According to Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman Anton Newcombe, Apple Music is threatening to remove artists from iTunes unless they comply with its new policies. These are evidently less than palatable, as they will be offering a three month trial to listeners, during which time no royalties will be paid to the artists.
In a series of tweets Newcombe detailed his experience with Apple Music. “So @APPLEOFFIClAL has a new deal they offered me: they said we want to stream your music free for 3 months… I said what if I say no”, he tweeted. “They said ‘we’ll take your music off iTunes’”. He went on to condemn their proposed action saying “Devils – they shouldn’t threaten people to work for free. It’s not ok for these f***ing idiots to decide art has no value”.
There has been a barrage of bad press for the new streaming service recently, perhaps spearheaded by the Association of Independent Music releasing a statement saying it “does not meet a standard of commercial fairness that we can endorse”. Infamous label collective Beggars Group that have had Adele and The XX on its roster among others has also said that it is “very concerned” about the proposed situation for rights holders. In a recent post they said, “at the moment we do not have an agreement with Apple Music that would allow us to participate in the new service”. Apple Music will be available from June 30.
#Peace.Love.AppleMusic
