Still trying to understand the bet on streaming. Beats had no real record of speak of on that front. Too new. An expensive gamble it would appear.
And in General, why all the hype about human curated playlists rather than the pandora approach of its music genome? What approach is iTunes radio currently using? Because whatever it is, it doesn't work...and i surely wanted it to.
Now, i have Rdio and Pandora. RDio has the big library, and i love the on-demand options...but Pandora, with its puny collection still seems to nail it for me generally in music discovery with its algorithms for dissecting and categorizing the characteristics of its tunes and finding other music that shares those characteristics. It works -- with some thumbs-up, thumbs-down guidance. But I am mystified why Pandora has not been an active acquisition target. Applying its selection system to a larger library, and having the resources of someone like Apple to overcome the cost-of-licensing barriers, would seem to be perfection.
Have yet to hear a rap song I consider music, except Gold Digger and Walk This Way, but then again I was weened on The Beatles. I do consider Oscar Brown Jr. a genius, he was among the first rappers and was a poet.
Or maybe because he beat up a woman (Dee Barnes) and threw her down the stairs.
And how many people have you and Benjamin Frost called a "thug" that were neither black nor rappers that had been accused of a crime or dong something not acceptable for civilized society? My guess is the number is zero. So why is it that certain terms seem to only be used to describe "those people."
Who here has called Steve Jobs a thug when an article about him has appeared on AI?
This (and the Apple Beats deal) is actually a very cool thing. Not only was it a smart business move (Apple got a great, profitable company; Dre got a lot of money and a great partnership), but the fact that Apple (who in the eyes of many is associated with the upper middle class and wealthy) was readily willing to validate the work and reputation of Dr Dre (to the tune of $3.2B) will be seen by many as a meaningful gesture of inclusion and alignment with urban culture (and the, largely lower class, population that is part of it). This is not only a great business move on Apple's part, but will also, I believe, play a small part in folding urban culture into the broader American culture. There is a substantial disparity, and an even bigger perceived disparity, between these two aspects of American culture (which most Americans are blissfully unaware of), which is a substantial contributor to the fact that America is #1 in the world in the rate of child abuse, per capita prison population, and teen pregnancy. Anything that can reduce this disparity (or even the perception of disparity) would do a lot of good,* and I congratulate Apple for making this move, regardless of the intentions. (I realize I sound like a hippy, but I'm really not).
To preempt the invariable criticism of Dr Dre and rap in general, yes, there are some bad (some very, very bad) aspects of it, some of which Dr Dre participated in, but the way to address it is not to dismissively criticize from a distance, but to engage, and that's exactly what Apple is doing. I intend to follow Apple's example. But for those of you just chomping at the bit to make flippant comments about rap music, please save it for getoffmylawninsider.
*I believe there's a prolific poster on here (BF) that has in his sig the following quote, which I think applies to the Apple Beats partnership:
"If the young are not initiated into the village, they will burn it down just to feel its warmth"
What the hell are you on about? Apple buying Beats does nothing for anyone but Apple. They bought a slick marketing machine that sells overpriced crap to teens that only care about status, doesn't matter what their skin color is. This won't affect anything locally or globally, they merely paid for the profit margins Beats generated, nothing more, nothing less. Apple doesn't give a shit about Dre, his vision, his past achievements or his future music career. All they cared about was how much money Beats as a brand could make them, they aren't out to validate anyones ego or integrating anyones cultures with one another. R&B and rap are already huge influences in media, Beats being overvalued for the garbage they sell and Apple buying it won't do a damn thing for that. All they care about is money, just like any smart business would. Apple and Dre do not, have not, and will not ever care about anything other than money. To think otherwise is delusional. This was a business deal, not a step towards a more integrated global community or validation of an individuals accomplishments.
Have yet to hear a rap song I consider music, except Gold Digger and Walk This Way, but then again I was weened on The Beatles. I do consider Oscar Brown Jr. a genius, he was among the first rappers and was a poet.
