Universal Music CEO says iPods are "repositories for stolen music"
Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris is the latest tech exec to call iPod users thieves. Ballmer started it. Then came Glaser - who also dared call His Steveness "pigheaded." The comment was made in the context of the UMG boss stumping for Zune and applauding Microsoft's agreement to pay protection money extortion royalties to the bag man Universal with every Zune sold.
About the iPod, Morris said "These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it,. So it's time to get paid for it."
Gee, Doug, you're not still bitter about Applerebuffing trying to buy your company, are you? Never mind. That was a rhetorical question.
About the iPod, Morris said "These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it,. So it's time to get paid for it."
Gee, Doug, you're not still bitter about Apple
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
James Whited said 6:08PM on 11-13-2006
Right, all the music on my iPod, that I bought from the iTunes Store is stolen, and becuase I rip my CD's and put them on my iPod, its stolen. Once again, this is more corporate banter to try and gain attention becuase they know they have a snowballs chance in hell of taking down the iPod.
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Rod said 6:09PM on 11-13-2006
Better check your links guys before posting (especially one where you have a go at someone!). The last link where you mention the Universial CEO being rebuffed by Steve, it actually links to an article where Rob Glaser (CEO Real Networks) gets rebuffed by Steve.
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jc said 6:12PM on 11-13-2006
I own the CDs of 95% of the music in my iTunes. Nice try greedy record label pig...
However, I won't buy Universal CDs anymore.
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icerabbit said 6:20PM on 11-13-2006
Oh right, the music on our ipods that we ripped from our CDs and the few purchased iTunes tracks, plus a couple freebie samples are stolen.
Gimme a break!
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Marco S. said 6:20PM on 11-13-2006
Oooh, poor poor music-industry. First inventing digital music to copy / press CD like hell for hardly any money and now this. I start crying in this very moment. Imagin all this glass- steel skyscrapers, Ferraris, Beachhouses not to be bought! Produce better music and give more to the artists, rats - and think about you own mistakes. Digital music has advanteges, but is has not the quality, the human touch of analog music. It's like every industrial product, it's fast and cheap, and similar to it's originate design, but not the same. Pushing these technologies YOU were. Suffering from you will. Your own fault.
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Ryan Meyers said 6:23PM on 11-13-2006
Doesn't anyone else see that business model as ineffective? If all studios get royalties from each hardware device, they have no reason to create good music anymore. The iTunes model encourages good music, and good albums (with actual CDs, two songs could be good and the rest suck, but you still had to dish out 15 bucks for the whole album just because you like to songs). This Zune model is ridiculous. The Labels are just greedy and lazy. Maybe if they worked harder they would sell more product, oh and public announcements whining about not making enough money won't drive anyone to buy your product.
Spend less time whining and more time making good music. As Jobs always says "It's all about the music".
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Metryq said 6:29PM on 11-13-2006
"Music CEO Suppository of Unfounded Opinions"
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Laurie said 6:32PM on 11-13-2006
Rod - you're totally right on that one. I was juggling a few things and got jumbled up when I was trying to finish the post. I've corrected the line with a more appropriate jab. It's so easy to confuse one tech exec saying something stupid with another :)
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mm said 6:36PM on 11-13-2006
I haven't read the article yet but if this really is true. He's got a thing or two to learn about consumers.
#1) It's crap like that that makes us want to steel music ...
#2) If you would stop treating us like we're freakin criminals, mabey one or two of us will try out a Zune. (at the store ... then we'll put it down because we're embarrassed to be seen with one)
#3) Even if we are thieves, we're obviously willing to spend at least some of our money on music / music related items ... (Apple hasn't doubled their revenues in the last couple of years for no reason). So, by calling us thieves, he's taking the easy road out because he knows he's not smart enough to come up with a strategy that can really benefit from this digital revolution. Basically, he's calling himself a dumb idiot. Smooth Doug.
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Jonathan Allen said 6:54PM on 11-13-2006
it's a good thing that ALL of the music people are going to have on thier Zune will be purchased from the Zune marketplace.......
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Brian Sexton said 7:06PM on 11-13-2006
The music on my iPod was 100% either bought from the iTunes Store, ripped from my own CDs, or downloaded directly from the creator's Web site. Nothing on there was stolen; NOTHING.
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Will said 7:09PM on 11-13-2006
Wait...so...if we are "paying" for our pirated music when we buy a Zune (or iPod), doesn't that mean they are actually authorizing us to pirate music? If thats the case, then I'm all for it :D
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Spear said 7:20PM on 11-13-2006
7344 pirated tracks.. and rising!!
i dont give a crap that the CEO will have to buy a Maybach 57 instead of the 62 like he always wanted.
a pirate till i die..
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Tawky Tawny said 7:30PM on 11-13-2006
"About the iPod, Morris said"
He was talking about all portable music players, including the iPod, Creative players, Zune, etc. Not specifically the iPod. Record labels should work harder to make consumers buy CDs and download music legally instead of suing dead people and demanding a cut of hardware revenues, but his premise is correct, at the moment these devices are mostly repositories for stolen music. Let's not be hypocritical about this.
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Stan Linder said 8:25PM on 11-13-2006
Come to think of it, he is right. My Touch is filled with mp3s from newsgroups.
Stan810
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DeeBee said 8:51PM on 11-13-2006
When Apple iTunes Store dropped Universal Music from their listing, then someone will cry for sure.
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Thomas said 8:57PM on 11-13-2006
So if every record company gets a share of every music player sold anywhere do they then make all music free?
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tundraboy said 9:53PM on 11-13-2006
Will (Poster #12} is onto something here. Recording companies who go down Universal's road are opening themselves up to a legal loophole.
Some enterprising lawyer will argue that since Universal is charging a licensing fee, this is constitutes a tacit authorization to download any Universal music into the Zune. They can't argue that it's pirating music because they charged a license for it! You can't charge for a product and at the same time claim it's stolen.
More proof that recording industry execs are BLITHERING IDIOTS!
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bert said 11:04PM on 11-13-2006
Dear Universal,
Find enclosed $1.00. Please send me some stolen music at your earliest convenience.
Thanks,
Bert
P.S. Please, no Paris Hilton or root kits.
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alan said 11:41PM on 11-13-2006
Hey Universal,
SCREW YOU. You're just a record label, not an actual artist. Sign up some good bands with great songs then sell them how you want. You should only get paid if people buy them - through iTunes or CD or however. It's your fault that you didn't think of an online store or the next big format. All you care about is money.
Also, you'll probably want to tax all hard drives because my external drive holds a few MP3s as well...
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