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In a series of tweets shared this morning, artist Chance the Rapper gave some insight into how Apple Music exclusives work for artists. His mixtape, Coloring Book, was an Apple Music exclusive for two weeks after it launched in 2016.

To garner exclusive rights to Coloring Book, Chance the Rapper says Apple paid him a total of $500,000 and funded a commercial designed to promote the new album. In exchange, Apple had sole access to offer Coloring Book for a two week period, at which point it became available on other music services.

Apple has done multiple exclusive launches since the debut of Apple Music in 2015, but until now, there's been very little insight into what Apple offers artists to entice them to offer up exclusives on the music service. Prior to now, both artists and Apple have kept deal terms tightly under wraps.

Apple has inked exclusive deals with a wide range of artists, from Drake and Taylor Swift to Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and Katy Perry.

I wanna clear things up. @apple gave me half a mil and a commercial to post Coloring Book exclusively on applemusic for 2 weeks https://t.co/dMWwptrHHH - Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) March 17, 2017
Labels and other streaming services have expressed displeasure with Apple's push for exclusive content, and one music group, UMG, has even banned its artists from agreeing to Apple Music exclusives. Apple Music rival Spotify has also allegedly punished artists who make deals with Apple, refusing to include them on featured playlists.

Chance the Rapper says he shared the info because he wants to "remain transparent." He went on to say artists can gain a lot from streaming wars by remaining in control of their own product (Chance the Rapper is not signed to a label). "If you come across opportunities to work with good people, pick up cash and keep your integrity, I say Do It," he wrote on Twitter in reference to Apple Music.

Article Link: Apple Paid $500,000 for Exclusive Access to Chance the Rapper's 'Coloring Book' Mixtape
 
$500,000 is less than a drop in the bucket to them. They have over $200 billion in cash.

What's your point? By that logic Apple should give me $100,000 just because, who cares that's couch cushion change. I think that's a terrible investment decision regardless of whether they had the money to make it.
 
What a waste. They wouldn't even make a return on that investment. But oh well, i'm sure people like exclusives more than new Macs.

They are making $10 per person that is signed up for APple Music, you need to keep investing to keep your userbase and grow it.


I'm sure the stockholders are thrilled with such a well thought out use of their money.

If they are not spending money on a very important part of their business it should worry stockholders
 
Well...

Hopefully this and the Beats Acquisition are worth the money they're paying out to all those "rap guys". (Cue the bass line for 'I Like Big Butts')
 
What's your point? By that logic Apple should give me $100,000 just because, who cares that's couch cushion change. I think that's a terrible investment decision regardless of whether they had the money to make it.

Apple's Services sector brought in $7.7 billion in revenue last quarter. The $500,000 investment they made on Chance is to help boost that sector for the next quarter and for the quarters to come. Giving you $100,000 would do nothing to help any of their sectors.
 
I'd rather they invested that money on battery technology research or something more... technological.

500k coming from Apple Music didn't take anything away from Apple's ability to put better batteries into their phones. That 500k is part of a budget that is already decided to exist for their music services division.

That aside, 500k to R&D for better batteries and how to fit them into the next iPhone is not a lot of money to their spending habits. They're spending somewhere around 10billion per year in R&D of which 500k is only .005%.

Don't worry. Apple's spending on Chance the Rapper had no impact on better batteries.
 
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