...

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