Individuals matter.
Jimmy Iovine willed Interscope to success.
And Steve Jobs did the same with Apple. But now he's gone and Apple is hurting.
APPLE WATCH
Tech is about a level playing ground, albeit an oftentimes expensive one. Everybody gets to eat at the buffet, as long as they can afford the entry ticket. But please explain to me the three different Apple watches that work exactly the same, that are evanescent products with a useful life of two years at best. Sure, iMacs came in different colors, but they were all the same price. Fashion is subsidiary in tech, it's the cherry on top, never the whole enchilada. Functionality comes first, and a $10,000 Apple Watch works no better than one for $349. Which is why Apple has only sold 2,000 copies of the 10k Edition in the U.S. Proving that the bad press the company got is not worth the extra revenue.
How did they get it so wrong?
By not having a visionary who could say no.
Unless you're making clothing, fashion is a feature, not the essence.
APPLE WATCH 2
Yes, Steve Jobs never employed research, but he also developed products he thought the public would want to buy. Only early adopters want the Apple Watch, and there's no word of mouth. Publicity will get you started, word of mouth will make you triumph.
The Watch was dead from the get-go.
Maybe it should have been introduced as a hobby, like Apple TV. So people would have low expectations and know they were along for the journey.
The Watch tells time poorly and has a steep learning curve for uses you're not sure you need. Sound like a winning product to you?
Of course not.
Steve Jobs didn't play in all arenas, only ones in which he could win.
The Apple Watch proves there's no vision in Cupertino, not that we can see.
And no one who can say no.
APPLE MUSIC
Me-too is usually death. Its success is predicated on market share in a world where there's little penetration. Which is how Windows 95 almost put Apple out of business. And the truth is streaming music adoption is still low, so Apple has a chance. But it's a little more complicated than that.
You see streaming has already won, on YouTube, it's just that that's free to the customer. So if you're not free, you've got to be a whole lot better, and Apple Music is not.
So...
Once again, Steve Jobs only introduced a product when he knew he could win. Design did not sell the original iPod, however appealing it might have been, but functionality/usability. The iPod was the first MP3 player that transferred tracks at high speed, FireWire instead of USB. Furthermore, the software eliminated stupidity. That's right, you just plugged your iPod into your computer and the software, i.e. iTunes, took care of the rest.
There is no great advance in Apple Music. Even Songza had hand-curated playlists. So the company's only hope is it's so early in the game that they can end up winning.
One can argue that Apple should have truly differentiated its product. Maybe by giving less. No playlists, but easier functionality.
FUNCTIONALITY/USABILITY
This was Steve Jobs's credo, make it easy to use, with no flaws. Apple Music is MobileMe on steroids. And there are so many options included that functionality is crippled, users are overwhelmed.
MobileMe sucked and heads rolled.
Whose head is rolling for the bugs in Apple Music? Someone needs to be fired, someone needs to take responsibility. People are afraid to download the software for fear of it screwing up their library. I'm still waiting for a fix to library corruption, but Apple is mum.
Not only is there no admission of fault, there's no manual. Steve Jobs may have put up a press blockade, but he was unafraid of explaining his product, which Jimmy Iovine and his cohorts did so poorly during the WWDC presentation.
Jimmy Iovine. He succeeded by being a friend to the artist, by working relationships. At first the money was Ted Field's, but it turned out Jimmy just needed that to get him started. Jimmy's biggest triumph was the 9/11 TV broadcast. Give the man credit.
But Jimmy's no visionary. He had one success, with Beats headphones. You've got to have two to prove it's not luck. Jimmy failed with Beats Music. Disastrously. Unless you say selling to Apple was a victory.
Steve Jobs had multiple victories, the original iMac, the iPod, iPhone and iPad, never mind the Apple II and original Macintosh.
But now the company is running on fumes.
Because it needs a Steve Jobs and all it's got is Tim Cook, a supply chain expert.
Let's investigate what has been achieved since Steve's death.
A smaller iPad, whose sales have now been cannibalized by a larger iPhone.
A larger iPhone, after Samsung cleaned Apple's clock with bigger handsets for years.
Software releases are hitting deadlines, but there are so many bugs loyalists are frustrated. And I used to be a loyalist.
There's a fiction that corporations rule in America.
The truth is it's all about individuals. Sure, a group can effectuate the vision, but it always comes from one person, maybe a team of two, certainly not a committee.
Jeff Bezos is Amazon.
Mark Zuckerberg is Facebook.
Larry and Sergey are Google.
Daniel Ek is Spotify
Evan Spiegel is Snapchat.
Who is Apple?
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Friday 10 July 2015
Rhinofy-Sunshine Superman
This was the one that broke him in the U.S.A.
Donovan's gotten a bad rap, ever since that Bob Dylan movie, where the bard from Hibbing cuts him down.
At this late date we can see Mr. Leitch was no match for Zimmy. But that does not mean he was not great in his own right. In 1965 Dylan made it to number two with his iconic "Like A Rolling Stone," but "Sunshine Superman" topped the chart a year later. That's right, in the summer of '66, when the tide turned and the youth took over the nation, even though we didn't realize it until two, maybe three years later, after the Summer of Love, after Woodstock.
Now Donovan was not completely unknown, everybody paying attention, the old folkies, not the AM denizens, was aware of "Catch The Wind." Some knew "The Universal Soldier," but now Donovan had switched labels, to the CBS powerhouse Epic, and he changed his sound, went electric, and got the big push.
And sure, the lyrics of "Sunshine Superman" were important. But really it's the sound of this record. To hear this coming out of the speaker, and at this point there was usually only one, in the dashboard, in the transistor, at home, was to be transported, set free, feel good. Today's music is too often exclusive, it's people singing about how much better their lives are than yours. But "Sunshine Superman" drew you in, addicted you to the radio, made you want to buy the record, made you want to go to England. Today everybody wants to stay home, watch television, there's a fiction that it's the same everywhere, but the truth is foreign countries are still that, foreign, i.e. different, and what was happening in the U.K. in the midsixties was far more exciting than what was happening in the U.S., at least musically, they were breaking down boundaries, they were testing limits.
There was that bass intro.
And then the harpsichord.
And then that screeching GUITAR!
A magic elixir that immediately enraptured you. A one hit listen. That needed no time to build, that grabbed your mind and your body and took you away.
"Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
Could've tripped out easy a-but I've changed my ways"
HUH?
Today if you're not on the road to victory, you're not even playing. That's right, everybody's a winner, being a person is not enough. In this land of income inequality the rich are pulling away and either you chase them or are forgotten. Hard to imagine there was a whole decade based on setting your mind free, bonding with your brother, becoming your best self. And to many the road was paved with drugs. Which we all heard about, but refrained from, for fear of becoming addicted, until...everybody was doing them and we did too. Our parents may not have known what taking a trip meant, but we certainly did!
"It'll take time, I know it, but in a while"
PATIENCE!
That's another thing that's out the window. Everything worth having doesn't come easy. You've got to plot, you've got to wait. But that does not mean you cannot believe.
"You're gonna be mine, I know it, we'll do it in style"
Style... It's so important today, how you look. But that's not what Donovan's singing about, he's talking about attitude, something inside, you can be a king if only you decide and stop trying to convince everybody else.
"'Cause I made my mind up, you're going to be mine"
The key line, the most famous, he was emphatic, he was sure, he was empowered and so were WE! Back then you held back, you didn't want to appear aggressive, have desires that were too big, but when it comes to love we're all looking for confidence and security, and listening to "Sunshine Superman" we got it. COME ON, if you're a guy from the era and you didn't use this line to get up your gumption...you never played.
And there's a whole story, standing on the beach at sunset, we did not know that this song was about a real person, Linda Lawrence, who Donovan eventually wed, years later, this was before the internet when we knew everything about everybody, we thought Donovan was singing METAPHORICALLY!
Now the weird thing about "Sunshine Superman" is it's a period piece, a curio from the sixties. But at this distance, it doesn't sound dated, but otherworldly. Play it for a young 'un and they'll say they've never heard anything like it, unless they've heard it already!
So it's the summer of '66. The radio is populated by the legendary Lovin' Spoonful cut about the season in the city. The Troggs had their legendary hit. The Stones and the Beatles were prevalent, with "Mother's Little Helper" and "Paperback Writer" respectively. Paul Simon had a huge hit with Garfunkel, the downcast "I Am A Rock," but the Cyrkle also had a hit with an upbeat cover of his and Bruce Woodley's "Red Rubber Ball." And in the mix, was this chart-topper, "Sunshine Superman."
Maybe it was the Zeppelin element. That's right, both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are on "Sunshine Superman."
Maybe it was Mickie Most, who was now working with Mr. Leitch.
Whatever it was, "Sunshine Superman" is lightning in a bottle. Hearing it back then made you feel powerful, that you were living in a world of possibilities, where there was plentiful opportunity provided by like-minded people.
