Apple May Be Producing Exclusive Apple Music Content In-House

[dusk007]

End of the day, this is a bad idea for consumers. Once Spotify starts paying for exclusives, and Vevo starts paying for exclusives, and Google starts paying for exclusives, and the artists behind Tidal make all their work exclusive, and Facebook gets into the ring and starts paying for exclusive, you'll need potentially 6 monthly service charges to access all the music you want because everything will be broken up all over the place.

I don't see that ever becoming a problem. All the music that is actually good enough to be interesting won't be exclusive. That is just some extra stuff people that are fans of specific musicians want. I could not care less. That is also why I like Spotify more artist agnostic approach to music discovery much better. I hope they don't waste money on any of this exclusive nonsense. Tidal should focus on that stuff but the remaining services should not bother IHMO.
If they do it is just wasted fees.

My idea is that I pay for spotify and everything that is not good enough to be on there, I won't miss. There is sooo much music I can never listen to everything. I don't even understand why they bother to make more music soooo much is already there worth listening to. That is why I find exclusives so completely unattractive, there is more than plenty of alternatives. I am also not a sucker for mainstream music and I guess that helps.

 

[NightFox]

In addition to M.I.A.'s forthcoming music video, Pitchfork, which is an Apple Music Curation Partner...

Can someone please tell me what an "Apple Music Curation Partner" is?

 

[dusk007]

Well someone that curates playlists that you can see on the service.
Like in Spotify it is all kinds of people that have their playlists and you have access to them all. Apple seems to think only expert playlists matter and some experts only partner with them. Like a radio station, tv network, some artists, casters.
Personally I think curated playlists boring. I prefer the random based on actual peoples taste and playlists approach.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Ugh.

What a waste of money by Apple on such trash music.

I'm rolling in my bed.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Piracy will rise if everything is fragmented, all those "exclusives" have more to lose than gain.

 

[MikeSmoke]

Wait. Just wait. Until Apple builds and markets the ultimate car. Music streaming will then be a blip on the map.

 

[unattributed]

while it's interesting, music videos are really a thing of the past. People don't really watch them or care about them anymore. Music videos literally used to be a huge resource for discovering new bands and songs.... now you use.... you guess it... Apple Music.

Go over to YouTube. Look at the number of times music videos have been vi

While that is true, I think most people actually play those music videos on Youtube to be able to listen to the music instead of actually watching the music videos. So, my guess is that Gherkin is right. Although there might be still many many people actually watching music videos, my guess is that there are more people just "listening" to music videos. Youtube just happens to be a free site for videos that can be accessed from almost every device and is known by almost everybody. So, people looking for music, that don't own music themselves or have any music streaming service subscription, just hover to youtube to find their songs/music. The video coming altogether is just a plus and not important for most.

 

[andrea81]

Go over to YouTube. Look at the number of times music videos have been viewed.

Although I believe they are mostly listened, rather than viewed. Youtube is still one of the most accessible ways to have music for free, and probably the most well-known. The actual video can be left on the background.

 

[Hawk999]

It really is a double edged sword but as a current Apple Music listener I can't help but feel good about the exclusives when they're on this service.

I am in when they have exclusives on the new Behemoth and Melechesh albums. But somehow I do not see that happening.

 

[peterh988]

Anyone else sick of seeing Drake everywhere?

He seems to be shaping up to be one of the people the four stages of fame was created for.

1. "Get me Drake"
2. "Get me someone like Drake"
3. "Get me anyone but Drake"
4. "Who's Drake?"

Of course there are plenty more in all genres that fit in there.

 

[Someyoungguy]

I guess now we know the real reason for Apple's acquiring garages. There's no car.

 

[RickInHouston]

This sounds great. Right up apple's alley.

Music is all about marketing (the profitable bits) anyway.

They are probably out looking for the next Taylor Swift right now. Then they can kick the real Taylor Swift and her music off apple music for good!

 

[Infinitewisdom]

I love this move. Apple needs to move into content. It's the next logical step for a company with this much money. Especially for music and video streaming. That's how you win customers these days. Make content exclusive.

 

[TreyCox]

Eminem's short film music video was incredible and seemingly very expensive. I love that Apple is showing love to the hip-hop genre.

 

[RickInHouston]

This.....this is pretty dang HUGE. Apple basically is becoming its own label. They are hellbent on fixing the music industry so that it's awesome for BOTH the artists AND the consumers....and they will do it too.

I'm glad they are hellbent on fixing what they killed in the first place!