Weird, I've yet to hear a Beatles song that didn't immediately make me wish I was listening to something else and didn't make me wish I'd never hear another Beatles song for the rest of my life.
And Seinfeld's money wasn't made as a comedian. He made his money from a TV show that ended 16 years ago.
But Forbes ranks both of those guys as the highest-paid in their fields.
Like I said... take it up with Forbes. They made the list that you disagree with.
Or...you know... I'll discuss it on a discussion forum...
And to the point, I birge Seinfeld actually HAS made his money as a comedian. Whether as a tv comic, a commercial comic, etc. he was doing his comedy routine.
With Young, he wasn't making music. He was doing marketing, crunching numbers, and making appearances. Neither of which are "musician" issues. At this stage, he made no more money as a "musician" than lovine did.
And how many people have you and Benjamin Frost called a "thug" that were neither black nor rappers that had been accused of a crime or dong something not acceptable for civilized society? My guess is the number is zero. So why is it that certain terms seem to only be used to describe "those people."
Who here has called Steve Jobs a thug when an article about him has appeared on AI?
In my book, "Dr. Dre" represents something I find reprehensible. As a member of a group called N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), he beat up on women for whatever reason (that he apparently paid off, too bad CRIMINAL charges were not pursued). Now his past is considered "cool" and sells this urban chic culture crap (hey money talks, huh?). Why not go back to his given name Andre Young and put his past behind him? Would he be considered a sell out? I could care less about the color of his skin, but do care deeply about personal responsibility (man if those were my daughters). So to imply to any naysayers that this is about the color of his skin continues to shield him from morality. Keep providing that shield, it surely will help in the long run (NOT).
In my book, "Dr. Dre" represents something I find reprehensible. As a member of a group called N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), he beat up on women for whatever reason (that he apparently paid off, too bad CRIMINAL charges were not pursued). Now his past is considered "cool" and sells this urban chic culture crap (hey money talks, huh?). Why not go back to his given name Andre Young and put his past behind him? Would he be considered a sell out? I could care less about the color of his skin, but do care deeply about personal responsibility (man if those were my daughters). So to imply to any naysayers that this is about the color of his skin continues to shield him from morality. Keep providing that shield, it surely will help in the long run (NOT).
I have no problem with people being against a person for actions they consider reprehensible, I just hope that you use the same measure for all people. For example, do you also find Christian Bale and Sean Connery reprehensible? Have you chosen to not support any endeavour they're in? Has Benjamin Frost referred to them as thugs?
He's more of a producer than a musician. If you've heard Eminem's songs then you've heard Dre's music.
I found some clarification on the word "musician"
- a person who makes music a profession, especially as a performer of music
- any person, whether professional or not, skilled in music
- a musician (or instrumentalist) is a person who plays a musical instrument or is musically talented, or one who composes, conducts, or performs music
- examples of a musician's possible skills include performing, conducting, singing, composing, arranging, and the orchestration of music
Dr. Dre has many of those traits: he is a performer, a singer, a composer, a producer, and is skilled in music.
Or...you know... I'll discuss it on a discussion forum...
And to the point, I birge Seinfeld actually HAS made his money as a comedian. Whether as a tv comic, a commercial comic, etc. he was doing his comedy routine.
With Young, he wasn't making music. He was doing marketing, crunching numbers, and making appearances. Neither of which are "musician" issues. At this stage, he made no more money as a "musician" than lovine did.
See above.
I think it's safe to say that Dr. Dre falls under the category of "musician"
So let's look at how Dr Dre. made his money in 2014.
Yes... I would imagine that most of the money he made this year was from the Apple/Beats deal. But should that really affect the Forbes list?
Dr. Dre sold his music lifestyle hardware brand to Apple... and he also sold his streaming music service to Apple.
