“We’re working hard to confirm this right now, but several sources seem to be pointing towards the same exciting piece of news: Rapper Jay-Z and and singer Beyonce are in talks with Apple to establish a record label. The rumors place the deal as either close to closed or already executed, with an impending announcement on the horizon. Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Matthew Knowles (Beyonce’s father) will chair the label. If true, this could bring unprecedented power, legitimacy, and experience to Apple’s music division,” Joshua Karp reports for The Boy Genius Report.
“Straight from Def Jam and Beyonce’s label Music World Entertainment, we’re gonna’ have to smash this rumor and put it to rest for now. A source directly involved with both parties who wished to stay anonymous told us, ‘This is the first I’ve ever heard of any of this’ and ‘for the time being this is a rumor,'” Karp reports.
Full article here.
“For the time being…” is hardly a rumor-smashing statement. Note that the February agreement between Apple Inc. and The Beatles’ Apple Corps stated that Apple Inc. will own all of the trademarks related to “Apple” and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use. There do not seem to be any legal issues standing in the way for Apple to become a “record label” if the company so wishes. Eliminate the Middlebronfman!
Err the last stats I saw Hip Hop / Rap accounted for 2/3 of US music sales.
MW writing as in the writing is on the wall for the record labels.
Black people invented rock and roll.
Black people invented jazz.
Black people invented the blues.
Black people invented house music.
Black people invented R&B.
Black people invented rap.
Black people invented gospel.
Black people invented all of the modern music that defined and actually created “youth culture.”
Just because rap sucks (for the most part) does not mean that this is a brilliant idea for Apple.
Jay-Z and Beyonce are both very rich and influential. If they make the move, people like Prince and David Bowie and other music mavericks are sure to follow. Linkin Park (who had huge problems with their record label) would go for this.
This will make iTunes THE music destination of the future. This is something we Apple fans should embrace.
The sad part is… if the announcement came that Linkin Park and Coldplay were going to open an Apple label, all you Apple fanboys would be jumping for joy.
But because it’s “that rap crap,” you think it’s worthless. Sad.
And by the way, 95% of rap worldwide is consumed by Europeans and Asians.
I believe if there are any negotiations going on-it is not about Apple becoming a label. It would be about Apple’s involvement in distribution.
For those spouting Rap is 2/3 of all music sold, blah, blah, blah-windows has a 90% market share, So Rap is the musical equivalent of windows?
According to this story from CBS, the discussion is about a line of computers, not a music deal:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/20/business/main1736024.shtml
I’m disappointed to see such racial hatred show its ugly head in a Mac forum.
I can’t believe how shallow some people are. I’m not a Jay-Z fan, but I guarantee the label is not going to be rap only. I’m betting that would be a small part of it at all. If the morons on here who think these rappers are dumb. Tell me again how many millions did 50 cents make on his investment in Vitamin Water. They are much smarter than you think.
Also have people forgotten that EA (Electronic Arts) started their own label. I’m betting its so they don’t have to deal with all the legal bullshit that the labels put them through just to use an artists song in a game.
There’s a paradigm shift happening that should have happened a long time ago. The old school record labels are really just a marketing vehicle, that has been outdated by the internet. I won’t go on an on about it, but its about time there is change.
That would be stupid.
Galloway, I essentially agree with your comments. However, what you describe can happen via the current system, so it would not really fit the description of the story, which depicts a traditional “lablel”. In the current system, Apple can act as a distributor for not only the traditional label, but for an individual that owns all the rights to their music and recorded the music on their own.
The parts of a label that are missing here – marketing, etc – are things that Apple should not get involved in, anyway.
@DRM sucks
I pretty much agree with you points too, and I think that someone way back in the reporting of this story must be misinterpreting something. Essentially, for Apple to start a “label”, at least the way I think it should be done, they’d have to do nothing more than what they are doing. Maybe set up some minor administration so the artists would have someone to actually talk to on a regular basis if said artist wanted to forego the entire traditional label idea and do all their own production, marketing, etc. Although “marketing” is more or less what Apple does now with placement on the iTunes home page, the “Just For You” tailoring feature, and the iTunes “what’s new” e-mails and podcasts.
This would help to stop piracy in the distribution process and maybe create a tighter grip on the problem; but not stop it all together. But at least stop it until the album release date. Digital is the way to go and may just save the music industry.