Rick Rubin, Columbia Music Exec, Says iTunes Doomed: Future Is Subscription Model

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Would you trust this man with your iTunes?

I know you have nothing better to do on your Labor Day than to read a 10-page New York Times magazine article about some music executive with a beard’s (because he refuses to sell out to the man…) opinion on the music industry, and, what matters to us, iTunes and the iPod. It’s the kind of elitist article that Hannity would make fun of. I know, who would rather be barbecuing, watching TV, plain old doing nothing? So I’ll save you the trouble: the Columbia music exec with a dumb beard thinks the iPod and the iTunes model of purchasing music are dead.

Dead, presumably, like the music business he’s a part of.

Maybe you’ve heard of the guy. Rick Rubin, producer, man with a dumb beard. Ring a bell? Not for me it didn’t, but his shrill complaining—kids don’t listen to radio, they download music, word of mouth is important and we can’t advertise via word of mouth—certainly is familiar. And buddy, no one cares about the music industry’s problems. Cry me—us—a river. I’ve got soccer to watch and music to download.

To sum up beard guy (remember, he’s a “legendary” music producer, I’m sure in the same way that George Oscar Bluth is a legendary magician) and his so, so important opinion: the subscription model is the way to go and it’s the way of the future. Says the bearded guy:

You would subscribe to music…. You’d pay, say, $19.95 a month, and the music will come anywhere you’d like. In this new world, there will be a virtual library that will be accessible from your car, from your cellphone, from your computer, from your television. Anywhere. The iPod will be obsolete, but there would be a Walkman-like device you could plug into speakers at home. You’ll say, ‘Today I want to listen to … Simon and Garfunkel,’ and there they are. The service can have demos, bootlegs, concerts, whatever context the artist wants to put out. And once that model is put into place, the industry will grow 10 times the size it is now

Sure, OK. The music industry can’t even get it up to where it’ll let us download DRM-free MP3s. But no: one day, we’ll have a pie in the sky system where music will be everywhere, free for the taking (once you’ve paid your $20). Right.

(Probably the only interesting thing the guy said is that the music companies need to get their act together or someone like Microsoft will swoop in, buy them out and change the industry by force.)

The remainder of the 10 pages is just fluffing the bearded guy’s ego. Feel free to skip that and drink A1 straight from the bottle.

The Music Man [New York Times via MAcNN]

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20 Comments/Pingbacks so far

 
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Tony (Who am I?)

Hey, he’s the producer who launched the Beastie Boys b/f anyone believed in hip hop…gotta give him some props.

 
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David Mackey (Who am I?)

Can’t see the subscription model coming into its heyday anytime soon. People want to own at least some of their music.

 
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Knots (Who am I?)

Although I think is waaaaaay off on this one. His place in music history is totally assured.

He co-founded Def Jam with Russell Simmons, broke Run DMC, the Beasties, LL Cool J, among dozens of others. He also produced the Chili Peppers seminal Blood Sugar Sex Magic album and some of Beck and Johnny Cash’s work. Recently he produced the track “99 problems” for Jay-Z.

While I appreciate that you may know more about tech than Rick, he certainly knows more about the industry than you. So the fact that you haven’t heard of him, doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. It means you aren’t particularly well informed about the music industry

 
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Ken V (Who am I?)

Rick is an AMAZING producer with TONS of talent. I think Rick will bring great changes to Columbia Records. It is not fair for you to single out one paragraph about the subscription model; there was far more interesting content in the article than that. Thank you for bringing this article to my attention, Rick is one of my heroes.

-Ken

 
ohnoez

for what its worth rubin is a legend and was one of the first people who eblieved hip-hop could make it into the mainstream.

 
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Alexandre Mandarino (Who am I?)

Rick Rubin was the producer behind Beastie Boys, RUN-DMC and lots of great stuff in the mid-80’s, back when no one gave a shit about hip hop and alternative material. It’s really sad to see someone who tries to write music-related articles but don’t know who Rubin is. That was really pathetic, honest. Don’t blame the rest of the world for YOUR ignorance.
As of “the man” part: yes, because TechCrunch is really underground and rebel, OK.

 
Avatar

Dissing Rick Rubin?? whoa..

And guess who is the one that is actually more on that model? :P MS

the Zune pass. next year to be over the air, and guess what could also adopt that model? Nokia´s OVI.. and guess who is also going for that model next year the new real-mtv gig..

he seems so off now uh?..