They took the money they made in their main career and invested it to become wealthy. It is a bit unfair to rank other people in the same profession lower if they are earning more directly from that profession. If they had a listing for this type of thing separately like highest earning entrepreneur, some people wouldn't make it into any listing. As long as they make it obvious where the money came from, people can make up their own minds about the rankings.
The movie about Justin Bieber made $100-150m but that and merchandise sales would get included in his earnings as a 'musician'.
Dre is skilled at hiring people who are musicians, at producing their products, and at talking while that music is playing. But a musician himself? Really? What instrument does he play? What octave range does he sing?
Dre is skilled at hiring people who are musicians, at producing their products, and at talking while that music is playing. But a musician himself? Really? What instrument does he play? What octave range does he sing?
I don't consider him a musician either. By most standards, he would be considered a lyricist/writer and producer.
They took the money they made in their main career and invested it to become wealthy. It is a bit unfair to rank other people in the same profession lower if they are earning more directly from that profession. If they had a listing for this type of thing separately like highest earning entrepreneur, some people wouldn't make it into any listing. As long as they make it obvious where the money came from, people can make up their own minds about the rankings.
The movie about Justin Bieber made $100-150m but that and merchandise sales would get included in his earnings as a 'musician'.
Yes... Forbes includes all the money they made for the year and puts it under the listing of musician.
Beyonce is #2 on the list... which includes money from clothing, perfume, makeup and other endorsement deals.
The article even says Beyonce made money from H&M clothing and Pepsi. And she's also involved with L'Oreal Paris makeup.
Not sure what "Dre's" title was at Beats. But I doubt it's "musician."
And Apple didn't pay for his music. They paid for a company machine.
Kind of an unfair accolade compared to others making their money as musicians.
Sure he made some money as a producer. But that's not What Apple bought.
And "Beats technology" is basically one mans preferred EQ setting.
Hopefully the curation lives up to Cook's expectations and the subscription model is sound
If Dre hadn't been an entertainer, his name would have never been printed on those headphones.
Look, I know Andre Young is not stupid, nor is he really a thug like his NWA persona claims. none of them were (well, maybe Eazy-E), but I always just figured he "created" these headphones the same way that celebrity authors "write" a book with a second party.
Bass heavy headphones that destroy classical and rock music? Nice move Apple for elevating this schlockmeister. When will this acquisition ever pay off?
I miss the days when Apple stood for quality sound as in the days when Harmon Kardon speakers were included in the iMac.
Comments
And in General, why all the hype about human curated playlists rather than the pandora approach of its music genome? What approach is iTunes radio currently using? Because whatever it is, it doesn't work...and i surely wanted it to.
Now, i have Rdio and Pandora. RDio has the big library, and i love the on-demand options...but Pandora, with its puny collection still seems to nail it for me generally in music discovery with its algorithms for dissecting and categorizing the characteristics of its tunes and finding other music that shares those characteristics. It works -- with some thumbs-up, thumbs-down guidance. But I am mystified why Pandora has not been an active acquisition target. Applying its selection system to a larger library, and having the resources of someone like Apple to overcome the cost-of-licensing barriers, would seem to be perfection.
Have yet to hear a rap song I consider music, except Gold Digger and Walk This Way, but then again I was weened on The Beatles. I do consider Oscar Brown Jr. a genius, he was among the first rappers and was a poet.
And how many people have you and Benjamin Frost called a "thug" that were neither black nor rappers that had been accused of a crime or dong something not acceptable for civilized society? My guess is the number is zero. So why is it that certain terms seem to only be used to describe "those people."
Who here has called Steve Jobs a thug when an article about him has appeared on AI?
