Sam OliverBillboard reported this week that Elliott Peters, Warner's senior VP and head of digital legal affairs, will leave the company in the next month to work at Apple. There, he will be the corporate attorney director for iTunes and Internet services, based in Luxembourg.
Peters has been with Warner since 2000, where he eventually became the company's first digital lawyer. A memo sent to Warner employees noted that Elliot "has had a hand in almost every major WMG digital deal."
Those negotiations, undoubtedly, involved Apple a great deal, as iTunes is the top music retailer in the U.S., and is expected to eclipse CD sales entirely by the spring of 2011.
Elliott was credited with his involvement in a range of "important corporate transactions," including Columbia House Music and Video Clubs, Word Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Publications. He also helped to build Warner's Digital Legal Affairs team.
Apple has been working behind the scenes in an effort to launch a cloud streaming music service that would allow customers to access their iTunes library from any connected device. It is believed that those plans have been delayed by legal hold ups with the music industry.
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24 Comments
Apple's legal team for iTunes and MobileMe services in Europe will be run by someone with a great deal of expertise on the digital music industry -- a senior vice president with Warner Music Group.
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But, but...music industry executives are morons!
No?
Excellent bit of head hunting there. Apple recognize talent when they see it.
Someone like this should head up a new division, the Apple Song Store:
Apple should add the 'song store' along the lines of the app store where musicians can submit their own music and get 70%. Apple could have clear rules and conditions pertaining to audio quality and content (i.e. lyrics) and an approval process (not taste but adherence to rules).
Or does the agreement with Apple Corp prohibit this?
Someone like this should head up a new division, the Apple Song Store:
Apple should add the 'song store' along the lines of the app store where musicians can submit their own music and get 70%. Apple could have clear rules and conditions pertaining to audio quality and content (i.e. lyrics) and an approval process (not taste but adherence to rules).
Or does the agreement with Apple Corp prohibit this?
I think that the agreement with Apple Corp likely explicitly forbids this... which just means that Apple should team up with them to do it.
I think that the agreement with Apple Corp likely explicitly forbids this... which just means that Apple should team up with them to do it.
Yep, they should. Can you imagine how many bands would move from traditional labels? 70% Helloooo. It would be huge. Plus a whole new life for independent recording studios both large and small to facilitate the process for those artists not wanting to use Garage Band (although I can see many could do exactly that). I truly believe the music industry would come alive with this outlet with no hurdles in the way of talent just as the apps store has done for programmers.
I see the argument that this would piss off the labels and possibly hurt the iTune store but one could argue the same could be said about software and I don't see software companies refusing to create or distribute Mac software simply because of the soon to be apps store although this may not be a valid comparison.