It still does.
http://spoti.fi/1TmOc5F
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Donovan's gotten a bad rap, ever since that Bob Dylan movie, where the bard from Hibbing cuts him down.
At this late date we can see Mr. Leitch was no match for Zimmy. But that does not mean he was not great in his own right. In 1965 Dylan made it to number two with his iconic "Like A Rolling Stone," but "Sunshine Superman" topped the chart a year later. That's right, in the summer of '66, when the tide turned and the youth took over the nation, even though we didn't realize it until two, maybe three years later, after the Summer of Love, after Woodstock.
Now Donovan was not completely unknown, everybody paying attention, the old folkies, not the AM denizens, was aware of "Catch The Wind." Some knew "The Universal Soldier," but now Donovan had switched labels, to the CBS powerhouse Epic, and he changed his sound, went electric, and got the big push.
And sure, the lyrics of "Sunshine Superman" were important. But really it's the sound of this record. To hear this coming out of the speaker, and at this point there was usually only one, in the dashboard, in the transistor, at home, was to be transported, set free, feel good. Today's music is too often exclusive, it's people singing about how much better their lives are than yours. But "Sunshine Superman" drew you in, addicted you to the radio, made you want to buy the record, made you want to go to England. Today everybody wants to stay home, watch television, there's a fiction that it's the same everywhere, but the truth is foreign countries are still that, foreign, i.e. different, and what was happening in the U.K. in the midsixties was far more exciting than what was happening in the U.S., at least musically, they were breaking down boundaries, they were testing limits.
There was that bass intro.
And then the harpsichord.
And then that screeching GUITAR!
A magic elixir that immediately enraptured you. A one hit listen. That needed no time to build, that grabbed your mind and your body and took you away.
"Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
Could've tripped out easy a-but I've changed my ways"
HUH?
Today if you're not on the road to victory, you're not even playing. That's right, everybody's a winner, being a person is not enough. In this land of income inequality the rich are pulling away and either you chase them or are forgotten. Hard to imagine there was a whole decade based on setting your mind free, bonding with your brother, becoming your best self. And to many the road was paved with drugs. Which we all heard about, but refrained from, for fear of becoming addicted, until...everybody was doing them and we did too. Our parents may not have known what taking a trip meant, but we certainly did!
"It'll take time, I know it, but in a while"
PATIENCE!
That's another thing that's out the window. Everything worth having doesn't come easy. You've got to plot, you've got to wait. But that does not mean you cannot believe.
"You're gonna be mine, I know it, we'll do it in style"
Style... It's so important today, how you look. But that's not what Donovan's singing about, he's talking about attitude, something inside, you can be a king if only you decide and stop trying to convince everybody else.
"'Cause I made my mind up, you're going to be mine"
The key line, the most famous, he was emphatic, he was sure, he was empowered and so were WE! Back then you held back, you didn't want to appear aggressive, have desires that were too big, but when it comes to love we're all looking for confidence and security, and listening to "Sunshine Superman" we got it. COME ON, if you're a guy from the era and you didn't use this line to get up your gumption...you never played.
And there's a whole story, standing on the beach at sunset, we did not know that this song was about a real person, Linda Lawrence, who Donovan eventually wed, years later, this was before the internet when we knew everything about everybody, we thought Donovan was singing METAPHORICALLY!
Now the weird thing about "Sunshine Superman" is it's a period piece, a curio from the sixties. But at this distance, it doesn't sound dated, but otherworldly. Play it for a young 'un and they'll say they've never heard anything like it, unless they've heard it already!
So it's the summer of '66. The radio is populated by the legendary Lovin' Spoonful cut about the season in the city. The Troggs had their legendary hit. The Stones and the Beatles were prevalent, with "Mother's Little Helper" and "Paperback Writer" respectively. Paul Simon had a huge hit with Garfunkel, the downcast "I Am A Rock," but the Cyrkle also had a hit with an upbeat cover of his and Bruce Woodley's "Red Rubber Ball." And in the mix, was this chart-topper, "Sunshine Superman."
Maybe it was the Zeppelin element. That's right, both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are on "Sunshine Superman."
Maybe it was Mickie Most, who was now working with Mr. Leitch.
Whatever it was, "Sunshine Superman" is lightning in a bottle. Hearing it back then made you feel powerful, that you were living in a world of possibilities, where there was plentiful opportunity provided by like-minded people.
It still does.
http://spoti.fi/1TmOc5F
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Tuesday 7 July 2015
Life Rules
1. Karma exists. It may not be instant like in that John Lennon song, but it happens. May take a long time, might not be easily seen, may not be visible to anybody but you, the one who was scathed, but it's real.
2. Niceness triumphs. Although no one can be nice all the time. And sometimes you have to push back. But if you've got the option, be nice, people appreciate it.
3. Be yourself. We're all individuals. That's what attracts others to us, our uniqueness. Don't try to imitate someone else, focus on your strengths and heighten them. Everyone can't do everything. Don't try to fit your square peg in a round hole. But your trapezoid will appeal, if you just let it shine.
4. You can't please everybody. It's a phony concept that flames out. Be thankful you've got your group, your friends, your family, your fans. There are those who would appreciate you whom you've never met, focus on meeting them, not those who don't care.
5. Education is everything. And it doesn't have to happen in school. But at this late date we can understand why reading, writing and 'rithmetic are so important. Yes, in the internet era, reading and writing are everything (typing too!) As for math... You can't do a deal without knowing the numbers. And everybody wants to do a deal.
6. Learning is lifelong. You keep gaining insight and then you die. Life is a puzzle, one in which you're constantly delivered new pieces. And you can't figure some stuff out until you get this new information. Which is why age equals wisdom and the young may have their youth, but the old have all the happiness.
7. Possessions mean less as you age. You can't take them with you. Furthermore, we're evolving into a no possessions era. One in which you can rent a ride and you don't even have to own a car. Experiences are everything.
8. No one has the answers when it comes to love. There's no perfect partner, if you're looking for one you're doomed. The key is to play. Relationships are the salad dressing of life, without them it tastes very bland.
9. Do the right thing. Not only will it make a difference, you'll feel better about yourself.
10. Time starts accelerating sometime in your late thirties or forties. If you're not paying attention, if you're not steering, chances are you're not gonna get where you want to go.
11. Inspiration comes from displacement. Get out of your comfort zone, the rewards are legion.
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2. Niceness triumphs. Although no one can be nice all the time. And sometimes you have to push back. But if you've got the option, be nice, people appreciate it.
3. Be yourself. We're all individuals. That's what attracts others to us, our uniqueness. Don't try to imitate someone else, focus on your strengths and heighten them. Everyone can't do everything. Don't try to fit your square peg in a round hole. But your trapezoid will appeal, if you just let it shine.
4. You can't please everybody. It's a phony concept that flames out. Be thankful you've got your group, your friends, your family, your fans. There are those who would appreciate you whom you've never met, focus on meeting them, not those who don't care.
5. Education is everything. And it doesn't have to happen in school. But at this late date we can understand why reading, writing and 'rithmetic are so important. Yes, in the internet era, reading and writing are everything (typing too!) As for math... You can't do a deal without knowing the numbers. And everybody wants to do a deal.
6. Learning is lifelong. You keep gaining insight and then you die. Life is a puzzle, one in which you're constantly delivered new pieces. And you can't figure some stuff out until you get this new information. Which is why age equals wisdom and the young may have their youth, but the old have all the happiness.
7. Possessions mean less as you age. You can't take them with you. Furthermore, we're evolving into a no possessions era. One in which you can rent a ride and you don't even have to own a car. Experiences are everything.
8. No one has the answers when it comes to love. There's no perfect partner, if you're looking for one you're doomed. The key is to play. Relationships are the salad dressing of life, without them it tastes very bland.
9. Do the right thing. Not only will it make a difference, you'll feel better about yourself.
10. Time starts accelerating sometime in your late thirties or forties. If you're not paying attention, if you're not steering, chances are you're not gonna get where you want to go.
11. Inspiration comes from displacement. Get out of your comfort zone, the rewards are legion.
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Monday 6 July 2015
Jerry Weintraub
I was just getting ready to e-mail him about our lunch. Literally. My plan was to get off the phone and then send him a note. Circling back after he reached out multiple times before I went to Paris. And while I was on hold, I found out he died.
Talk about eerie. I've never had this happen to me before. People speak of missing out on saying goodbye, of their destiny being changed in seconds, but...
I didn't know what he wanted. To be honest, I'm always anxious when bigwigs track me down, I feel inadequate, and I frequently avoid the meeting, I don't quite know what to say.
Although I know Jerry. We aren't best friends, but I know him. I went to lunch with him at Il Piccolino, where he literally ate the Jerry Weintraub special. And Jerry was warm and open from the get-go, treated me like an equal, brought me into the family, and I marveled at his style.
I'm not talking east coast style, which is sartorial and pecking order, but west coast style, where it's all about being part of the family, where the majordomos take care of each other. Jerry Weintraub established the paradigm. At least in the music business.
