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Always Bring A Food Taster (6/4/03)
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Do you love the iTunes Music Store, with the possible exception of, oh, say, just about every single one of the 200,000+ songs it sells? Does the blood of the Indie Label run deep in your veins? Do you still have a vintage SST "Corporate Rock STILL Sucks" bumper sticker slapped on your rusting Chevy Impala? Are you so D.I.Y. that you not only change your own oil, but you also transplant your own kidneys? Then you're probably still waiting for Apple to follow through on Steve Jobs's recent promise to talk to the indie labels in hopes of offering some music that appeals to your own broader interests.
Well, nifty news-- apparently it wasn't just an idle threat. MacMinute links to an MTV News article reporting that "Apple has invited hundreds of indie label representatives to a private presentation on Thursday" at One Infinite Loop. Hundreds? Yikes! And that's just to start. Among the indies scheduled to attend are Sub Pop and Matador, who could conceivably agree to populate the iTMS with tracks by such bands as Nirvana, Interpol, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Pretty Girls Make Graves. No, they're not necessarily the indiest of the indies, but it's a nice start. Maybe this will eventually pave the way for an iTunes Music Store with a healthy selection of music by artists that nobody's ever heard of. We can but hope.
Then again, we can't help feeling that there's something inherently suspicious about Apple gathering hundreds of indie label reps into one small room. Let's not forget, Apple secured licensing rights from the Big Five industry labels that were hitherto unprecedented for an online music service; did you ever stop to wonder exactly how? We're beginning to suspect that, in return for the right to distribute the major label catalogs, Steve Jobs agreed to a pivotal role in a diabolical scheme to eliminate any potential up-and-coming competition. Here's a tip, record execs; if lunch tomorrow is tuna salad, run.
"Hundreds of independent label owners dead in Cupertino after ingesting tainted mayonnaise; indie music scene in chaos, major labels report 36% increase in Britney Spears CDs sold. Film at eleven."
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SceneLink (3992)
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 6/4/03 episode: June 4, 2003: The Beatles' record label prepares to drag Apple into court-- again. Meanwhile, Apple invites representatives from hundreds of independent recording labels to visit Cupertino for a little taste of the iTMS lifestyle, and questionable photos of some alleged products called "Pal" make the rumors circuit...
Other scenes from that episode: 3991: Shoulda Named It "Kumquat" (6/4/03) Ah, yes; when it comes to getting the best bang for the buck (AppleDrama(TM)-wise, that is), the only thing better than a juicy new lawsuit to gawk at is, well, a juicy old lawsuit to gawk at. Preferably one that's been rehashed so many times it's starting to look like the Friday "Meat Dish Surprise" in a grade school cafeteria... 3993: Some Lovely Parting Gifts (6/4/03) Could it be? Oh, it be; it's time once again for everyone's favorite guessing game, "Product or Pipe Dream?" Yes, folks, you too can win fabulous prizes simply by guessing whether the latest round of alleged "spy photos" are genuine contraband snapshots of unannounced Apple products, or just the contrivance of some sad individual with a bootleg copy of Photoshop and way too much time on his hands...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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