 

[knemonic]

In a way this is great since the musicians are like the customers and apple and spotify are fighting over them, so they're winning. Too bad it isn't their record labels that awarding them for their art. Just wish they got a bigger piece of the streaming revenue.

 

[Paradoxally]

Is Music really as big a deal as Apple is making it out to be? I don't get all this hype about Apple Music, Beats One radio, 24 hour DJ, @connect etc. I mean who cares?

Yes, of course it's a big deal. I ditched Spotify and now have my local library + Apple's huge collection available to me, anywhere, anytime.

I'm glad they are hellbent on fixing what they killed in the first place!

What? Apple SAVED the music industry back in 2003. If they had not come along the with iTunes Store, digital music would not be like you see it today.

Ugh.

What a waste of money by Apple on such trash music.

I'm rolling in my bed.

Trash is subjective. Apple is catering to young people, not people who are 40 years old and listen to oldies music everyday.

 

[oneMadRssn]

End of the day, this is a bad idea for consumers. Once Spotify starts paying for exclusives, and Vevo starts paying for exclusives, and Google starts paying for exclusives, and the artists behind Tidal make all their work exclusive, and Facebook gets into the ring and starts paying for exclusive, you'll need potentially 6 monthly service charges to access all the music you want because everything will be broken up all over the place.

Or we can go back to thepiratebay, which will conveniently aggregte all these exlusives in one easy place.

People don't pirate because it's cheaper. People pirate because it presents the least friction between wanting and getting it.

 

[Smigit]

Agreed. Before YouTube I'd stay up and watch (here in Australia) rage just for a new videoclip. Now, you can just click and find something within seconds. Still work as a promotional tool, as intended from their beginnings during The Beatles days, but I feel they've lost their immediate effect. They're now just a thing of the past. A lot of money for very little return, unless you're a massive act/brand.

All that shows is that the way people access music videos has changed to a more on demand model, not that the music video itself is irrelevant. There's many music videos on YouTube and the like that have millions of views, and arguably many a song still becomes popular based off the video vs the music itself being particularly great (the whole Gunghan Style and the dance that came with it in particular).

Given Apple Music has on demand Music Videos, it arguably will be competing some what with YouTube in this space, probably more directly than it is MTV, Rage etc.

 

[navaira]

I am so torn on this. Not that my opinion matters. But I can't help but think of Steve Jobs coming back to Apple when it was producing thirty or so different Macs and telling them to cut it down to four machines: two portable, two desktops, one for fun, one for work. It's almost as if they waited with baited breath for Steve to die so they could finally start making small iPads, big iPhones, laptops with one USB slot, Retina screens, non-Retina screens, re-introduce DRM, start a music streaming service etc. They are definitely thinking differently from Mr Jobs, that's for sure.

On the other hand I am totally excited about the M.I.A. video and the fact Janet Jackson is rumoured to curate a show on Beats One and you won't be able to unglue me from Apple Music when those two happen.

 

[rctlr]

I think we will be seeing the end of people buying albums. 97% of downloads went towards the charts here in the UK.
Artists will start making content in smaller packages. Like EPs.
I remember Ian Astbury from The Cult saying that kind of thing about 4 years ago.

 

[Rogifan]

I knew it. When I watched Pharrells video, it very clearly looked like an Apple produced video. Then the description about "striking imagery" sounded very much like an Apple thing. And then with Eminems video, how Em is calling it a "music film" I instantly knew that was Apple again. Apple are the ones who pretentiously call all of their videos "films" now.

This is awesome. Baby steps into producing their own content in-house. Whether for the future ATV or Music. Imagine if Apple produced their own artists and music as well. They could produce the music, and put it out to the world through Apple Music. Apple could be the record label, distributor, and pop culture destination where people discover the music. Apple Music could be THE music industry.

Wow I didn't know Jimmy was a MacRumors poster.

 

[Rogifan]

I guess now we know the real reason for Apple's acquiring garages. There's no car.

Nah this music video stuff I'm sure is done in LA.

 

[Rogifan]

Eminem's short film music video was incredible and seemingly very expensive. I love that Apple is showing love to the hip-hop genre.

So when are they going to start showing love to something else? There is music besides hip-hop and rap.

 

[LucasEVille]

This.....this is pretty dang HUGE. Apple basically is becoming its own label. They are hellbent on fixing the music industry so that it's awesome for BOTH the artists AND the consumers....and they will do it too.

This 1000%, the quicker traditional record labels die the better for everyone.