You see it was about favors. There's nothing Jerry wouldn't do for you. He was wired in every facet of life. If you needed a doctor, if you needed a connection, he knew who to go to and opened the door. It's those who give who are larger than life, who have power. That's Irving Azoff's specialty. And David Geffen's too. You've got to be magnanimous.
But you've got to fight for what you want too.
Jerry reached out to me when I wrote about his book. He invited me to the premiere of his movie. He always included me, never talked down to me, and I was looking forward to our lunch to cement the bond further. Maybe he had an opportunity for me. I was now ready.
But it will never happen.
And this ends up looking more about me than him.
But that's who Jerry was, a supporting player. And the more you support, the longer you last, the bigger you are.
People like Jerry never retire. The game is in their blood. Hell, he just launched a show on HBO.
And he changed the concert business irrevocably. So far in the distant past that unless you were there, you're probably unaware. Live Nation is just the last iteration of what Jerry started. Local promotion was on its way out when Jerry got involved. And the old players hated him for it. If you're not despised, you're not making a difference. But those who make a difference last, they are the legends.
And what I also loved about Jerry was the intimacy. He'd tell you stories about himself and his family that your best friends wouldn't. Their screw-ups as well as their triumphs. He was Big Papa, but he had his limits, you could go too far.
Jerry won at the game of life. He had love, happiness and money. And although he complained about his aches and pains, his back was a constant frustration, I thought he'd be around forever.
But he's not.
So let this be a warning to you. Seize that opportunity. Say yes. Make it happen.
Jerry always did.
And I didn't. Which is why he's now gone and I feel so empty.
"Jerry Weintraub's Book" (11/1/10): http://bit.ly/1HbYJv5
"More Weintraub" (11/3/10): http://bit.ly/1dIp9K2
"Lunch With Jerry Weintraub" (12/6/10): http://bit.ly/1KMFJ8Q
"Jerry Weintraub's Movie" (3/23/11): http://bit.ly/1KIbv8n
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Talk about eerie. I've never had this happen to me before. People speak of missing out on saying goodbye, of their destiny being changed in seconds, but...
I didn't know what he wanted. To be honest, I'm always anxious when bigwigs track me down, I feel inadequate, and I frequently avoid the meeting, I don't quite know what to say.
Although I know Jerry. We aren't best friends, but I know him. I went to lunch with him at Il Piccolino, where he literally ate the Jerry Weintraub special. And Jerry was warm and open from the get-go, treated me like an equal, brought me into the family, and I marveled at his style.
I'm not talking east coast style, which is sartorial and pecking order, but west coast style, where it's all about being part of the family, where the majordomos take care of each other. Jerry Weintraub established the paradigm. At least in the music business.
You see it was about favors. There's nothing Jerry wouldn't do for you. He was wired in every facet of life. If you needed a doctor, if you needed a connection, he knew who to go to and opened the door. It's those who give who are larger than life, who have power. That's Irving Azoff's specialty. And David Geffen's too. You've got to be magnanimous.
But you've got to fight for what you want too.
Jerry reached out to me when I wrote about his book. He invited me to the premiere of his movie. He always included me, never talked down to me, and I was looking forward to our lunch to cement the bond further. Maybe he had an opportunity for me. I was now ready.
But it will never happen.
And this ends up looking more about me than him.
But that's who Jerry was, a supporting player. And the more you support, the longer you last, the bigger you are.
People like Jerry never retire. The game is in their blood. Hell, he just launched a show on HBO.
And he changed the concert business irrevocably. So far in the distant past that unless you were there, you're probably unaware. Live Nation is just the last iteration of what Jerry started. Local promotion was on its way out when Jerry got involved. And the old players hated him for it. If you're not despised, you're not making a difference. But those who make a difference last, they are the legends.
And what I also loved about Jerry was the intimacy. He'd tell you stories about himself and his family that your best friends wouldn't. Their screw-ups as well as their triumphs. He was Big Papa, but he had his limits, you could go too far.
Jerry won at the game of life. He had love, happiness and money. And although he complained about his aches and pains, his back was a constant frustration, I thought he'd be around forever.
But he's not.
So let this be a warning to you. Seize that opportunity. Say yes. Make it happen.
Jerry always did.
And I didn't. Which is why he's now gone and I feel so empty.
"Jerry Weintraub's Book" (11/1/10): http://bit.ly/1HbYJv5
"More Weintraub" (11/3/10): http://bit.ly/1dIp9K2
"Lunch With Jerry Weintraub" (12/6/10): http://bit.ly/1KMFJ8Q
"Jerry Weintraub's Movie" (3/23/11): http://bit.ly/1KIbv8n
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Mailbag
From: John Dexter
Re: The Race To Quality
And The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" was done with Max Martin.
John
____________________________________
Re: The Race To Quality
De Lux is good, check out the full Generation album. Tracks like "Oh Man The Future," "It's A Combination," and "Someday Now" are great. Reminiscent of a fusion of Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem, Portugal The Man. Have my eye on this act for sure.
Bob Moses is a two-man electronic duo. They're a Burning Man-type favorite. They played a sold out show at LA's Lot 613 last month and put on a killer set; even the live vocals sounded great. They're with good company on Domino Records, but whether their afterhours, lower-tempo house music will find mass appeal in the states (ie other than LA/San Fran/NYC) remains to be seen.
Steel
Steel Hanf | WME
Office of Kevin Shivers
____________________________________
Re: The Race To Quality
De Lux gets a fair amount of play on KCRW's MBE. Their first album had some real earworms, like Talking Heads meets Low-era Bowie.
Britt Benston
____________________________________
From: John Bach
Re: The Race To Quality
Bob,
My rock band recently signed an indie record deal after having 7 labels bidding for us only 3 months into a string of residencies. Even a few majors showed up. A very rare occurrence for a rock band given the shit times we live in.
We were so grateful. And relieved we skipped having to live sitting upright in a van for 3 yrs in order to gain the attention we did in 3 months. And as much as one would expect a group of long haired, broke musicians to do backflips and cry tears of joy after signing a recording contract, we had to do the opposite.
We sat down with our superhero manager once the negotiations were finalized where he gave us the final details of our deal. The advance would just barely pay for a producer, engineer, and mastering; all done by the same (extremely talented) person for two-thirds their rate. Oh and 1.5 month's rent for all members while recording. Thank god, because driving Uber 60+ hrs a week kills your creative drive (pun).
Our manager congratulated us for officially becoming a signed band.
Then advised us to not quit our day jobs.
Shit times, Bob. Shit times. Like I said, we're extremely grateful. But we'll have to save our backflips for when we sell 80,000 records. If we don't, I'm afraid we'll end up being hobbyists who used to have a record contract.
-Realist
____________________________________
From: Tony Bosco
Subject: Paul Natkin on Foo Fighters Photo Contract
http://blog.natkin.net/foo-fighters/
____________________________________
From: Mike Caren
Re-Apple Music
Bob,
These are all good points. I would say there's a huge reason to be optimistic though. When you posted my comments re new radio/playlists, it became obvious that the Apple crew are listening and out there looking for feedback. There's players in the mix like Julie Pilat, Ian, Warren Gessin, and Larry that are part of music loving communities and been welcoming criticism and suggestions. You'd be shocked to the arrogance typically found in tech and lack of interest to hear about missed markets typically. They usually treat those in the music business like cave men (some deserve it we must agree though).
One of the reasons I've been loyal to Apple products is that every 6 months there was the potential for updated software with problem solving. I like Spotify and used it but I can't tell you that it has improved by any leaps and bounds in the last 3 years. Their charts don't work, often months behind, and their "industry relations" crew in the US feel very removed from the Swedish team. Compare that with leaps on the iOS, a much more complicated endeavor.
As far as the message, it should be simple. You're 100% right there should be a tutorial. There also should be a "WHY". Apple was always about "Thinking Different." What is the thought here. You can have the entire iTunes store for $10/month and they throw in Pandora for free. That's basically what you have here and it's great but it's being done without a message. Going to the top 200 and just being able to play it straight through like a playlist is almost a surreal experience for a pop fan. You feel like you won a contest that comes with a shopping spree. And that family plan feels like a huge deal. It's 75% there and if they can bring it to 85% in the fall, anyone who knows Apple would know they can get it to 98% by the end of '16.
Here's what I'd like to see:
1. Beats 1 should have its own app that you can download from the app store (as long as you have the current iOS) so that you can go direct to it. That app could be nothing more than a shortcut into the Music app. Saves three steps and gives you instant grat and still puts you in the environment. I would go to it more often.
2. Connect needs to be improved to have and an experience at least as good as Vine. Vine has the best interface they just are treated like Twitter's ugly step sister and Twitter has so mnay problems that they ignore the easy fixes that would make Vine excel. Empower all the Viners to take over Connect. No one wants to see press shots of established artists. Also give major label acts an incentive to use it too. Allow them an easy way to overlay text (like Snapchat) with inbound (to apple) or outbound links.