 
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Wyly (Who am I?)

Rubin is saying what I’ve been preaching on the Napster message board for two years. Subscription music is the future. The great jukebox in the sky is the future. The iPod will become a relic if it does not embrace a subscription model. And oh, by the way, it already exists, dumbasses at CrunchGear. It’s not quite “there” yet as it isn’t seemlessly available across all of one’s hardware platforms, but it’s getting there. Right now I have access to a 4million track library on my PC, my home stereo, my cell phone and a tiny mp3player I use at the gym all for $15 per month. If I had the inclination I could pipe the music into my car stereo as well. This all happens through my Napster subscription. Napster posted its first quarter of breakeven cash flow in June. Despite the cult-like fashion of iPods right now, Napster is slowly clawing its way to legitimacy as the only model that makes sense for all parties involved. You people who think music should be free are simply not realistic. Nothing is free. Haven’t you learned that yet? I recommend you go out and purchase some Napster stock at $3 per share. The profit you make over the long run will more than pay for your music. That’s the closest thing I can give you to a free lunch.

 
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Marcus (Who am I?)

I don’t like stealing music, heck I don’t even like paying and downloading music. I buy CDs, I am happy with buying CDs, I can pump the volume, and it still sounds great. MP3’s are great for headphones, and a lot more convenient, but they are so boring, controlled, and calm. A good song will sound good in whatever medium it comes it, but it will always sound better in it’s highest quality.

 
Raj Patel

Let the music industry critique its own world,

Thanks a bunch.

 
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Jon (Who am I?)

Hmm… buy Napster stock? It was $9 a share in 2005 and has dropped to $3 despite what you claim is huge success in capturing the subscription market.

And how can iPod’s 80% market share be labeled “cultish?” Hard to be a cult when you’re the most popular thing around.

Let’s see, Apple has sold over a hundred million iPods and over 2.5 billion songs. Napster’s subscriber base is less that one million. Those numbers seem unlikely to change much in the near future.

But even subscriptions took off, how long to you think it would be before the record companies started raising prices? They’re already pushing iTunes to raise them. Long term, I’m not sure I want to be dependent on major record labels to decide how much I have to pay every month to listen to music, and tell me what music I’m allowed to listen to.

The major labels want subscriptions so they can push their acts, and restrict access to independent music.

 
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jay smooth (Who am I?)

You might want to consider sticking with tech, and staying away from music. Far, far away.

 
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CGboy (Who am I?)

Bunch of non-realistic “music industry” people around here. No wonders y’all can’t do better these days selling.

 
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Big Tuna (Who am I?)

Typical reactionist article by someone who doesn’t understand music.

First, most of the article is spent discredting the messenger and his argument with red herrings.

Second, your disbelief in the mobile subscription model for $20 already exists with Napster for $15.

Third, you’re a miserable writer. Proving your ignoracnce by claiming to have never heard of Rubin, using very deep inferences like “dumb beard”, and being so pius with your superior knowledge of tech that you missed the entire point of the Rubin article.

What’s next?….a review of the new Backstreet Boys album with this insightful nut…. “it just doesn’t hold up to their earlier work.”

 
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parab0la (Who am I?)

This guy is a fraud. His opinion means nothing and is so void of reality. Here is a dinosaur telling the digitally inclined 15yr olds of the world that they don’t want or need music ownership. The subscription model will never work.

 
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parab0la (Who am I?)

P.S., Rick Rubin telling me this is like Mark Cuban saying the internet is dead and boring. Go back to doing lines of coke off a prostitute (lucky bastard) you failure.

 
A

Wow, I think you should take a look at all he has done for the music industry before you blast him. He may not be right about this, but he is a legendary producer who has influenced so many genres of music that you would be hard-pressed to find something that hasn’t been influenced by him. From Johnny Cash, the Dixie Chick, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Jay Z…. Looks pretty Legendary to me.

 
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James (Who am I?)

dude rick rubin has way more influence than your giving him credit for. I think this was a poorly written / researched article. next time do your homework.

 
Anonymous

What kinda writer makes these stupid comments without googling the guy ,what a idiot,suprise you got a job.

 
Anonymous

Wow

Lucky thing this writer wasn’t making a speech.
He would be getting hit with so many bottles tomatoes and shoes he wouldn’t know where to hide.

Whether he is right or wrong ..

No dissing a Don

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