Apple’s Jimmy Iovine says human curation could work for TV
In a new, wide-ranging interview with Wired, Apple’s Jimmy Iovine discusses the power of human curation and much more.
The music mogul admits that the standout feature of Apple Music could also apply to television. Interestingly, the next-generation Apple TV is rumored to be introduced sometime next month, and Apple is also reportedly creating a subscription streaming TV service:
“We all know one thing, we all have different television delivery systems, don’t we all wish that the delivery systems were better, as far as curation and service?” he says.
“They’re all technically good. And Netflix is starting to cross the code because they’re starting to make some original content. It is really good, but still I mean none of us make movies here right, so we’re all punters, or what do you call them in the music business, fans right? We want to watch movies. Sit down with your girlfriend or a bunch of friends and try to find a movie online. That box helps you none — it doesn’t help. You’re on your own. And eventually that will catch them unless somebody digs in and really helps the customer. And entertainment needs that, it needs to live and breathe.”
But Iovine said he’s not ready to move away from the world of music any time soon.
While Apple’s streaming music catalog and Beats 1 Radio have generally been well received, Iovine admits the Connect social network is still a work in progress. Artists can use Connect to give fans an inside look at pretty much any aspect of their lives.
“We have to prove [Connect’s value to artists], and we will slowly prove that. That will be the piece of the service that comes along last, or later, and we have some real plans,” he tells WIRED. “We’re building it out a lot more, it needs a lot of technical work as well. But we believe we’ll get there and it’ll be a great place for artists to communicate and with a lot of independence and freedom to do what they want to do. But we’re still building it.”
More than 11 million users have signed up for Apple Music so far. Thanks to a free, three-month trial, even the most early adopters won’t have to start paying for the service until sometime in October. It will cost $9.99 per month or $14.99 monthly for a family plan of up to six users.
The entire interview is definitely worth a read. While there have been a few early bumps in the road, Iovine seems determined to make Apple Music the top streaming service available.
Just yesterday, Iovine talked with the London Evening Standard and shed some light on Apple’s internal reaction to Taylor Swift’s famous letter regarding artist compensation during the free trial period.