• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Here’s the Pharrell exclusive that Apple Music snagged

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 24, 2015, 5:53 PM ET
Courtesy of the artist

Apple scored a big one Wednesday.

Eleven-time Grammy winner Pharrell Williams tweeted a 15-second clip of a new song—Freedom—with the tag line:

Only on Apple Music June 30th.

If you want to hear a longer sample, Apple featured the track in theBeat 1 radio teaser that debuted at WWDC two weeks ago. That video is a available today on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/BNUC6UQ_Qvg

Exclusives are one of the levers with which Apple hopes to pry open the music streaming market. Some have speculated that Jimmy Iovine, who founded Interscope Records and co-founded Beats, may eventually want to build his own label within Apple Music.

UPDATE: Reader @RGGnDFW tweets that a concert video of the whole song is already on YouTube, which gives new meaning to “only on” and “exclusive.”

Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

Sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.