Napster Founder, Spotify Board Member Sean Parker On Apple Music, Taylor Swift And The Music Industry
With the pending launch of Apple Music, there is no shortage of “Spotify Killer” headlines. But there is room for more than one streaming music service, argues Napster co-founder and Spotify board member Sean Parker.
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It’s been 15 years since Sean Parker turned the music industry upside down with the launch of Napster. But rather than being run out of town, Parker is still very much in the music game as an investor and board member of Napster.
Seldom short on words, Parker had a few choice words about Apple, Spotify and the music industry in an interview with CNNMoney.
“This is an industry that is going through an incredibly agonizing and long transition.”
On Spotify vs. Apple Music
“Music as a service is something where there can be multiple winners. I don’t think it’s a winner-take-all market in a way that some of these other technology companies have been.”
“It’s pretty clear at this point that the subscription model has won, and you see that now with Apple Music.”
On Taylor Swift
“Taylor Swift is a bit of an anomaly in the music industry in the sense that she’s still able to sell a lot of downloads. She’s still able to sell, in some parts of the country, CDs.”
“She sort of defies gravity. The business logic that applies to Taylor Swift doesn’t apply to a lot of other artists.”
