Rocker Jon Bon Jovi gave a scathing assessment of the music industry in an interview with London’s Sunday Times Magazine, and he says he knows who to blame: Apple’s Steve Jobs.
“Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business,” Bon Jovi, whose band reportedly made $146.5 million from its North American tour last year to make it the highest-grossing band of 2010, is quoted as saying in an msn.com story.
Bon Jovi says the success of Apple’s iTunes has played a big role in bringing down brick-and-mortar record stores and eliminating the “magical” experience that once was going to a store to buy music.
"Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it," Bon Jovi said in the interview.
I grew up one town away from this talented rock legend. Even worked with him once. Great guy. But have to comment that his remarks are the most myopic words from anyone in the music world I have ever read. Does he miss the sound of the hammer and the smell of burning coal as the blacksmith creates shoes???
i agree… you can put steve jobs name on it, but thanks to the internet, the change was coming regardless of who started it – same as with newspapers.
The problem was that you’d plunk your hard earned money down ” not knowing what the record sounded like”, only to be disapointed with 8 or 9 crap songs on it. Now at least you can buy only the songs worthy of the money, and leave the rest unpurchased. The new reality should force all of us in the entertainment industry to produce better content because consumers no longer have to “imagine” if what they’re getting is going to be a “magical” experience and be worth it!
How about the music industry killed the music biz. Overcharging for cds that were worth less than $5. And they are more about promoting than marketing. Jobs is the PT Barnum of the music biz and three cheers for him for breathing some life in the music biz. All Bon Jovi cares about is all the moolah he is making from his overpriced tours…
I’m sorry, but that statement is just plain lame. Figures though, coming from a band as old as a dinosaur.
Welcome to the new world Jon. Blaming this on Steve Jobs is total baloney. Maybe if more than two songs on somebodies album was worth a nickel, ITunes would have never happened
Welcome to 2011 Jon.