Did Apple Kill Music?

A shocking headline, but according to an article on Techradar a UK record company (Naim Label) owner/producer Simon Drake believes Apple’s products (iPod and iTunes) are the reason why everything went wrong with music over the past decade. A bold statement considering Apple has just sold its 10th billion download on iTunes and of course the iPod is responsible for this huge milestone. But in the eyes of Simon Drake Apple’s dominance over the music industry is the problem.

Some of the arguments he makes is that it’s hard for specialized labels like his to generate revenue off of songs on iTunes because they dictate the prices, which he feels are too low. He also believes that music has lost its value because the iPod has made music so accessible that people take the experience of obtaining music for granted. Lastly, he explains how iPods are the cause of short attention spans and low quality in music because listeners don't take the time to listen to music anymore.

I found this article interesting not because of the content, but how not every indie label sees the benefits of supporting iPods or selling their music on iTunes. I do agree with some of his statements especially about the lost of quality in sounding recordings, but the rest of the argument is looking at the revolution of Apple's products in the wrong way.

I believe Apple did what needed to be done in order for music to be relevant in the digital era it was headed into after Napster. I think Simon Drake might want to reconsider his position on this topic because Apple's products may be his only chance of survival as digital music continues to rise.

Submitted by: Jarvis R. Smith

Source
http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/mp3-players/is-the-ipod-killing-music--672494?src=rss&attr=all