Music Exec Fires Back At Apple CEO 610
geniusj writes "Warner Music Group CEO, Edgar Bronfman Jr., has fired back at Steve Jobs in response to the Apple CEO's claim that having variable pricing for iTunes music would be 'greedy.' From the article: 'To have only one price point is not fair to our artists, and I dare say not appropriate to consumers. The market should decide, not a single retailer ... Some songs should be $0.99 and some songs should be more. I don't want to give anyone the impression that $0.99 is a thing of the past ... We are selling our songs through iPod, but we don't have a share of iPod's revenue ... We want to share in those revenue streams. We have to get out of the mindset that our content has promotional value only.' Perhaps iPods combined with iPods are selling music as well, and it's not just a one-way street?"
wow ?! (Score:4, Funny)
!?
The Obligatory Remix (Score:5, Funny)
“We are selling our gas through H2, but we dont have a share of H2’s revenue,” he said. We want to share in those revenue streams.
The cash register industry did not return calls seeking comment, but representatives for the tobacco industry are reported to be participating in high level talks with the AMA.
Small misguided notion (Score:2, Funny)
That's all well and nice, but raising the price of a song by ten or twenty cents means that your local artist may now receive another half-cent! Don't you feel like you're helping out now?
Re:Taking this to its logical conclusion (Score:5, Funny)
Re:kill the goose (Score:5, Funny)
It's greed, but it's brilliantly strategic greed.
Re:Do they get a share of the sale of CD players? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Do they get a share of the sale of CD players? (Score:3, Funny)
"Hi. I am a record company. I believe that I will sell more products if I make them worse, and charge unreasonable prices. And of course that customers like to get sued and generally screwed."
Re:Do they get a share of the sale of CD players? (Score:5, Funny)
Now quick, somebody mod me up +5, fucking confused.
Remeber when a casette single was $2.99!??? (Score:3, Funny)
And for my next demand... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Price Fixing (not) (Score:3, Funny)
as i understand it, there's a contract up for renewal between apple and the music industry? this would just be posturing during the negotiations. normally the public isn't exposed to the bickering, lies and pissing matches between a retail outlet and their suppliers during the purchasing process.
if apple knows what's good for it's customers, they'll push for wholesale rates that allow them to maintain the current retail price. if the music industry knows what's good for itself, it'll LOWER their wholesale prices..
the more expensive something is: the more likely it is to be stolen or pirated. and the fewer units will be sold. the industry's goal is to jack prices as high as they can, so long as gross receipts doesn't drop due to lowered sales volume. and if they can get away with locking the content down so tight you need an riaa exec's thumbprint to play a tune, so much the better for the them (riaa).
the less expensive something is: the more likely it will be bought and paid for, and as a result, pirated or stolen less. lower prices equal higher sales volumes, which can mean higher gross receipts. likewise, the more convenient and desirable a product is, the higher the sales volume will be.
the music industry wants to (and does) charge the highest possible price for music, even though that lowers demand and sales volume (why don't any of the riaa sob stories about lowered sales due to p2p mention the HIGHER prices for music during the same time period?). they could instead work to find the LOWEST price that generates the same (or even more) revenue due to an increase in sales volume at the lower price. (actually any industry could do this.. but many choose not to)... noting that the LOWER price translates to better overall p.r., and happier customers who will be more apt to be repeat and/or higher volume customers
and lastly, the crappier the music is: the less likely anyone will even bother pirating it, nevermind buying it. HMMM.. i think i just figured out why current music SUCKS... they're forcing the crap on us to discourage piracy.. tricky little buggers....
Re:Do they get a share of the sale of CD players? (Score:5, Funny)
I think that alone says something.
As for the rest of the article, allow me to translate:
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
In Soviet Russia ... (Score:2, Funny)
President? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Do they get a share of the sale of CD players? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Do they get a share of the sale of CD players? (Score:5, Funny)
Unfortunately for us Canadians, his being a jackass makes him perfectly qualified for running Canada.
Shorter Argument (Score:2, Funny)
Record Exec: We are not greedy, we just want money for what we produce. And we need a cut of iPod sales.
Jobs: QED