3. Connect Chart needs to happen. Artists are competitive. It will inspire them.
4. Your radios stations should be nameable. I can't figure out how to
change the name of my stations. I would like to change "I want to
live/talking heads" channel to something called "Early 80s Gems". Needs to happen.
5. Despite not being about algorithm (and over hyping curated), the radio stations are running from them and need to improve. I tried to start a soul/funk station and even though I only liked stuff from the 70s/80s, it kept pulling up new British poseur funk acts. It should have figured out by 10 likes that I was only shooting for a certain era. I really like that there's a balance of curated and algorithm but Apple has never been good at the latter. iTunes store never even mastered how to find an act if you misspelled the name. Room for improvement.
Fingers crossed. I like to see music lovers win.
Best,
Mike
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
I work as a manager and entertainment attorney in the music industry and I've been reading your posts on the new iTunes and I had to chime in since I have been dealing with many more issues than you have even mentioned. Maybe it is because I use my iPhone as an iPod or maybe it is because I have over 160 gigs of music (over 25,000 songs) on my iTunes that I have all these issues, but the tech side of the new iTunes is a disaster. It amazes me that a tech company like Apple could release a product like this with so many flaws. How does nobody at Apple see these issues?
Before getting into the issues, I will say that I do love Beats 1 and at least for me, it is a game changer as far as radio is concerned. I don't think I have listened to a radio type format, even KCRW's Mornings Become Eclectic, for more than 10 minutes at a time in years. That said, my non-music friends have no idea it exists and don't really seem very excited to even find out about it. I mentioned to some that Dr Dre was DJing on 4th of July and they didn't care in the least, they were content with their iPod on shuffle or random Pandora channels.
Anyhow … instead of making life easier and more pleasurable, here are some of the issues I've been having with the new iTunes Music that have been causing me nothing but frustration:
1) When I click on "add to My Music" when listening to Beats 1 while using iTunes, it does nothing. It doesn't save the song to my iTunes. The same on the iPhone. To actually get a song added to "My Music" I have to go to the "New" tab on my iPhone/iTunes and click "add to My Music" and then "Listen to this Offline" — this is obviously a major buzz kill, since you want to be able to listen to Beats 1 and easily add a song you like to your music library. What good is Beats 1 if it doesn't help you discover music and then listen again to that new discovery later … at a time of your choosing.
2) Right now when I have the "iCloud Music Library" setting turned on, on my iPhone, and I connect my iPhone to my iTunes, I cannot drag and drop any music from iTunes into my iPhone. This is a fundamental and MAJOR flaw, since that is what iTunes was built on, the ability to organize all your music in iTunes and then selectively put that music on your iPhone/iPod.
For songs that I have uploaded to my iTunes manually (i.e.: imported a CD, uploaded songs from my computer, etc ….) it gives me an error that states "Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone because iCloud Music Library is enabled on this iPhone." For songs that I have downloaded from iTunes via save to "my music" from the new streaming store … there is no error sign at all, it just doesn't allow me to add them to my iPhone/iPod at all. I also cannot delete any songs off of my iPhone when it is connecting to iTunes in this state. This obviously makes it impossible to now organize the music on my iPhone.
3) If I turn off the "iCloud Music Library" setting on my iPhone and connect my phone to iTunes, it will then let me transfer most (although not all) of the music I have uploaded manually to iTunes (i.e.: imported CD's, demos my bands have sent me, etc …). However, unfortunately it still doesn't let me drag and drop songs that I have saved to "my music" from the new streaming store from my iTunes to my iPhone. This is obviously frustrating since I can't add one of the new Miguel songs (for instance) to my iPhones "R&B" playlist that I have on my iPhone. Or save the whole new Miguel album (that I saved to my computer via iTunes) onto my iPhone. In order to listen to Miguel on my iPhone, I still need to go to the "new" section of the iPhone and stream it or then save it. Once again, this makes it very difficult to organize my iPhone.
Organizing your mass catalog of music in iTunes and then selectively putting that music onto your iPhone (or iPod, iPad), is what made the whole Apple experience great and better than any competitor. Right now that capability is not working, which is a break down in the very basic functionality of the whole iTunes system. Right now iTunes is no better than any other music system.
4) Lastly, I think it would be a good idea when you turn on your iCloud Music Library on your iPhone to not have to synch all of your iTunes and iPhone playlists. You should have the option to synch all your playlists or not synch them. Once again, on my iTunes I have a hundred different playlists, but on my iPhone I only want a few, I don't want all these crazy playlists I use for work on my iPhone. Some people might, but that's why you should have the option.
5) As I'm sure you have heard, even more troubling, iTunes is also scanning peoples libraries, adding DRM to songs that are personally owned (i.e.: songs put into iTunes via a CD import) and even changing the artwork on some of those songs. I'm not sure this is even legal. More on that here:
http://www.cultofmac.com/327936/icloud-music-library-drm/
All in all … I think Jimmy, Zane, Ian and the crew have done a great job of giving people fresh new music, but it is the tech side that has failed miserably.
Ari
--
ARI INGEL
De Novo Music Management
____________________________________
From: Bob Stupay
Re-: Apple Music
Bob,
In case you missed it, Apple Music is causing more problems than you think.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/1/8877129/apple-music-icloud-problems
____________________________________
From: Adam Lewis
Re: Apple Music
Listened to Beats1 all day Thursday. Found it really challenging. Talking over songs at the beginning and end. Having to endure a host named Fat Jew. People are tuning in for the curated music, not constant talk. Very little music was actually getting played. The Brit Djs get tired real quick.
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Bob,
Steve Jobs must be spinning in his grave. So I booted iTunes tonight and I'm greeting with this image: iTunes: Take a Quick Tour. "Great!" I thought. "I really would like a primer on the new iTunes and Apple Music." But for the life of me, I can't figure out how to start the tour. I click on every part of the image. Nothing. It's one big dead link. I go under the Help menu and click on iTunes Quick Tour, thinking reloading this page would help. Nope. Seriously, who's in charge of quality control over there now?
David Veitch
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Bob,
I just started playing with Apple music, and so far I'm not liking it. Trying to create a playlist in my iPhone is not intuitive and is clumsy. I search for an artist to add a song to a playlist and on some screens it gives me a "+" symbol that when I touch it, changes to a check mark, indicating I have added it to the playlist. Other times, it does nothing so I keep tapping it, thinking it's not responding. But it just keeps adding the same song (or entire album) to the playlist. And if you accidentally added a song you don't want, you can't "uncheck" it on that screen to remove it. You have to go to the playlist and tap the delete button and then tap another button to confirm. Too many touches in too many places! I thought maybe I could just swipe left to remove the song from the playlist (like in Apple mail), but nope.
Furthermore, when I search for an album to pick through the tracks to add, I don't have the same "+" option to select it. If I tap that song it starts playing. I have to select the song, then click "add to playlist", then select WHICH playlist! I started out this process by clicking the "add song" button FROM WITHIN THAT PLAYLIST! Why is it now making me choose the playlist again? I am a longtime Apple user, but this is subpar for them.
I've been using Spotify since before it launched in the U.S. It's not perfect. But it seems easier to use at this point.
T.J. Edmond
P.S. Aaand the app just crashed. On my IPhone 6plus.
Apple Music is not ready. I have a brand new MacBook Pro and it goes into spinning beach all mode all the time. Disappointed with where Apple seems to be slipping.
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Apple Music is like a corporate music site. Its lacking simplicity and a great u i . The playlists are largely without character and depth, the lack of any social integration is a joke. The "connect" part is worse than ping and even the new tab that is meant to be modeled to an individuals smells like the front entrance to forever 21. So far is crap, they desperately need to improve this otherwise its beats2. Beats was crap as well. iTunes has progressively turned into an unwieldy music management system, ready to die if someone came up with a simple replacement. Spotify's u i is vastly better and more elegant.
Peter Koepke
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
I signed up for AM, moved over from Beats. I want it to work so I'm trying to learn. But it failed to port over my library and playlists from 18 months of Beats usage -- and to make it worse, the app is not letting me add songs to new playlists on an iPad mini 3.
As I write, I'm on the phone with Apple -- we are at the 1:55:32 mark. The smart, friendly support staff don't know the app yet. They admit it. "It's new." "Bugs happen." "It's a holiday weekend." Training hasn't been completed. But they stuck with me and I stuck with them. I didn't know I was this patient.
Bob, I'm an avid music listener and I want this to work. Obviously.
We are all drowning in data and media and software. We just want it to work.
And Apple's offerings are so many, its products so diverse and multi-platform, they aren't as big-free and simple as they used to be. Not by a long shot.
But we are drowning in an ocean we can't see ourselves ever getting out of. So we (or at least many of us) hold onto the cushy, well designed Apple life preserver, paddling harder than we believe we should have to.