This (and the Apple Beats deal) is actually a very cool thing. Not only was it a smart business move (Apple got a great, profitable company; Dre got a lot of money and a great partnership), but the fact that Apple (who in the eyes of many is associated with the upper middle class and wealthy) was readily willing to validate the work and reputation of Dr Dre (to the tune of $3.2B) will be seen by many as a meaningful gesture of inclusion and alignment with urban culture (and the, largely lower class, population that is part of it). This is not only a great business move on Apple's part, but will also, I believe, play a small part in folding urban culture into the broader American culture. There is a substantial disparity, and an even bigger perceived disparity, between these two aspects of American culture (which most Americans are blissfully unaware of), which is a substantial contributor to the fact that America is #1 in the world in the rate of child abuse, per capita prison population, and teen pregnancy. Anything that can reduce this disparity (or even the perception of disparity) would do a lot of good,* and I congratulate Apple for making this move, regardless of the intentions. (I realize I sound like a hippy, but I'm really not).
To preempt the invariable criticism of Dr Dre and rap in general, yes, there are some bad (some very, very bad) aspects of it, some of which Dr Dre participated in, but the way to address it is not to dismissively criticize from a distance, but to engage, and that's exactly what Apple is doing. I intend to follow Apple's example. But for those of you just chomping at the bit to make flippant comments about rap music, please save it for getoffmylawninsider.
*I believe there's a prolific poster on here (BF) that has in his sig the following quote, which I think applies to the Apple Beats partnership:
"If the young are not initiated into the village, they will burn it down just to feel its warmth"
What the hell are you on about? Apple buying Beats does nothing for anyone but Apple. They bought a slick marketing machine that sells overpriced crap to teens that only care about status, doesn't matter what their skin color is. This won't affect anything locally or globally, they merely paid for the profit margins Beats generated, nothing more, nothing less. Apple doesn't give a shit about Dre, his vision, his past achievements or his future music career. All they cared about was how much money Beats as a brand could make them, they aren't out to validate anyones ego or integrating anyones cultures with one another. R&B and rap are already huge influences in media, Beats being overvalued for the garbage they sell and Apple buying it won't do a damn thing for that. All they care about is money, just like any smart business would. Apple and Dre do not, have not, and will not ever care about anything other than money. To think otherwise is delusional. This was a business deal, not a step towards a more integrated global community or validation of an individuals accomplishments.
Have yet to hear a rap song I consider music, except Gold Digger and Walk This Way, but then again I was weened on The Beatles. I do consider Oscar Brown Jr. a genius, he was among the first rappers and was a poet.
Weird, I've yet to hear a Beatles song that didn't immediately make me wish I was listening to something else and didn't make me wish I'd never hear another Beatles song for the rest of my life.
Dr. Dre is a musician.... and he made a lot of money this year. The most money, in fact.
I don't see a problem with the way it was worded.
Jerry Seinfeld is a stand-up comedian. But most of his income comes from the residuals from his old TV show.
He still ranks as the highest-paid comedian even though most of his money doesn't come from actual stand-up comedy.
If you have a problem with these definitions... take it up with Forbes
You have to realize what these people are known for.
Dr. Dre is known for music. And as I said before... Jerry Seinfeld is known for comedy.
But I don't think Warren Buffett is known for playing the banjo...
Do you not know what a space bar is? Are you trying to draw attention to your posts by putting a new line for every sentence you write?
Or...you know... I'll discuss it on a discussion forum...
And to the point, I birge Seinfeld actually HAS made his money as a comedian. Whether as a tv comic, a commercial comic, etc. he was doing his comedy routine.
With Young, he wasn't making music. He was doing marketing, crunching numbers, and making appearances. Neither of which are "musician" issues. At this stage, he made no more money as a "musician" than lovine did.
And how many people have you and Benjamin Frost called a "thug" that were neither black nor rappers that had been accused of a crime or dong something not acceptable for civilized society? My guess is the number is zero. So why is it that certain terms seem to only be used to describe "those people."
Who here has called Steve Jobs a thug when an article about him has appeared on AI?
