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Apple to Start Record Label with Jay-Z and Beyonce?

appledrummer said:
yes, but carrots are NOT degrading to our culture. Rap and hip hop has made people respect gang members. Do you want someone that is proud of murdering and raping people to be your idol? I don't! Rck sure had it's downfalls like drugs, but at the time there was little info about how bad drugs were for you.

Additionally the song Down by The River by Neil Young has a lyric in it that is "Down by the river, I shot my baby." This is sung with grief not with pride like it is in rap.
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I suggest that you stop posting in this thread because you are embarrassing yourself through your complete lack of knowledge of Hiphop and somewhat stereotypical and illfounded views.


Ozzie Osbourne bit the head of a dove.
One of the members of Mayhem stabbed a bandmate to death 23 times.
Bard Faust of the band Emperor stabbed a homosexual to death, just for being a homosexual.
The punk artist GG Allin would roll around in faeces and urinate on people on stage.
The Mentors pioneered rape rock.
Gary Glitter is a pedophile.
There are tons of Nationalist/racist/KKK rock groups

But you wont find me labelling the entire genre of rock. Clearly these are a deranged minority who use the music as an expression of their hate. The same thing happens in Hiphop too. Yes, drug dealers become rappers as a legit way to make money. Yes, gangstas become rappers as a legit way to make money. But dont be so ridiculous as to slant an entire genre that has done so much good for black and hispanic people the world over, just because of the popular stuff you see on the TV (being pushed by white people and purchased by white people I might add). Remember the million man march? Native Tongue artists proudly wearing their black Africa medallions? The uniting of minorities previously at war in the South Bronx, where instead of battling with guns they battled with a lino mat and their forehead when breakdancing? The likes of Paris a and Immortal Technique damning the current administration before it was cool to do so?

Im not going to lie and sit here saying Hiphop is gospel music. Mostly, it isnt. But to judge an entire genre where you can find everything from christian rap to geek rap, emo rap to backpacker rap and everything in between, is insulting and childish. I mean, we have porn, films glorifying violence, hate and racism by the truckload, but you cant diminish the artform of film. You look at the individuals using that art as a vehicle for their work.

Anyway, I am way off topic so I apologise. I wont be responding to this issue anymore. Lets keep on topic.
 
dernhelm said:
It'd be a bit weird not to be able to buy their artists music in stores, but if they could reduce costs significantly (to say - $0.50 a song), I'd be interested. And if they can do that and still pay the artists what they are worth - there would be a signup list of new artists miles long.
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There's no reason to assume an Apple label wouldn't license out CD rights. For that matter, Apple would have every incentive to license recordings for CDs, film, TV shows, advertisements, compilations, etc., to give the artists exposure and more revenue streams.
 
As I've thought more about this, my guess is that these artist's are creating their own label and doing an exclusive distribution deal with Apple. This stuff gets all garbled up in the rumor mill. The dinosaur is getting cut out for a newer streamlined model. More money into the artists pocket and less into the hands of the traditional label. Apple wins because they don't make any less and they don't fight with label executives. The artists win because they cut out the middle man. With the exponential increase in digital sales over sites like iTunes and the use of the internet for promotion, who needs companies like Universal. I'm sure there is money to be saved by "thinking different" about the recording industry.
 
Counter said:
I don't think Apple would do this. I don't think they would want to have any hip-hop image attached to their brand permanently. I'd think they may do it if the label starts off with a broad range of artists, not just Jay-Z and Beyonce. People in other genres.
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I doubt Apple would be stupid enough to tie themselves to a single genre of music. They have more than enough clout to bring in artists from all genres. They may start with bug name artists from one genre, but that wouldn't be where they stop.

Unfortunately, I don't actually believe any of this rumor. I'm guessing it is just wishful thinking by some disheartened people in the industry.
 
Personally, I don’t like this move but, it is probably a good move for Apple.

Apple has been in the music business for a while with iTunes so, they know exactly what kind of music or genre has the highest demand.

