Apple to buy Vivendi ?
Interesting report at Ars...
Any thoughts?
Quote:
In a move that may help a foundering company (Vivendi), add a revenue stream to another (Apple), and benefit many (us), the LA Times is reporting Steve Jobs is in talks with Vivendi to buy the Universal Music Group for up to $ 6 billion._
In a move that may help a foundering company (Vivendi), add a revenue stream to another (Apple), and benefit many (us), the LA Times is reporting Steve Jobs is in talks with Vivendi to buy the Universal Music Group for up to $ 6 billion._
Any thoughts?
Comments
[disclaimer: this is my personal, unbelabored, feeling]
beat me to it ....
low-fi
Screed
Apple has 4.4 Billion US dollars in the bank. Pixar's contract with Disney will end with the release of Finding Nemo, so some additional money could be had from signing a multi-year deal with Vivendi's movie division.
Screed
Universal sucks!
Always can count on thoughtful, insightful comments from some members of AI!
Whatever the price, SJ/Apple doesn't have to put up the cash completely. Stock options and loans can support a purchase.
Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch
Its not gonna happen... 6 billion dollars? No way..
When you buy a company, you don't pay the whole sum in cash.
Where's the AI vision? The argument against the music companies for years now is that they are stuck in the early 90s, with their high CD prices and lack of Internet distribution incentive.
In comes Apple, offering not only the best and best-selling MP3 player on the market, but a "Rip.Mix. Burn." slogan and cheaper and cheaper hardware with the sleeping giant that is OSX.
Can you imagine if this caught fire?
"High everyone, we're Apple Inc., now you can dl your music by the song for a reasonable price (because we own it all) and you can put it on your virus-free, Windows-free, DRM-free Mac then zip it right over to your iPod. "
I personally believe people are chomping at the bit for something like this and Apple is the only company out there with the vision to pull it off.
Now we''l have to see if they have the money...
(Hey Steve, how about a freebie or two each month for .Mac users?)
Amazing what you hear in Idle chatter at University conferences.
imagin artist realeasing all singles... no more albums... no more cds... songs you buy could be advalible on a streaming satellite service so you could listen to them in cars, on iPods, etc..... It goes on from there.
Lets not forget the Tipper Gore FX?, which, when turned on would automaticly beep out any swears.
This would also make Jobs on of the more powerful people in the world.. heads of a movie studio, computer company, and music company.. not bad.
g
No one will believe it now, but I told ya something was going on, and that it probably won't happen Apple's way, and that Apple wouldn't break the news, [bold]and that it would most likely come as a surprise to them[/bold],