In my book, "Dr. Dre" represents something I find reprehensible. As a member of a group called N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), he beat up on women for whatever reason (that he apparently paid off, too bad CRIMINAL charges were not pursued). Now his past is considered "cool" and sells this urban chic culture crap (hey money talks, huh?). Why not go back to his given name Andre Young and put his past behind him? Would he be considered a sell out? I could care less about the color of his skin, but do care deeply about personal responsibility (man if those were my daughters). So to imply to any naysayers that this is about the color of his skin continues to shield him from morality. Keep providing that shield, it surely will help in the long run (NOT).
I have no problem with people being against a person for actions they consider reprehensible, I just hope that you use the same measure for all people. For example, do you also find Christian Bale and Sean Connery reprehensible? Have you chosen to not support any endeavour they're in? Has Benjamin Frost referred to them as thugs?
I found some clarification on the word "musician"
- a person who makes music a profession, especially as a performer of music
- any person, whether professional or not, skilled in music
- a musician (or instrumentalist) is a person who plays a musical instrument or is musically talented, or one who composes, conducts, or performs music
- examples of a musician's possible skills include performing, conducting, singing, composing, arranging, and the orchestration of music
Dr. Dre has many of those traits: he is a performer, a singer, a composer, a producer, and is skilled in music.
See above.
I think it's safe to say that Dr. Dre falls under the category of "musician"
So let's look at how Dr Dre. made his money in 2014.
Yes... I would imagine that most of the money he made this year was from the Apple/Beats deal. But should that really affect the Forbes list?
Dr. Dre sold his music lifestyle hardware brand to Apple... and he also sold his streaming music service to Apple.
They label other people the same way like the actress Jessica Alba who founded a company that could be valued at $1b:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jessica-alba-s-micro-management-is-turning-honest-co-into-a-billion-dollar-baby-163416672.html
Or this guy who made money in sports and invested it to turn it into 100m euros:
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/gravesen-makes-fortune-retirement-moves-vegas-stunning-model-113143405.html
They took the money they made in their main career and invested it to become wealthy. It is a bit unfair to rank other people in the same profession lower if they are earning more directly from that profession. If they had a listing for this type of thing separately like highest earning entrepreneur, some people wouldn't make it into any listing. As long as they make it obvious where the money came from, people can make up their own minds about the rankings.
The movie about Justin Bieber made $100-150m but that and merchandise sales would get included in his earnings as a 'musician'.
Nobody bought Warren Buffett.
I don't consider him a musician either. By most standards, he would be considered a lyricist/writer and producer.
Yes... Forbes includes all the money they made for the year and puts it under the listing of musician.
Beyonce is #2 on the list... which includes money from clothing, perfume, makeup and other endorsement deals.
The article even says Beyonce made money from H&M clothing and Pepsi. And she's also involved with L'Oreal Paris makeup.
It also made the list as being THE WORST APPLE ACQUISITION EVER!
It also made the list as being THE WORST APPLE ACQUISITION EVER!
So far, it may still be Beaten by the failed sapphire acquisition. But, potentially, one of the worst, yes.
Not sure what "Dre's" title was at Beats. But I doubt it's "musician."
And Apple didn't pay for his music. They paid for a company machine.
Kind of an unfair accolade compared to others making their money as musicians.
Sure he made some money as a producer. But that's not What Apple bought.
And "Beats technology" is basically one mans preferred EQ setting.
Hopefully the curation lives up to Cook's expectations and the subscription model is sound
If Dre hadn't been an entertainer, his name would have never been printed on those headphones.
Look, I know Andre Young is not stupid, nor is he really a thug like his NWA persona claims. none of them were (well, maybe Eazy-E), but I always just figured he "created" these headphones the same way that celebrity authors "write" a book with a second party.
Bass heavy headphones that destroy classical and rock music? Nice move Apple for elevating this schlockmeister. When will this acquisition ever pay off?
I miss the days when Apple stood for quality sound as in the days when Harmon Kardon speakers were included in the iMac.