I don’t think hip-hop is degrading but I do know that the MP3 sound quality is degrading.

BTW, Most of the negative post I’ve read here shows that the poster does not know anything about business and the Music Industry. Out of all genres, this is the one that apple would benefit from. If you don’t think so then tell me which genre would generate the most $$$$. I only have a problem with the sound quality of MP3.
 
Mac Rumors Forum Has Really Surprised Me..

I only have one thing to say, as I am at work and don't have much time to post a longer reply.

I am shocked at the 'open minded' Mac community.. Such racist overtones by some members.. I bet someall have been to Vegas and gambled in hotels that were built by blood and guns.:rolleyes:

I some have watched Scarface and love Raging Bull.. Big fans of John Wayne and :rolleyes:
:rolleyes:
Good number probably Tarantino fans - all fans of Pulp Fiction..

But when some young black men say a few things.. nothing not in these movies.. they are bad and must be shunned.. "people like them", "should be banned"..:eek:

Get over it.. Deal with who you are and go watch some more Michael Richards.. Enjoy..;)

Jay Z and Beyonce are doing much better off than you..

Cheers. Now back to work.:)


Jaro.
 
What could happen

Wow. Some truly ignorant people here. Truly.

Anyway, I doubt that Apple will start a label. I think what's really going to happen is that Jay-Z (who's not only Beyonce's boyfriend, but her manager as well, which is why she's probably even a part of the rumor) might have approached Apple to be the sole digital distributor for Def Jam's catalog, which may have pissed Universal off, hence the announcement regarding the new iTunes deal. Most of the current artists associated with Def Jam are Roc-a-fella artists anyway (Jay-Z's record label for the Hip-Hop challenged ;-)), so it wouldn't be so difficult to get some of those artists to jump ship.

By the way: People have been calling Hip-Hop a "passing fad" for going on 20 years now. Hip-Hop and R&B artists have dominated the charts for the last 10 years or longer. The influence of Hip-Hop on Rock, Pop, Jazz and even Metal, is undeniable. If you don't like Hip-Hop or R&B, that's fine, but there's no denying the power that Hip-Hop entrepeneurs like Jay-Z wield in the music industry. The fact is, Hip-Hop is, and has been for a long time, the new Rock, as far as musical and cultural phenomena go. You can either roll with it, or get out of the way. To say "if this rumor is true, I will have lost all respect for Apple" or other such nonsense is not only silly and plain ignorant, but fails to recognize the significance of the situation.
 
yay more delay to Leopard coz the engineers gotta go to the studio to think of new "next big thing" hooks.

good job apple, now we will probably not see new Mac Pro update which is only the main product that your majority REAL core customers uses (Final cut studio, cS3 photoshop).

But hey, those 12, 13 yr old gotta look cool and flashy with your gadgets, i guess thats more important now for "Apple Inc".
 
ajhill said:
Apple Inc. becoming a record company would be like General Electric dropping electric locomotives and going back to making steam engines.

Not gonna happen people...
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Actually, Apple becoming a record company would be more like General Electric buying up expensive patents that it need to make its trains more cost-effectively.

Whether it's a good idea is a complicated question, but Apple starting a label would be classic vertical integration. It wouldn't be much different than cable carriers owning cable channels (which they do) or the TV networks owning the TV production units (which they do).

Your analogy implies that music is some sort of anachronism; it's current label model, not the music, that's the anachronism.
 
Draelius said:
...the "vinyl revival" as described in today's Guardian, provides an interesting twist on things.

Back in the groove: young music fans ditch downloads and spark vinyl revival
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Sure does. Nevertheless I would say that most vinyl buyers are not your average mass market music consumer. That means vinyl will always remain a niche market and will never again rise to its former glory.

