“Apple to Pay $3 Billion to Buy Beats”: Apple initially changed the music industry with digital media by being the first to sell albums and singles online. I’ve personally purchased from iTunes since its introduction. I’m a HUGE music lover, so when the first generation iPod came out I couldn’t wait to fill it. I now have over 20,000 songs in my iTunes library. I have a sixth generation iPod, 160 gb, (I believe that is the last one). I used to carry it with me on trips and in my car, but now that Apple Music was born, its not needed.
Apple Music was brought about to compete with Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, iHeart Radio, etc… Apple Music is a good idea and I get the concept, yet it’s frustrating to know that if I don’t pay the monthly subscription, then whatever I downloaded into my library will go away. I think that they should let people keep what they have already downloaded once they paid for the month. Fellow music junkies would agree! Now it’s all about downloading songs straight to your phone.
The acquisition of Dre Beats was a great move for Apple. Not only were they thinking outside the box, but they are trying to keep it fresh for their customers. Adding a music executive and a world renowned rapper/DJ/producer to your team is genius. Who knows more about the aspects of music than these guys? They will lend Apple a plethora of innovative ways to make Apple stand out once again.
Apple has always been the number one contender in the music field, yet streaming hasn’t been its strong suit. Not to say it let, but they weren’t focused on streaming as much as other companies. In the article “Apple Music May Not Steal You from Spotify, but it Can Still Win the Streaming Battle,” it clearly points out that Spotify has been “winning” since its inception. Since Apple has more money and connections than a majority of the other companies, they rely on undercutting the competition. They might be in for a fight now though, because they can’t seem to find a way to get rid of Spotify. Being as how they have just entered the streaming market, they are still trying to find their rhythm. I agree with the author when he says “It’s hard to distinguish the same catalog of songs.” If all the companies have the same albums and artists how do we as consumers choose? I can only answer for myself when I say that I choose convenience and less ads. Since I’m team iPhone, it’s a no brainer that I would just stay with Apple Music.
There is no more waiting. The content delivery system these days is all about efficiency and speed. There are still major issues that music artists are having with licensing, as stated in the article “Music Streaming Demands New Wave of Licensing Rules”. Artists are happy to have their music streaming and listened to by more fans and customers than ever before, but they are paying the price..literally. Artists are hardly making any money from steaming. Outdated laws and regulations are breaking artists pockets. It’s a major reason why musicians/performers get into clothing, fragrances, liquor, etc. so they have another means of income.
In reading this article I was unaware that they barely get paid for concerts. Out of all the people that have attended concerts, I find it unbelievable that they make such a small profit.
All three articles were very informative. It has made me look at artists’ struggles in a different way. Now I understand why they are so controversial about awards shows and things of that nature. True performers love what they do and you can tell that they do it for the people.
