Trent Reznor on Apple, Music, Tech, and Nine Inch Nails

Apple Music exeuctive Trent Reznor recently granted a rare(ish) interview to Vulture magazine. Topics covered included Apple, Apple Music, streaming music, tech “stars,” and Nine Inch Nails. It’s a very interesting interview, and Mr. Reznor talks about how the idea of tech rock stars is “bull$%&@,” how the modern culture doesn’t value artists properly (including the music industry), and how having access to all of the music ever made has both good sides and down sides. I’m a big fan of Mr. Reznor (YMMV), and very much enjoyed reading this interview.

Kanye West Carries Streaming Music Across Another Milestone

Kanye West has carried the streaming music industry past another milestone. His most recent album, The Life of Pablo, was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). What’s new and different is that it did so through streams only. Pablo wasn’t made available as a digital download on iTunes or other online music stores. It was instead offered as a streaming product through first Tidal, and then Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, and other services. Pitchfork reported that Pablo has been streamed a staggering 3 billion times, with 1.5 billion of those streams in the U.S. It’s the U.S. figures that earned it Platinum status, and that certification did not include the copies of Pablo sold direct by Kanye. Streaming music—including Apple Music—are clearly the near-term future of the music industry. Earning Platinum certification through streaming only is symbolic of that tidal shift. It’s also further validation for Apple’s investment in Apple Music.

The iPhone's Future, Prince and Streaming Music - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-01

Apple made truck loads of money during its first fiscal quarter for 2017, but that wasn’t the only news from yesterday’s earning report. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Tim Cook saying the iPhone hasn’t reached maturity yet, plus they look at the news that Prince’s music is coming to Apple Music.

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