Another interesting twist of this is though that there's a lot of music that has NEVER been released on CD or digitally. A lot of that stuff will probably never be rereleased which in some cases is a real shame. That's where the collector's market kicks in and insane prices are paid on eBay (USD 500+ for a 12 inch from the 1980s is not uncommon). So far this phenomenon has mainly sparked the interest of small rerelease or bootleg labels. Since a lot of that music was released on small labels back then (one single 12 inch making up the entire label catalog is also not uncommon) the majors are not interested in/aware of this.

But I'm going OT...
 
Thought this rumor would have fizzled out after just one page.

Apple will not be launching a music label soon.

The music industry as a whole is just bad business these days and for Apple to launch their own label in stir the pot up would cause the major the labels to think twice about Apple as a music distributor.

If Apple were interested in doing such a thing, Steve Jobs would have moved Heaven and Earth to sign on of his favorite performers, Paul McCartney, who just signed with startup label from Starbucks.

Why isn't anyone reporting on the rumors that the iPhones will be able to cross over to other iPhone networks (AT&T and O2 for example) for no charge and no service interruption?
 
Why would Apple want its own record label?

You don't see why they would? I can completely see it. Look at it this way. Apple has an absolutely HUGE investment on the music side of the business already. People buy their iPods, use iTunes, and buy music from the iTunes store, all because of the music *content* they want to listen to. So far, that content is still controlled by a rather backwards, slow-moving recording industry that Apple has little control over.

Essentially, it was like pulling teeth to even get the recording industry on-board with their digital distribution model - and Apple had to make all sorts of concessions they disliked, just to make it happen. (DRM, limits on how many times a given playlist is allowed to be burnt to CDR in iTunes, no streaming your own media over an Internet connection, etc. etc.)

Despite Apple dragging the record labels into the modern digital era, mostly kicking and screaming, the labels STILL aren't even really thankful for any of the extra profit and "vision of the future" they've been shown. Instead, they bicker over wanting to sell iTunes tracks for more than 99 cents each, largely refuse to let go of consumer-unfriendly DRM, and so on. Some have even tried building their own competing online music stores for Windows PCs, hoping to steal Apple's concept out from underneath them while still letting them help sell their tracks.

Whether or not you think anything of Jay-Z and his lifestyle, music, etc. - he's still a C.E.O. of a recording label, and carries some influence. If he's the first one willing to work some kind of deal with Apple to give them "pull" in the other half of the "music business" (the recording/production side), then I'm sure Steve Jobs isn't going to skip the business opportunity just because he thinks the guy's hip-hop or lavish lifestyle isn't "his thing".


bluebomberman said:
I don't see why Apple would even want to think about having their own music label. And even if they want in on the action, doing so with Jay-Z -- a guy that gloats about his expensive lifestyle -- won't do much to change the image of the big labels as soulless corporate entities that exploit and steal from artists.

If Apple goes through with this, they're going to start looking a lot like Sony.
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I think this is good for Apple to get their name even more branded - and it isn't as if they don't have the software or computers to create music as part of their label either.

Most major recording studio's use Apple equipment and OS.

Draelius said:
...the "vinyl revival" as described in today's Guardian, provides an interesting twist on things.

Back in the groove: young music fans ditch downloads and spark vinyl revival
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Depends on the genre.

I still buy a lot of Vinyl music - mainly because I like to do mixing on decks. Genre's include Drum n Bass, Electro, Hip/Hop, Breakbeat, Reggae etc.

Vinyl is also a lot warmer and nicer to listen to than digital music - since digital music is not a complete smooth sine wave where as vinyl's oscillations are.
 
I can't believe "Mac people" here are so behind. They should shelter themselves in their Jettas in fear "of the black man".

You fear mongers are pathetic. You should really just stop posting...and breathing if that helps.

Simply pathetic and sad of the racist people here. :(:mad:

:apple:
 
Project said:
But dont be so ridiculous as to slant an entire genre that has done so much good for black and hispanic people the world over, just because of the popular stuff you see on the TV (being pushed by white people and purchased by white people I might add).
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See there is the rub, the stuff that is being played is being spoonfed to us by a bunch of corporate suits (unfortunately usually Caucasian men). It is being listened to by mostly Caucasian folks. Statistically speaking for the stuff to be as popular as it is there has to be a really large amount of Caucasian support.

