• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
TechBest Companies

Apple Exec Calls for Restrictions on Free Music Streaming

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 18, 2017, 11:16 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Apple executive and music industry veteran Jimmy Iovine is not a fan of free music streaming.

Speaking to Music Business Worldwide in an interview published this week, Iovine said that paid music streaming like his own company’s Apple Music is stymied in part by free music streaming services. He ultimately believes the music industry will need to do something about those free services to generate more revenue on streaming music.

“Two things have to happen: free has to become more difficult or restricted, and the paid services have to get better,” Iovine said in the interview, which was earlier reported on by 9to5Mac.

Iovine joined Apple (AAPL) in 2014 after the iPhone maker acquired Beats, a company he co-founded with musician and producer Dr. Dre. While Beats was best known for its ubiquitous headphones, which remain on store shelves, Apple acquired the company in large part for a music streaming service Beats had developed. Soon after, it became the foundation for Apple Music.

In the last couple of years, Apple has grown its Apple Music to more than 20 million subscribers. Apple charges $10 a month for a single Apple Music subscription and $15 per month for a family option. Students can pay $5 per month for access to the streaming service.

Despite its growth, Apple Music is still far behind its chief competitor, Spotify, which has attracted more than 50 million subscribers. Spotify has the same pricing model as Apple Music.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Still, free services are ubiquitous and provide music lovers the opportunity to listen to their favorite tracks without paying for those songs. In most of those cases, the services are ad-supported and users are limited in the number of songs they can skip. However, in free offerings from Pandora (P) and even Spotify, it’s not difficult to curate playlists to get exactly the kind of music users want at any moment.

Over the years, the music industry has decried free streaming services and encouraged customers to either buy songs or choose paid services. Many industry executives have grown increasingly frustrated and disappointed by the rather slow uptick in paid streaming subscriptions.

For his part, Iovine didn’t say how the industry could, or perhaps, should, restrict free services. He did, however, say that it’s incumbent upon paid providers to improve their services and ultimately create more attractive and well-rounded services that customers will want to use.

“We have a lot of ideas I can’t talk about,” Iovine said in the interview.” But we see Apple Music as a cultural platform, and music is becoming more and more about storytelling.”

Apple has already said that it plans to offer original video content through Apple Music, including a series focused on the popular “Carpool Karaoke” sketches from The Late Late Show with James Corden. The company is expected to discuss that and other Apple Music features in more detail during its keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • 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
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s IPO pitch has a new problem: the government can shut it down
By Eva RoytburgJune 16, 2026
21 minutes ago
Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, at Bloomberg House
AIAnthropic
The shutdown of Anthropic’s Mythos model sparks a global scramble for sovereign AI
By Beatrice NolanJune 16, 2026
1 hour ago
AI won’t transform your business—until you redesign work itself 
AIWorkforce
AI won’t transform your business—until you redesign work itself 
By Francesca CassidyJune 16, 2026
2 hours ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AITech
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 16, 2026
2 hours ago
Isaiah Granet smiles
Startups & VentureVenture Capital
Exclusive: Voice AI startup Bland raises $50 million after being rejected by 180 investors
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 16, 2026
2 hours ago
Alexandra Debrow flocked by her cofounders
AITerm Sheet
Exclusive: How college photo-sharing app Swsh became an AI-powered fan data business backed by Scooter Braun
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 16, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
23 hours ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
24 hours ago
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
Startups & Venture
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
By Eva RoytburgJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 15, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 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.