“Apple is in talks to sign a rumored $19 million deal to get ‘Started From the Bottom’ rapper Drake as a guest DJ for iTunes Radio, among other things,” Claire Atkinson reports for The New York Post. “Drake is just one of a host of artists Apple wants to snag for its huge all-encompassing assault on the music front.”
“Pharrell Williams, who touted the Apple Watch on ‘The Voice’ last month, and French DJ David Guetta are also in talks to get on board, several music industry sources say,” Atkinson reports. “Apple has been visiting record labels to make deals, ahead of its World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco next week, but those hard-nosed negotiators from Cupertino want the moon and the stars, sources say.”
“The tech giant wants to offer a three-month free trial period for its $10-a-month subscription service to get customers to sample its new offering. So far so good, but it also wants the labels to give it rights for free during that time,” Atkinson reports. “As for music publishers, we hear Apple wanted to offer lyrics as part of Apple Music, but didn’t want to pay extra — again, free is nice if you can get it.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iTunes Radio guest DJs? Meh. Apple Music exclusives? Bring ’em on!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Wow. Three more reasons not to bother with this.
We are old and we don’t consume nearly as much music as those who are the precise target audience for these three people. I know next to nothing about any of them (other than having heard of their names), but the age groups responsible for majority of spending on music will flock to their offerings.
Apple knows where the music money is and is again targeting the largest base.
While I’d love for Apple to have someone like Simon Rattle hired as an iTunes Radio DJ, that’s obviously not going to interest too many music buyers.
Where do you get this “we” business from?
Most negative comments about this seem to have the attitude of old people (“Get off my lawn!” kind of crowd).
Biologically, they may be younger, but apparently, they are mentally in the retirement home… While I may fall into the same category myself, at least I try not to pass judgement as often.
Uuugh….
if true, another fine move by Apple
They repulse me. That’s not my idea of music. I’ll pass.
what is it about them that repulses you
Apple is really losing its class under Tim Cook. He just has such piss-poor taste. Between this and the stupid Beats wast of money, Tim Cook’s leftwing love of black people is turning Apple into Ghetto land.
Apple needs to jettison Cook and the ghetto trash.
Wow…. just….. wow…!