While most of the main stream stuff is about how many girls, money, car, clothes, the rapper has there are some that are more thought provoking. Sadly that isn't what is seen. The image of rap still is one that was more or less created by NWA (gangster rap). Which is sad.

If this rumor was true, then it would only mean that Apple is going after probably the most profitable demographic currently available. I am sure it would be followed up with some other artists and genre's.
 
kingtj said:
So far, that content is still controlled by a rather backwards, slow-moving recording industry that Apple has little control over.

Essentially, it was like pulling teeth to even get the recording industry on-board with their digital distribution model - and Apple had to make all sorts of concessions they disliked, just to make it happen. (DRM, limits on how many times a given playlist is allowed to be burnt to CDR in iTunes, no streaming your own media over an Internet connection, etc. etc.)
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I understand where you're coming from, but those with (very) long memories know what happened when Sony bought its way into the content industry.

Like Apple, Sony had invested a small fortune in trying to persuade the studios to embrace new technologies that, realistically, could only help those studios. In one famous case, the Betamax ruling, Sony had even had to go to court to ensure the legality of something it was doing that didn't do any harm.

What actually happened after the take-over was that the technology side of Sony ended up being hampered by the actions of the content side. The content side never changed, it continued with the same paranoid attitudes towards control over content distribution that had caused Sony so much grief to begin with. Instead of Sony becoming the liberator fighting for fair use, it saw it in its own commercial best interests to ensure its technologies were strictly limited.

Apple taking on a chunk of the music industry and becoming obligated to make that division profitable does not bode well for the existing technology-based Apple.
 
I don't really care about this. If Apple wants to start a hip-hop/rap record label, good for them. Who knows, different genres might join. But I can see why a lot of people can see this as a bad thing. I know hip-hop and rap is stereotyped (often incorrectly) as gang/violence music. I don't like rap, but because I don't like the sound of it. I could care less about the content.
 
guzhogi said:
I don't really care about this. If Apple wants to start a hip-hop/rap record label, good for them. Who knows, different genres might join. But I can see why a lot of people can see this as a bad thing. I know hip-hop and rap is stereotyped (often incorrectly) as gang/violence music. I don't like rap, but because I don't like the sound of it. I could care less about the content.
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For the last fricken time, it isn't about them starting a damn hip hop label. IT'S A MUSIC LABEL! They seem to be starting with a few people first. Get your head out of the ground and try to THINK DIFFERENT or go play with Vista.

:apple:
 
dernhelm said:
I doubt Apple would be stupid enough to tie themselves to a single genre of music. They have more than enough clout to bring in artists from all genres. They may start with bug name artists from one genre, but that wouldn't be where they stop.

Unfortunately, I don't actually believe any of this rumor. I'm guessing it is just wishful thinking by some disheartened people in the industry.
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This rumor makes great sense when you consider the real world vision of Steve Jobs. He focuses on the experience, the service offering. Look at what they have already done for indy bands through the free single of the week. This is a natural extension of that philosophy. I hope we finally get a label that is genuinely concerned for the artist/ fan rather than interrogating 12 year old little girls and suing 89 year old grandmothers. Go Steve!
 
kymac said:
please search your heart out for a song with these motifs. esp. a jay z or beyonce one. then get back to me.
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The Label is still a rumor at this point so I wouldn't narrow its offerings to two popular artists (who I personally do not care for). Look at all of the genres featured on the free single of the week. I would think that would be more indicative of a possible internal label. They have had everything from blue grass to rap to world folk, so a label run by the same type (if not the same) people would have a broad offering. There is also the whole concept of itunes, which promotes a vast diversity of music in clean easily obtainable form. In order to believe that any internal label would be only rap and hip hop, you would have to dismiss all that we have seen and come to love in apple.
 
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