I'm patient, ok, but mainly I'm willing to do what it takes -- until and unless somebody displaces them.
Lord, I hope I'm not enabling Apple to become like my cable company.
Tucker
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
the playlists are so good. this might be the killer feature.
ross hinkle
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Even Apple tech support is clueless on the Music. But after fiddling around a little yesterday, it's really not so hard. The Americana and blues channels have been great so far. Nothing but music I don't have. And signing up w 1 click beats all. No one but goofballs will care about Beats 1
Bob Barnett
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
The biggest mistake in marketing....selling to those who do not need to be sold.....this is a second free U2 album...I want it off my phone..maybe after this Apple can sell New New Coke...you are spot on
William Donnelly
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
Everything I know about Apple Music, I know from this newsletter. And I am an Apple Fan Girl going on 20 years.
I've not seen a single ad, not one friend of mine has mentioned it, none of my fellow Mac users talk about it.
I actually haven't played music on my iTunes app since I began streaming music as a Spotify Premium user.
From what I am reading, it doesn't sound like I'll want to switch back anytime soon.
Kim McAllister
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
I'm loving Apple Music. Not having a hard time understanding it or navigating. And I'm 61, so its not an age thing. The best thing about it for me is that its available in South Africa, whereas Spotify, Pandora and the rest are not. For me it is a game changer. Best thing since iPhone. Or iPad. Or iTunes. Or iPod?
Thanks
Michael Canfield
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
I, too, am on Day 3. I've been a Deezer Premium subscriber for the past year so I'm now comparing to determine which company will earn my business. So far: Deezer has the more intuitive interface, Deezer has deeper catalogues for many artists I love (for instance, more Richard Thompson solo albums, all of The Jam deluxe editions), Deezer HQ seems to deliver better audio quality. Apple's customized playlists match my tastes pretty well, and streaming from Apple Music to Apple TV is less glitchy than from Deezer. But overall, Deezer maintains a big lead -- and that shocks me because, at one time, Apple always nailed it. But Apple Music is sadly like too many of the company's recent products: jumbled, confusing, not enough quality control.
David Veitch
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
The playlist is what keeps the subscriber on a service. If you can't import them you can't convert people over.
Pretty basic stuff but Apple tries to be a walled garden to a fault sometimes and this is a good example of that.
Landon Hendricks
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Funny thing is i agree with all of your points… but I find I am LOVING finding music again… There is absolutely something right here… something Spotify never had… Whether it's the integration within iTunes already, the curation which is pretty damn good so far, both, whatever… for some reason, I'm like a kid in the candy store and finding songs and artists like never before. I love it!
But i'm a music producer… My wife has NO idea what Apple Music is… And she's not even interested in it… I have a feeling the average consumer is in her boat, not mine.
Maybe streaming will always just be a niche thing?
cheers
ryan stewart
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
One point you're missing: Apple Music will be preinstalled on every single iPhone now sold. Last quarter that was over 70 million. In one quarter. Spotify isn't installed. Pandora isn't installed. None of it.
Your retired uncle opens up his brand new iPhone and there on the home screen is an app called MUSIC. What does the word Spotify mean? He doesn't care to find out, he just wants to listen to some MUSIC. He already has an iTunes account with a credit card attached. Easy. Done.
The worry for Apple won't be IF Apple Music will win. It's IF companies like Spotify will file antitrust lawsuits. Remember United States vs Microsoft because they preinstalled a little app called Internet Explorer back in the day?
Dave Silis
P.S. Oh and also, kids asking their parents for 9.99 to subscribe? Ain't gonna happen, and won't NEED to happen. Apple saw that coming. That's why they created shared iTunes Family accounts.
Mom or dad do one tap on their iPhones, preinstalled with Apple Music before they even have a chance to ask "What's Spotify?" and suddenly all their kids have a paid streaming music service before THEY have a chance to ask "What's Apple Music?"
It will just feel normal. Like that's how the Music app is supposed to work anyway.
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob
To a large degree I agree with your pronouncements - especially the lack of tutorials, but I think there are fundamental things you don't address in your mail that might be very big wins for Apple and ultimately the industry.
Apple Music has launched in 115 countries - There are many territories Apple Music has launched where neither Spotify nor other streaming services currently exist. Before you discard these as minor territories, they include Japan, Russia, India and Nigeria - four of the Top 10 most populated countries in the world. In total there are 57 countries Apple Music has launched that don't get Spotify - in contrast there are 4 where Spotify exists but no Apple Music (Liechtenstein, Andorra, Taiwan & Turkey).
For millions of people in these countries and indeed where streaming currently exists Apple Music WILL be their first taste of a streaming service.Yes they may love free music via youtube etc but you'd have to admit that this is a far superior streaming user experience than youtube - even Spotify for all its success, which is mostly garnered through word of mouth - which makes growth incremental rather than speedy, has only 60 million people worldwide with its free tier and 80 million total users - Apple being in 57 more territories, with big advertising campaigns as well as of course the whole apple eco-system via it's phones, ipads and macs in addition to word of mouth will bring many new customers, who will simply love any good streaming service and will settle with Apple music merely by virtue of it being their first foray into streaming, even if at a cost.
Then of course there is the inevitability that people become addicted during their 3 month trial - many will create a number of playlists which would disappear forever after that period if they don't take the subscription. The success of Netflix demonstrates that the free trial leads to a good rate of conversion and I suspect the music sphere is even more seductive to users - there is a limit to how many times you may want to watch a certain movie or series, but with music, you tend to want to listen repeatedly to your most cherished music.
Your article is primarily addressed at music business insiders or early adopters, most of whom live and breathe music and therefore are well versed and already interested in streaming, therefore the conversation turns to whether Apple Music is better than Spotify, Pandora, Deezer etc but really the launch of Apple Music is about getting streaming to the masses, which Apple Music can achieve by simply already being a behemoth at launch. My guess is that the conversion rate from trial to paying subscriber will actually be comparatively very good - perhaps the bigger issue for Apple and concurrently the industry as a whole, will be getting the public at large, to engage by taking the 3 month trial in the first place - perhaps it is easy to forget for all those on the inside, how great we all felt when we first used a good streaming service - you are right people are cheapskates but when something good comes along they pay in their droves, Apple of all companies has proven this
historically - but that is possibly the key, just getting people to try it out on the trial……if they do I think it may really pave the way for streaming to really make a difference to the music economy whatever your or my personal gripes about certain flaws within the offering - it is still infinitely better than almost all other means of listening to music, which perhaps as an industry insider is easy to forget.
Best regards,
Paul Lisberg
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Re: The Race To Quality
And The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" was done with Max Martin.
John
____________________________________
Re: The Race To Quality
De Lux is good, check out the full Generation album. Tracks like "Oh Man The Future," "It's A Combination," and "Someday Now" are great. Reminiscent of a fusion of Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem, Portugal The Man. Have my eye on this act for sure.
Bob Moses is a two-man electronic duo. They're a Burning Man-type favorite. They played a sold out show at LA's Lot 613 last month and put on a killer set; even the live vocals sounded great. They're with good company on Domino Records, but whether their afterhours, lower-tempo house music will find mass appeal in the states (ie other than LA/San Fran/NYC) remains to be seen.
Steel
Steel Hanf | WME
Office of Kevin Shivers
____________________________________
Re: The Race To Quality
De Lux gets a fair amount of play on KCRW's MBE. Their first album had some real earworms, like Talking Heads meets Low-era Bowie.
Britt Benston
____________________________________
From: John Bach
Re: The Race To Quality
Bob,
My rock band recently signed an indie record deal after having 7 labels bidding for us only 3 months into a string of residencies. Even a few majors showed up. A very rare occurrence for a rock band given the shit times we live in.
We were so grateful. And relieved we skipped having to live sitting upright in a van for 3 yrs in order to gain the attention we did in 3 months. And as much as one would expect a group of long haired, broke musicians to do backflips and cry tears of joy after signing a recording contract, we had to do the opposite.
We sat down with our superhero manager once the negotiations were finalized where he gave us the final details of our deal. The advance would just barely pay for a producer, engineer, and mastering; all done by the same (extremely talented) person for two-thirds their rate. Oh and 1.5 month's rent for all members while recording. Thank god, because driving Uber 60+ hrs a week kills your creative drive (pun).
Our manager congratulated us for officially becoming a signed band.
Then advised us to not quit our day jobs.
Shit times, Bob. Shit times. Like I said, we're extremely grateful. But we'll have to save our backflips for when we sell 80,000 records. If we don't, I'm afraid we'll end up being hobbyists who used to have a record contract.
-Realist
____________________________________
From: Tony Bosco
Subject: Paul Natkin on Foo Fighters Photo Contract
http://blog.natkin.net/foo-fighters/
____________________________________
From: Mike Caren
Re-Apple Music
Bob,
These are all good points. I would say there's a huge reason to be optimistic though. When you posted my comments re new radio/playlists, it became obvious that the Apple crew are listening and out there looking for feedback. There's players in the mix like Julie Pilat, Ian, Warren Gessin, and Larry that are part of music loving communities and been welcoming criticism and suggestions. You'd be shocked to the arrogance typically found in tech and lack of interest to hear about missed markets typically. They usually treat those in the music business like cave men (some deserve it we must agree though).
