We like BGR as much as the next blog, but we’re calling horse hockey on the Boy’s rumor that Jay-Z is starting a new label for Apple. While we’re sure there’s a nugget of truth to this, Jobs would be shooting himself in the foot if he started an Apple-branded label. Let’s break down why this is kinda goofy.
The idea is that Jay-Z, whom recently left Def Jam, will launch a label partnered with Apple. The problem is, Steve Jobs can’t do that; the other labels would call shenanigans (rightly so, too) and jump ship, there would be federal trust issues at play, and more importantly, Apple is banned from ever starting a record label due to previous litigation with the Beatle’s Apple Records.
If those aren’t good enough reasons for you, then we don’t know what else to say. That doesn’t mean, though, that Jay-Z isn’t starting a label himself, in fact that’s likely. And we wouldn’t put it past the genius to make it the first mainstream digital downloads-only label. In fact, we’d not be surprised if he made an exclusive distribution deal with Apple. That would totally make sense, and not really cause any of the previously mentioned headaches.
But Apple as a record label, even partially, just isn’t in the cards. Sorry, BGR.
Now for something really fun, try to find some Jay-Zeezer to download. Try it, it’s tight.