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Apple censors charity concert for a quick buck

by on31 August 2015


PR...  Apple has heard of it

Fruity cargo cult Apple slumped to a new low over the weekend after it appears to have threatened a law suit if the popular beat combo artist Drake was heard on a rival music streaming service rapping at a charity gig.

Drake performed at the Lil WeezyAna festival in New Orleans, which was being streamed by Tidal.

The event raised money for the Carter Fund, which supports after school programmes set up for underprivileged kids in the wake of hurricane Katrina. We guess Apple does not like under privileged kids much because they can't afford the expensive toys that it makes.

The New York Post reported that Apple had threatened a $20m lawsuit if Drake's set was broadcast by Tidal, on the grounds that it has an exclusive contract with the musician relating to its recently-launched Apple Music streaming service.

Tidal was furious and accused Apple of blocking it from streaming video of a charity-festival set by rapper Drake, but the star's manager has rushed to his 20 million dollar contract's defence by accusing the service of a "publicity stunt."

The Post said that legal letters have been sent to Tidal warning that Drake cannot appear on the Tidal stream of the festival, either solo or part of a group, and if the warning was ignored, the liabilities could be up to $20 million.

The story was quickly challenged by Drake's manager, Future the Prince [no really], who flatly denied that Apple had threatened legal action.

"The decision to not have Drake participate in the Tidal steam has nothing to do with Apple or Drake's deal. Point blank, 100 per cent. I made a business decision," he told BuzzFeed News.

"Apple doesn't have the power to stop us from being part of a live stream... If you're going to say something about the situation publicly, you should tell the truth. They saw the opportunity to take a situation and spin it in their favour as a publicity stunt."

Well it is a sensible business decision to refuse to let your star perform on someone else's stream if Apple growls at you. However I would say that the Tidal letter appears a little too specific for it just to be made up.

Last modified on 31 August 2015
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