One of the reasons I've been loyal to Apple products is that every 6 months there was the potential for updated software with problem solving. I like Spotify and used it but I can't tell you that it has improved by any leaps and bounds in the last 3 years. Their charts don't work, often months behind, and their "industry relations" crew in the US feel very removed from the Swedish team. Compare that with leaps on the iOS, a much more complicated endeavor.
As far as the message, it should be simple. You're 100% right there should be a tutorial. There also should be a "WHY". Apple was always about "Thinking Different." What is the thought here. You can have the entire iTunes store for $10/month and they throw in Pandora for free. That's basically what you have here and it's great but it's being done without a message. Going to the top 200 and just being able to play it straight through like a playlist is almost a surreal experience for a pop fan. You feel like you won a contest that comes with a shopping spree. And that family plan feels like a huge deal. It's 75% there and if they can bring it to 85% in the fall, anyone who knows Apple would know they can get it to 98% by the end of '16.
Here's what I'd like to see:
1. Beats 1 should have its own app that you can download from the app store (as long as you have the current iOS) so that you can go direct to it. That app could be nothing more than a shortcut into the Music app. Saves three steps and gives you instant grat and still puts you in the environment. I would go to it more often.
2. Connect needs to be improved to have and an experience at least as good as Vine. Vine has the best interface they just are treated like Twitter's ugly step sister and Twitter has so mnay problems that they ignore the easy fixes that would make Vine excel. Empower all the Viners to take over Connect. No one wants to see press shots of established artists. Also give major label acts an incentive to use it too. Allow them an easy way to overlay text (like Snapchat) with inbound (to apple) or outbound links.
3. Connect Chart needs to happen. Artists are competitive. It will inspire them.
4. Your radios stations should be nameable. I can't figure out how to
change the name of my stations. I would like to change "I want to
live/talking heads" channel to something called "Early 80s Gems". Needs to happen.
5. Despite not being about algorithm (and over hyping curated), the radio stations are running from them and need to improve. I tried to start a soul/funk station and even though I only liked stuff from the 70s/80s, it kept pulling up new British poseur funk acts. It should have figured out by 10 likes that I was only shooting for a certain era. I really like that there's a balance of curated and algorithm but Apple has never been good at the latter. iTunes store never even mastered how to find an act if you misspelled the name. Room for improvement.
Fingers crossed. I like to see music lovers win.
Best,
Mike
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
I work as a manager and entertainment attorney in the music industry and I've been reading your posts on the new iTunes and I had to chime in since I have been dealing with many more issues than you have even mentioned. Maybe it is because I use my iPhone as an iPod or maybe it is because I have over 160 gigs of music (over 25,000 songs) on my iTunes that I have all these issues, but the tech side of the new iTunes is a disaster. It amazes me that a tech company like Apple could release a product like this with so many flaws. How does nobody at Apple see these issues?
Before getting into the issues, I will say that I do love Beats 1 and at least for me, it is a game changer as far as radio is concerned. I don't think I have listened to a radio type format, even KCRW's Mornings Become Eclectic, for more than 10 minutes at a time in years. That said, my non-music friends have no idea it exists and don't really seem very excited to even find out about it. I mentioned to some that Dr Dre was DJing on 4th of July and they didn't care in the least, they were content with their iPod on shuffle or random Pandora channels.
Anyhow … instead of making life easier and more pleasurable, here are some of the issues I've been having with the new iTunes Music that have been causing me nothing but frustration:
1) When I click on "add to My Music" when listening to Beats 1 while using iTunes, it does nothing. It doesn't save the song to my iTunes. The same on the iPhone. To actually get a song added to "My Music" I have to go to the "New" tab on my iPhone/iTunes and click "add to My Music" and then "Listen to this Offline" — this is obviously a major buzz kill, since you want to be able to listen to Beats 1 and easily add a song you like to your music library. What good is Beats 1 if it doesn't help you discover music and then listen again to that new discovery later … at a time of your choosing.
2) Right now when I have the "iCloud Music Library" setting turned on, on my iPhone, and I connect my iPhone to my iTunes, I cannot drag and drop any music from iTunes into my iPhone. This is a fundamental and MAJOR flaw, since that is what iTunes was built on, the ability to organize all your music in iTunes and then selectively put that music on your iPhone/iPod.
For songs that I have uploaded to my iTunes manually (i.e.: imported a CD, uploaded songs from my computer, etc ….) it gives me an error that states "Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone because iCloud Music Library is enabled on this iPhone." For songs that I have downloaded from iTunes via save to "my music" from the new streaming store … there is no error sign at all, it just doesn't allow me to add them to my iPhone/iPod at all. I also cannot delete any songs off of my iPhone when it is connecting to iTunes in this state. This obviously makes it impossible to now organize the music on my iPhone.
3) If I turn off the "iCloud Music Library" setting on my iPhone and connect my phone to iTunes, it will then let me transfer most (although not all) of the music I have uploaded manually to iTunes (i.e.: imported CD's, demos my bands have sent me, etc …). However, unfortunately it still doesn't let me drag and drop songs that I have saved to "my music" from the new streaming store from my iTunes to my iPhone. This is obviously frustrating since I can't add one of the new Miguel songs (for instance) to my iPhones "R&B" playlist that I have on my iPhone. Or save the whole new Miguel album (that I saved to my computer via iTunes) onto my iPhone. In order to listen to Miguel on my iPhone, I still need to go to the "new" section of the iPhone and stream it or then save it. Once again, this makes it very difficult to organize my iPhone.
Organizing your mass catalog of music in iTunes and then selectively putting that music onto your iPhone (or iPod, iPad), is what made the whole Apple experience great and better than any competitor. Right now that capability is not working, which is a break down in the very basic functionality of the whole iTunes system. Right now iTunes is no better than any other music system.
4) Lastly, I think it would be a good idea when you turn on your iCloud Music Library on your iPhone to not have to synch all of your iTunes and iPhone playlists. You should have the option to synch all your playlists or not synch them. Once again, on my iTunes I have a hundred different playlists, but on my iPhone I only want a few, I don't want all these crazy playlists I use for work on my iPhone. Some people might, but that's why you should have the option.
5) As I'm sure you have heard, even more troubling, iTunes is also scanning peoples libraries, adding DRM to songs that are personally owned (i.e.: songs put into iTunes via a CD import) and even changing the artwork on some of those songs. I'm not sure this is even legal. More on that here:
http://www.cultofmac.com/327936/icloud-music-library-drm/
All in all … I think Jimmy, Zane, Ian and the crew have done a great job of giving people fresh new music, but it is the tech side that has failed miserably.
Ari
--
ARI INGEL
De Novo Music Management
____________________________________
From: Bob Stupay
Re-: Apple Music
Bob,
In case you missed it, Apple Music is causing more problems than you think.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/1/8877129/apple-music-icloud-problems
____________________________________
From: Adam Lewis
Re: Apple Music
Listened to Beats1 all day Thursday. Found it really challenging. Talking over songs at the beginning and end. Having to endure a host named Fat Jew. People are tuning in for the curated music, not constant talk. Very little music was actually getting played. The Brit Djs get tired real quick.
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Bob,
Steve Jobs must be spinning in his grave. So I booted iTunes tonight and I'm greeting with this image: iTunes: Take a Quick Tour. "Great!" I thought. "I really would like a primer on the new iTunes and Apple Music." But for the life of me, I can't figure out how to start the tour. I click on every part of the image. Nothing. It's one big dead link. I go under the Help menu and click on iTunes Quick Tour, thinking reloading this page would help. Nope. Seriously, who's in charge of quality control over there now?
David Veitch
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Bob,
I just started playing with Apple music, and so far I'm not liking it. Trying to create a playlist in my iPhone is not intuitive and is clumsy. I search for an artist to add a song to a playlist and on some screens it gives me a "+" symbol that when I touch it, changes to a check mark, indicating I have added it to the playlist. Other times, it does nothing so I keep tapping it, thinking it's not responding. But it just keeps adding the same song (or entire album) to the playlist. And if you accidentally added a song you don't want, you can't "uncheck" it on that screen to remove it. You have to go to the playlist and tap the delete button and then tap another button to confirm. Too many touches in too many places! I thought maybe I could just swipe left to remove the song from the playlist (like in Apple mail), but nope.
Furthermore, when I search for an album to pick through the tracks to add, I don't have the same "+" option to select it. If I tap that song it starts playing. I have to select the song, then click "add to playlist", then select WHICH playlist! I started out this process by clicking the "add song" button FROM WITHIN THAT PLAYLIST! Why is it now making me choose the playlist again? I am a longtime Apple user, but this is subpar for them.
