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Jay-Z & Apple

Jay-Z recently stepped down from his position from Def Jam. Rumor is he's headed to Steve Jobs' side of the world to help pioneer a music label with Apple.

iTunes has been a huge success from the word go, so I see the most prolific rapper of our time being a success.

In a time where record labels are laying off one after another, the move to a smaller label is going to be the way to go. Of course the CEO is still going to get reimbursed for doing whatever it is they do, but the artist might be able to develop.

I think it took Fleetwood Mac something like 17 albums before they released Rumors.

Jay-Z is big enough to sell on his own. The guy is a brand himself - sneakers, clothes, alcohol, and on and on. I don't know why he left Def Jam, the staple of the rap industry since Beastie Boys, but I heard a lot of artists on the label were more than ticked off at him.

All of the Christmas promotion album went to American Gangster. My buddy called me and asked me if I knew Freeway or Beanie Sigel had an album out. I replied "no" and he said "see."

With an Apple label, which I see being completely digital, the artist and the label will stand to make more money.

No more shipping and receiving of CDs anymore. You might also see a couple FYE's close by that time also. You can already see floor space at stores shrinking because CD sales have slumped at a ridiculous rate.

Jay-Z might have a couple more albums in him - he's on the wrong side of 40, but he could be ushering in a new age of music with the move to Apple.

Steve Jobs has done it again. Buy some AAPL stock why don't ya.

Posted by Clayton Hein at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)