AppleInsider Staff
Two months after starring in an Apple Music ad, country music star Kenny Chesney talks about his decision to collaborate with the tech company in a new interview that also includes commentary from Apple Music head of content Larry Jackson.
In a short "Good Morning America" segment on Tuesday, Chesney told ABC's Rebecca Jarvis that Apple's commercial represented a chance to better connect with his "No Shoes Nation" fanbase.
"The fact that I can take my fans by the hand and drag them along with me is pretty exciting," he said. When asked why he decided to lend his name to the Apple Music platform, Chesney said, "Because I love music and my fans love music, and we can share that together like we have is beautiful."
Chesney's ad, which aired in November, takes viewers behind the scenes as the performer prepares for a Massachusetts show. In a voiceover, the superstar waxes poetic on Apple Music, saying the service is a place where "music is treated with real reverence and respect."
"It makes the music accessible, and the more accessible music can be in everyone's life, it makes their life better," he said.
Apple's Jackson said getting Chesney on board was a major win.
"I'm just happy that he liked the idea and he trusted in us," Jackson said. "We're happy to work with him. He's amazing."
Chesney is the latest headliner to sign on to the Apple Music marketing blitz, joining the likes of Pharrell, Drake, Taylor Swift and U2, all of whom have participated in commercials or authorized rights to exclusive content.
Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
Marko Zivkovic
Christine McKee
2 Comments
Aww man, no love for Kenny in the forums? This guy is amazing and his concerts are phenomenal! As you can see in the video, he regularly sells out stadiums of 60,000 people and is consistently in the top ten grossing acts every year. I'm really glad Apple decided to partner with people like this in addition to the Drakes and Pharrells of the world (who are great as well). It takes all kinds and some of the hardest core Apple guys I know are big country music fans. Nice to see Apple covering all the bases with such a great spokesman!
Although I don't care for Country music I'm glad to see Apple diversifying what genres they represent. Keeps hardware sales up! But to say Apple has reverence and respect for Artists to me seems to stop at the payday the artists they represent receive, and not the art itself. With Music censoring a lot of content they can't claim to have reverence for the Art, which is really what music is about... To strip artists of their creative license undermines the whole spirit of art and creative expression. Just because big artists receive a big payday doesn't compensate the listener to what they are being deprived of.