I've been using Spotify since before it launched in the U.S. It's not perfect. But it seems easier to use at this point.
T.J. Edmond
P.S. Aaand the app just crashed. On my IPhone 6plus.
Apple Music is not ready. I have a brand new MacBook Pro and it goes into spinning beach all mode all the time. Disappointed with where Apple seems to be slipping.
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Apple Music is like a corporate music site. Its lacking simplicity and a great u i . The playlists are largely without character and depth, the lack of any social integration is a joke. The "connect" part is worse than ping and even the new tab that is meant to be modeled to an individuals smells like the front entrance to forever 21. So far is crap, they desperately need to improve this otherwise its beats2. Beats was crap as well. iTunes has progressively turned into an unwieldy music management system, ready to die if someone came up with a simple replacement. Spotify's u i is vastly better and more elegant.
Peter Koepke
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
I signed up for AM, moved over from Beats. I want it to work so I'm trying to learn. But it failed to port over my library and playlists from 18 months of Beats usage -- and to make it worse, the app is not letting me add songs to new playlists on an iPad mini 3.
As I write, I'm on the phone with Apple -- we are at the 1:55:32 mark. The smart, friendly support staff don't know the app yet. They admit it. "It's new." "Bugs happen." "It's a holiday weekend." Training hasn't been completed. But they stuck with me and I stuck with them. I didn't know I was this patient.
Bob, I'm an avid music listener and I want this to work. Obviously.
We are all drowning in data and media and software. We just want it to work.
And Apple's offerings are so many, its products so diverse and multi-platform, they aren't as big-free and simple as they used to be. Not by a long shot.
But we are drowning in an ocean we can't see ourselves ever getting out of. So we (or at least many of us) hold onto the cushy, well designed Apple life preserver, paddling harder than we believe we should have to.
I'm patient, ok, but mainly I'm willing to do what it takes -- until and unless somebody displaces them.
Lord, I hope I'm not enabling Apple to become like my cable company.
Tucker
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
the playlists are so good. this might be the killer feature.
ross hinkle
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Even Apple tech support is clueless on the Music. But after fiddling around a little yesterday, it's really not so hard. The Americana and blues channels have been great so far. Nothing but music I don't have. And signing up w 1 click beats all. No one but goofballs will care about Beats 1
Bob Barnett
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
The biggest mistake in marketing....selling to those who do not need to be sold.....this is a second free U2 album...I want it off my phone..maybe after this Apple can sell New New Coke...you are spot on
William Donnelly
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
Everything I know about Apple Music, I know from this newsletter. And I am an Apple Fan Girl going on 20 years.
I've not seen a single ad, not one friend of mine has mentioned it, none of my fellow Mac users talk about it.
I actually haven't played music on my iTunes app since I began streaming music as a Spotify Premium user.
From what I am reading, it doesn't sound like I'll want to switch back anytime soon.
Kim McAllister
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob,
I'm loving Apple Music. Not having a hard time understanding it or navigating. And I'm 61, so its not an age thing. The best thing about it for me is that its available in South Africa, whereas Spotify, Pandora and the rest are not. For me it is a game changer. Best thing since iPhone. Or iPad. Or iTunes. Or iPod?
Thanks
Michael Canfield
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
I, too, am on Day 3. I've been a Deezer Premium subscriber for the past year so I'm now comparing to determine which company will earn my business. So far: Deezer has the more intuitive interface, Deezer has deeper catalogues for many artists I love (for instance, more Richard Thompson solo albums, all of The Jam deluxe editions), Deezer HQ seems to deliver better audio quality. Apple's customized playlists match my tastes pretty well, and streaming from Apple Music to Apple TV is less glitchy than from Deezer. But overall, Deezer maintains a big lead -- and that shocks me because, at one time, Apple always nailed it. But Apple Music is sadly like too many of the company's recent products: jumbled, confusing, not enough quality control.
David Veitch
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
The playlist is what keeps the subscriber on a service. If you can't import them you can't convert people over.
Pretty basic stuff but Apple tries to be a walled garden to a fault sometimes and this is a good example of that.
Landon Hendricks
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Funny thing is i agree with all of your points… but I find I am LOVING finding music again… There is absolutely something right here… something Spotify never had… Whether it's the integration within iTunes already, the curation which is pretty damn good so far, both, whatever… for some reason, I'm like a kid in the candy store and finding songs and artists like never before. I love it!
But i'm a music producer… My wife has NO idea what Apple Music is… And she's not even interested in it… I have a feeling the average consumer is in her boat, not mine.
Maybe streaming will always just be a niche thing?
cheers
ryan stewart
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
One point you're missing: Apple Music will be preinstalled on every single iPhone now sold. Last quarter that was over 70 million. In one quarter. Spotify isn't installed. Pandora isn't installed. None of it.
Your retired uncle opens up his brand new iPhone and there on the home screen is an app called MUSIC. What does the word Spotify mean? He doesn't care to find out, he just wants to listen to some MUSIC. He already has an iTunes account with a credit card attached. Easy. Done.
The worry for Apple won't be IF Apple Music will win. It's IF companies like Spotify will file antitrust lawsuits. Remember United States vs Microsoft because they preinstalled a little app called Internet Explorer back in the day?
Dave Silis
P.S. Oh and also, kids asking their parents for 9.99 to subscribe? Ain't gonna happen, and won't NEED to happen. Apple saw that coming. That's why they created shared iTunes Family accounts.
Mom or dad do one tap on their iPhones, preinstalled with Apple Music before they even have a chance to ask "What's Spotify?" and suddenly all their kids have a paid streaming music service before THEY have a chance to ask "What's Apple Music?"
It will just feel normal. Like that's how the Music app is supposed to work anyway.
____________________________________
Re: Apple Music
Hi Bob
To a large degree I agree with your pronouncements - especially the lack of tutorials, but I think there are fundamental things you don't address in your mail that might be very big wins for Apple and ultimately the industry.
Apple Music has launched in 115 countries - There are many territories Apple Music has launched where neither Spotify nor other streaming services currently exist. Before you discard these as minor territories, they include Japan, Russia, India and Nigeria - four of the Top 10 most populated countries in the world. In total there are 57 countries Apple Music has launched that don't get Spotify - in contrast there are 4 where Spotify exists but no Apple Music (Liechtenstein, Andorra, Taiwan & Turkey).
For millions of people in these countries and indeed where streaming currently exists Apple Music WILL be their first taste of a streaming service.Yes they may love free music via youtube etc but you'd have to admit that this is a far superior streaming user experience than youtube - even Spotify for all its success, which is mostly garnered through word of mouth - which makes growth incremental rather than speedy, has only 60 million people worldwide with its free tier and 80 million total users - Apple being in 57 more territories, with big advertising campaigns as well as of course the whole apple eco-system via it's phones, ipads and macs in addition to word of mouth will bring many new customers, who will simply love any good streaming service and will settle with Apple music merely by virtue of it being their first foray into streaming, even if at a cost.
Then of course there is the inevitability that people become addicted during their 3 month trial - many will create a number of playlists which would disappear forever after that period if they don't take the subscription. The success of Netflix demonstrates that the free trial leads to a good rate of conversion and I suspect the music sphere is even more seductive to users - there is a limit to how many times you may want to watch a certain movie or series, but with music, you tend to want to listen repeatedly to your most cherished music.
Your article is primarily addressed at music business insiders or early adopters, most of whom live and breathe music and therefore are well versed and already interested in streaming, therefore the conversation turns to whether Apple Music is better than Spotify, Pandora, Deezer etc but really the launch of Apple Music is about getting streaming to the masses, which Apple Music can achieve by simply already being a behemoth at launch. My guess is that the conversion rate from trial to paying subscriber will actually be comparatively very good - perhaps the bigger issue for Apple and concurrently the industry as a whole, will be getting the public at large, to engage by taking the 3 month trial in the first place - perhaps it is easy to forget for all those on the inside, how great we all felt when we first used a good streaming service - you are right people are cheapskates but when something good comes along they pay in their droves, Apple of all companies has proven this
historically - but that is possibly the key, just getting people to try it out on the trial……if they do I think it may really pave the way for streaming to really make a difference to the music economy whatever your or my personal gripes about certain flaws within the offering - it is still infinitely better than almost all other means of listening to music, which perhaps as an industry insider is easy to forget.
Best regards,
Paul Lisberg
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Sunday 5 July 2015
The Race To Quality
Has turned most musicians into hobbyists.
I feel like I grew up in the dark ages. When getting a record deal was nearly impossible and if you did, especially if you were on Warner Brothers, you got reviews, airplay and consideration. In other words, we cared about novelty acts like Devo and the B-52s. They were sui generis, one of a kind. Now there are dozens of imitators, many good, few superlative.
And there comes the dilemma.
