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Apple Paying Music Labels Up to $150 Million for iCloud Streaming Rights?

Friday June 3, 2011 6:32 am PDT by Eric Slivka

The New York Post reports that Apple is paying the four major music labels up to a total of $150 million for the rights to include their music in its iCloud music streaming service set to be introduced on Monday. The revelation comes just as Apple reportedly finalized a deal with Universal, the last of the four major labels to sign on to the deal.

Apple will fork over between $100 million and $150 million in advanced payments to the four major music labels in order to get its iCloud off the ground, three separate sources told The Post.

The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant has agreed to pay the labels between $25 million to $50 million each, as an incentive to get on board, depending on how many tracks consumers are storing.

The report also claims that Apple has finalized deals with the corresponding music publishers, officially opening the door for a launch. Previous reports had indicated that Apple was putting the final touches on agreements with the publishers.

Multiple news outlets have reported since yesterday that iCloud will debut as a free service, with Apple eventually looking to charge in the neighborhood of $25 per year for the service. Sources have also claimed that iCloud will be limited at first, supporting only content purchased from the iTunes Store, but that Apple is working to expand iCloud to support music obtained from other sources in the future.

Top Rated Comments

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Full of Win

41 months ago

If it's iTunes only content, this will be another failure from Apple.

iTunes only content on icloud = Ping 2

Rating: 21 Votes

0815

41 months ago

So much money to give Apple the right stream music that you already purchased from their servers (not even allowing to stream music that you purchased on CD or through other legal means) ?

Hope the rumors are wrong and there is more to the iCould ....

Rating: 13 Votes

d0minick

41 months ago

Wonder how many people don't own iTunes music

I got about a 3k catalog. Not one from Apple.

Rating: 10 Votes

toddybody

41 months ago

That seems inexpensive considering how many labels it is...congrats Apple

Rating: 9 Votes

Small White Car

41 months ago

we bought those files, we store them on our hard disk and if you stream them from "your" cloud they are the same, only the space where you store them us different.

That's what Amazon does and Amazon doesn't pay the labels.

Thus we have to conclude that iCloud will be something different, yeah?

Rating: 8 Votes

fattire357

41 months ago

Record labels are no better quality group of people than the ladies that occupy the red light districts throughout the world...

Hey, don't be dissing on the prostitutes. we both know they have much more character than a record company. :chuckle:

Rating: 8 Votes

0815

41 months ago

Wonder how many people don't own iTunes music

The bigger question is: how many people own music purchased OUTSIDE of iTunes ... probably a lot, and those are the once that are getting screwed if the rumors turn out to be true

Rating: 6 Votes

NebulaClash

41 months ago

If there's one thing Apple has plenty of, it's cash on hand. Might as well use it to get idiot partners to cooperate to do what's in their best interests anyway as Apple drags them kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Rating: 6 Votes

0815

41 months ago

we all know Apple wouldn't do this but it could be a major selling point if they did....

FREE music storage locker for all your songs available anywhere with your iPod/iPhone/iPad or Apple computer. NOT synacble with PC/Android/whatever.

they take the $ hit and then get more Apple buyers.

How about:
- free storage for music you bought through iTunes (no additional storages needed on apple servers)
- small fee for your own music that you upload to the servers (maybe per GB)

Rating: 5 Votes

GLS

41 months ago

If it's iTunes only content, this will be another failure from Apple.

iTunes only content on icloud = Ping 2

You must be a barrel of fun at parties.

Rating: 5 Votes

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