iTunes Radio Was Set To Launch In 48 Hours, Until….
Details of a behind the scenes musical drama in the days just prior to Apple's iPad mini event are surfacing, and the offer a rare look at just how important music still is to Cupertino's strategy. Apple's share of tablet sales have fallen to below 60% and the company wants to stop the exodus. Their new smaller iPad Mini – which also happens to be a great music and media controller – is central to that strategy.
Launching a new iTunes radio service – rumored to be more of a robust Pandora than Spotify-like – alongside the iPad Mini would have made perfect sense. Music is universal. Music build loyalty. But as with anything involving music licensing, getting a deal done takes time
"(Apple) said they really needed an answer on this in 48 hours, because if this wasn’t resolved in 48 hours they would have to wait a few more months," Sony/ATV chief Marty Bandier told MusicWeek. "We obviously couldn’t be rushed into making a very serious decision about that and they weren’t ready to have the deal done with the record companies so it was kind of like a non-event."
Bandier is still ready to make a deal with Apple: "Sure we will work out an appropriate license.”
When will iTune's radio launch? If Bandier is right, "a few more months" means early next year. But it could also come later this month, when Apple says it will be releasing the delayed iTunes 11, reportedly a major overhaul.
Will iTunes take the high road on this or will they treat music like “digital road Kill” like the rest. Apple’s negotiations for music licensing will be a key insight into the legacy and future impact of Steve Jobs on the Apple Brand.
If you’ve read his detailed, authorized autobiography, you know that Steve loved music as evident in both his interviews and the lack of furnishings and appliances in his home. There is one thing that Jobs always owned as seen in the first photo of the photo section. Look closely, in the background you will see a turntable and an amplifier. No rug, no furniture, just a stereo.
My take is that Jobs never intended or wished the ipod to replace high fidelity, but rather to offer a great portable way to listen to music. If he were still alive, he would still be buying vinyl today.
It is unfortunate that a small group of individuals have spent a decade convincing a generation that recorded music has no value and taken down record stores and the magic of great sounding stereo systems along the way.
I guess, you get, what you pay for……..
Will Buckley, founder, FarePlay
Will, it is a pity. Convenience seems almost always to trump high quality. Of course, we still have HD recordings, but they’re taking a long, long time to come up to speed.