Most in music are myopic. They can see what is in front of them and not much more. They care about their music, which has a modicum of fans, they're frustrated they can't reach more, that they can't make more money, the problem is Spotify or piracy or some other red herring when the truth is in a marketplace overrun with options, everyone races to quality. Or hits. Which may or may not be one and the same, but your best way to achieve a hit is to work with those of quality, which means if you turn down a chance to work with Max Martin, you want to be broke.
I'm not saying there's not good music out there, but there's little context. Unless it's anointed, you may feel like you're the only fan, and we live in a social world. In the pre-internet era you clung to the fringes to establish your identity, you were anti-hit. Today when you're on the fringes you might as well be in the asteroid belt beyond Pluto, it's cold and lonely, and unfulfilling.
But that does not mean people out there don't yell. There's a lot of yelling in music, but those who are not musicians, who are not living for it, tune out, and listen to the hits if they listen to anything at all.
That's the problem in today's music business, hit establishment, not getting paid. There's a fiction that if everybody just paid for a subscription harmony would reign.
But look at television. If you've got time to watch everything, not only do you have no life, you're lying. But the barrier to entry in music is so much lower that the tsunami of choice buries most listeners.
So now you know why the business people are so much more powerful than the artists. Because the business people last, and they have the power to make you successful. In the last decade you could have a viral hit, but today that'd be like finding your friend at Lollapalooza without a cellphone, good luck. The acts come and go, the business people remain. Except for a very thin layer of superstars.
So what does this mean?
Don't expect to get rich making music. Don't expect to even make a living. Blame the internet, but not piracy, apathy is a bigger problem.
The industry still operates by old rules. Which means get it on the radio. So those on the radio gain traction and everybody else is nearly ignored. Radio not only reaches many, it creates coherence for the listener.
Press is irrelevant unless there's radio or other attendant success.
Those from my era lament the loss of that which did not hit radio yet was successful. But that was in an era of relative scarcity, you could know all the records, you could make sense of what was going on. But now every week there's a new number one, many times heretofore unknown by many, which quickly slides off the chart and is replaced by another. It's like every week there's a new math, but no one in the industry is trying to make sense of it, for fear of losing out.
We need attention paid to even fewer records.
We need to promote them in areas other than radio.
We must prop up the winners and forget the losers.
Music is not America at large, there is no safety net, no guaranteed lunch. And as soon as we get rid of that fiction, the better off we'll be.
Close the doors to the music business colleges. Stop reviewing so many records in print. Stop pointing fingers at everybody but yourself.
Either be a part of the problem or part of the solution.
Even better, lead or get out of the way.
P.S. I just listened to Apple Music's "A-List: Indie" playlist. De Lux's "LA Threshold" was really good. But unlike a classic radio hit, it didn't grab me immediately, I had to listen for a while, which doesn't undercut its quality, but its ability to succeed in an instant satiation, click-away world. Furthermore, I've never heard of this act before, who can I talk about it with? And is it so good that I want to hear it again? In this case, yes, but a lot of what was on the same playlist was not.
P.P.S. The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" is probably the best track on the playlist, the Weeknd made it, are you as good as he is? If not, don't give up your day job.
P.P.P.S. Kacey Musgraves's "Family Is Family" is positively B-level work, stuff we had time for in the seventies, but not today. That's what's confronting not only Ms. Musgraves, but Alabama Shakes and Mumford & Sons, attention is so focused, expectations so high, that if you don't deliver something just as good as what made your rep...GOOD LUCK!
P.P.P.P.S. Have you ever heard of Bob Moses? Certainly not I. Wasn't he a basketball player, or a jazzer? But his track "Talk" reminds you of the Beatles testing limits in 1966, only the Beatles were there first, so this is not a brand new sound, but it is very good, but how can it compete in a world where stuff is hyped ad infinitum, like Ms. Musgraves and Jamie xx.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I've already forgotten the cutesy track that reminded me of the B-52's, intelligent and irreverent. Once upon a time we sought out Jonathan Richman because there was no one like him, he was the brave outlier, now there are a zillion Jonathan Richmans, none quite as good, none deserving our attention.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. This is only one of a PLETHORA of playlists on Apple Music. No one can know everything, and the more you listen the more frustrated you get, you gain knowledge but you really just want to retreat to the ten tracks you need to hear, crossing all genres, so you can talk with intelligence, so you can feel plugged in. That's right, too many music fans are now outsiders.
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I feel like I grew up in the dark ages. When getting a record deal was nearly impossible and if you did, especially if you were on Warner Brothers, you got reviews, airplay and consideration. In other words, we cared about novelty acts like Devo and the B-52s. They were sui generis, one of a kind. Now there are dozens of imitators, many good, few superlative.
And there comes the dilemma.
Most in music are myopic. They can see what is in front of them and not much more. They care about their music, which has a modicum of fans, they're frustrated they can't reach more, that they can't make more money, the problem is Spotify or piracy or some other red herring when the truth is in a marketplace overrun with options, everyone races to quality. Or hits. Which may or may not be one and the same, but your best way to achieve a hit is to work with those of quality, which means if you turn down a chance to work with Max Martin, you want to be broke.
I'm not saying there's not good music out there, but there's little context. Unless it's anointed, you may feel like you're the only fan, and we live in a social world. In the pre-internet era you clung to the fringes to establish your identity, you were anti-hit. Today when you're on the fringes you might as well be in the asteroid belt beyond Pluto, it's cold and lonely, and unfulfilling.
But that does not mean people out there don't yell. There's a lot of yelling in music, but those who are not musicians, who are not living for it, tune out, and listen to the hits if they listen to anything at all.
That's the problem in today's music business, hit establishment, not getting paid. There's a fiction that if everybody just paid for a subscription harmony would reign.
But look at television. If you've got time to watch everything, not only do you have no life, you're lying. But the barrier to entry in music is so much lower that the tsunami of choice buries most listeners.
So now you know why the business people are so much more powerful than the artists. Because the business people last, and they have the power to make you successful. In the last decade you could have a viral hit, but today that'd be like finding your friend at Lollapalooza without a cellphone, good luck. The acts come and go, the business people remain. Except for a very thin layer of superstars.
So what does this mean?
Don't expect to get rich making music. Don't expect to even make a living. Blame the internet, but not piracy, apathy is a bigger problem.
The industry still operates by old rules. Which means get it on the radio. So those on the radio gain traction and everybody else is nearly ignored. Radio not only reaches many, it creates coherence for the listener.
Press is irrelevant unless there's radio or other attendant success.
Those from my era lament the loss of that which did not hit radio yet was successful. But that was in an era of relative scarcity, you could know all the records, you could make sense of what was going on. But now every week there's a new number one, many times heretofore unknown by many, which quickly slides off the chart and is replaced by another. It's like every week there's a new math, but no one in the industry is trying to make sense of it, for fear of losing out.
We need attention paid to even fewer records.
We need to promote them in areas other than radio.
We must prop up the winners and forget the losers.
Music is not America at large, there is no safety net, no guaranteed lunch. And as soon as we get rid of that fiction, the better off we'll be.
Close the doors to the music business colleges. Stop reviewing so many records in print. Stop pointing fingers at everybody but yourself.
Either be a part of the problem or part of the solution.
Even better, lead or get out of the way.
P.S. I just listened to Apple Music's "A-List: Indie" playlist. De Lux's "LA Threshold" was really good. But unlike a classic radio hit, it didn't grab me immediately, I had to listen for a while, which doesn't undercut its quality, but its ability to succeed in an instant satiation, click-away world. Furthermore, I've never heard of this act before, who can I talk about it with? And is it so good that I want to hear it again? In this case, yes, but a lot of what was on the same playlist was not.
P.P.S. The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" is probably the best track on the playlist, the Weeknd made it, are you as good as he is? If not, don't give up your day job.
P.P.P.S. Kacey Musgraves's "Family Is Family" is positively B-level work, stuff we had time for in the seventies, but not today. That's what's confronting not only Ms. Musgraves, but Alabama Shakes and Mumford & Sons, attention is so focused, expectations so high, that if you don't deliver something just as good as what made your rep...GOOD LUCK!
P.P.P.P.S. Have you ever heard of Bob Moses? Certainly not I. Wasn't he a basketball player, or a jazzer? But his track "Talk" reminds you of the Beatles testing limits in 1966, only the Beatles were there first, so this is not a brand new sound, but it is very good, but how can it compete in a world where stuff is hyped ad infinitum, like Ms. Musgraves and Jamie xx.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I've already forgotten the cutesy track that reminded me of the B-52's, intelligent and irreverent. Once upon a time we sought out Jonathan Richman because there was no one like him, he was the brave outlier, now there are a zillion Jonathan Richmans, none quite as good, none deserving our attention.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. This is only one of a PLETHORA of playlists on Apple Music. No one can know everything, and the more you listen the more frustrated you get, you gain knowledge but you really just want to retreat to the ten tracks you need to hear, crossing all genres, so you can talk with intelligence, so you can feel plugged in. That's right, too many music fans are now outsiders.
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