"jawbone" – verb

attempt to persuade or pressure by the force of one’s position of authority : the Federal Reserve Board Vice Chairman jawboned the dollar higher by calling its recent steep decline a purely speculative phenomenon |  an analyst jawboning about the industry.

(New Oxford American Dictionary via Apple Computer.  Yup, it’s right there in the Applications folder of Tiger.  Drag the icon down to the Dock and use it forevermore!)

The music industry thinks Steve Jobs has them by the balls, and they’re not happy about it.  They’ve been selling records for DECADES!  They know the marketplace, not this arrogant computer nerd in Silicon Valley.

But, unfortunately, the record execs know absolutely nothing about technology.

How many record execs owned Altairs?  Or even Osbornes.  No, not Ozzy, but the computer.  Do you hire an A&R guy who doesn’t know music history?  Then why do these label heads think they can make pronouncements on technology?

The reason that executives have any knowledge of technology today, the reason they use it to the limited degree they do, is because of USABILITY!

And who’s the king of usability?  Apple Computer.  The company that pioneered the Graphical User Interface, never mind the iTunes Music Store.  Microsoft?  The labels’ friend?  The company has never innovated in its life.  It’s just leveraged its monopoly to enter new markets.  The Redmond, Washington company was asleep when MP3 became the standard and their Plays For Sure doesn’t.  Their Janus technology savior doesn’t even work.  But rather than follow an innovator like Steve Jobs, the labels want to get behind this LEVIATHAN known as Microsoft to solve all their problems?  Have they seen ANY of this movie?

If it was just as simple as varying the price, the Wal-Mart online store would be selling all the tunes.  You see, it’s NOT about the price, it’s about USABILITY!  THAT’S why the iTunes Music Store is successful to the degree it is.

And that’s also why the iPod is so successful.  Unlike Microsoft product, it WORKS!

There’s no law against people competing with Apple.  Why is it that not ONE other company can come up with an adequate solution?  PROBABLY because they think it’s about hardware, not software.  Apple make both, they have a seamless solution, and for this they’re the ENEMY?

Don’t the labels get it?  That by taking out the price equation, there are fewer detours on the way to SALE!  That’s what Steve Jobs wants, your MONEY!  Ever sell anything?  The less you confuse, the more you sell.

But if you don’t know all of the above, you’re an idiot.  What’s interesting now is not the facts but the BATTLE!

The major labels started rattling the cage and Steve Jobs FOUGHT BACK!  God, this guy rarely goes on record.  But now he’s lambasting his partners, telling them variable pricing is RIDICULOUS! 
Apple CEO Attacks ‘Greedy’ Music Companies

And what does Edgar Bronfman, Jr. do? HE KICKS BACK!!! 
Bronfman Fires Back at Apple

God, this is a battle you can’t win. This is Napster redux.  The labels are BARELY MAKING ANY MONEY at the iTunes Music Store.  And, anybody with a brain knows it’s not the future.  Why risk all the BAD PRESS?

God, you don’t want GOD saying you’re greedy.  Yup, that’s what kids believe, Steve Jobs is God.  Just look at the surveys.  He’s jawboning the labels, and they should pay attention.  Since he pays them the lion’s share of the revenue from the iTunes Music Store ANYWAY!

But, what does Edgar Bronfman, Jr. want??  He wants a share of the iPod revenues.  Isn’t that like gas companies wanting some of the revenue of AUTOMOBILE companies?  I mean they go together, but they’re truly separate.  Then again, cars need gas to run.  iPods need music to run, but you don’t have to acquire it through the iTunes Music Store.  You can RIP IT!  Shit you can even get it for free, by trading P2P!

But the labels don’t like that either.  God, what kind of topsy-turvy world do they live in?  Where they want no more ripping, no more burning, no more trading.  Why don’t they CHARGE FOR THESE USES!!!

It’s not about getting a piece of somebody ELSE’S pie, rather it’s about finding NEW PIES to get a slice of.

As for building a business on the music industry’s back…do timber companies want a piece of the revenue from selling houses?

I mean this is so fucked up it’s hysterical.  Doug Morris was right to charge for the use of music videos online, but he wouldn’t be right to ask for a piece of all net revenue of Yahoo Music.  God, everybody who sells something now wants a piece of whatever it’s used in down the line?

I mean how much greedier can you get.  Apple is selling your tunes for ninety nine cents, you’re getting over sixty cents a track, Apple eats all the costs, you barely pay the artists, if at all, and APPLE’S the problem?  Continue taking this message to the public.  Play these cards.  Give FURTHER rationalization for people to steal your music.  God, can you be THAT out of touch?  This is greed PERSONIFIED!