AppleInsider StaffFollowing a successful campaign that garnered it a piece of each Zune media player Microsoft sells, an emboldened Universal Music Group may be turning its attention to Apple Computer's iPod.
"It would be a nice idea," he told attendees. "We have a negotiation coming up not too far. I don't see why we wouldn't do that... but maybe not in the same way."
Morris added that it "was an amazingly interesting exercise," to end up with a piece of technology in the case of Zune.
Earlier this year, UMG refused to license its music to Microsoft unless it could receive a percentage of each Zune sold, in addition to the standard music licensing fees for downloads and subscriptions.
"These [digital music player] devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it," Morris was quoted as saying at the time. "So it's time to get paid for it."
According to published reports, Microsoft ultimately agreed to hand over approximately $1 to UMG from the sale of each $250 Zune.
Apple and UMG are due to meet at the round table for a new phase of music licensing negotiations in early 2007.
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82 Comments
First one to post. w00t!
I think apple would be insane to go along with a deal like that. Apple is leading the way with Itunes to get people to buy music and movies legally and not to pirate them. If they were to cave then where would these loyalty kick backs off of hardware sales end?
There is no "stolen" music on any of my four or five i-pods. I STRENUOUSLY object to Universal trying to grab money for themselves.
Furthermore as a musician, I doubt if any of the money that they make from Zune will ever go to the artists.
Its just corporate thuggery of the worst kind.
Ya, there is no stolen music on my 4GB Nano or my shuffle.
The small-mindedness of Universal is straightforward enough -- unable to make expand its own markets or revenue by itself, it choses instead to leach off of an entity that has expanded markets.
Screw Universal. Like most other members of the RIAA, they care nothing about the consumer and kick and scream and extort until they are convinced they've gotten every penny they can get their hands on.
Screw Morris. Your words only cause more people to steal more of the small percent of your music that is even worth listening to.
And screw Microsoft for so easily giving in to such anti-consumer bull.
I hope Microsoft loses millions on the Zune, and I hope Apple refuses the so called 'royalty' even if they will withhold their content from iTunes. It'll send them a message that they need to hear very loudly: You don't deserve our money. Shut up and be glad anyone is paying you anything, and get to work improving your mediocre product and god awful public image. Morris, you can start by firing yourself.
If Apple agrees with this (although I highly doubt that they will), I will strongly consider going with another company for my next MP3 player.
</aggrivated rant>