Let's Discuss Gaga's 'Apple Music' Deal

[Music 15,215]

alright.. let's investigate and discuss this whole situation regarding Apple Music's deal with Gaga and her upcoming release.
here's a bit of background info provided by Billboard's Article, 'From Beyonce to Frank Ocean, Breaking Down the Mechanics, and Politics, Behind Streaming Exclusives'.

i've tried to highlight some of the pivotal points i noticed.

Frank Ocean's "Ballsy" Ordeal

Spoiler

as stated by Billboard:

Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge spent the weekend of Aug. 20 thinking long and hard about his business. As Twitter buzzed with will-he-or-won’t-he speculation about the imminent release of Frank Ocean’s oft-delayed sophomore album, Blond -- an Apple Music exclusive, paired with pop-up shops in four cities, that officially dropped that Saturday -- the British executive could take little comfort in a UMG act headed straight for the top of the Billboard 200 on the strength of 225,000 to 250,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 25. That’s because Ocean -- signed to Def Jam for his previous Grammy-nominated album, 2012’s Channel Orange -- was no longer on the label, having maneuvered out of his contract by reimbursing the company for the $2 million-plus spent on Blond and releasing it to iTunes via his own Boys Don’t Cry imprint.

All Def Jam got for its trouble after an anxious four-year wait? A streaming-only “visual album” called Endless, released the day before, that is ineligible for the Billboard 200. But it will fulfill Ocean’s contractual obligation to the label, multiple sources confirm, with one insider asserting that the label had not known about the existence of Blond. Marvels an insider: “He is emancipated, and all proceeds and kudos go directly to Frank. Pretty f---ing ballsy.”

okay, but what's the positives and negatives of an Apple Music exclusive release?

Positives

Spoiler

as stated by Billboard:

So what do you get when you partner with Apple Music, which boasts 15 million paid subscribers? A hefty advance, a dedicated marketing spend, premium placement atop the iTunes store, maybe a TV commercial and a Beats Radio show in addition to the less immediately tangible bonuses like additional paid media connected to the release, global exposure and barters that might incorporate social media campaigns. Says one insider familiar with Apple’s positioning: “They’ll literally throw everything they can at it. You can’t get to No. 1 on Spotify alone.”

Negatives

Spoiler

as stated by Billboard:

Spotify with its 35 million subscribers (more than 70 million of them using the service for free) has not yet engaged in the exclusivity war, opting to wait out windowing with a one-and-all ethos. But aligning with the Swedes has its perks: optimal placement near or on popular playlists, promotion and marketing support -- initiatives you can attach a dollar amount to. “Rather than saying, ‘We want your music exclusively, they’ll say, ‘We want you to get behind the platform and we’ll give you X amount of money to promote on the platform or to use for video content and so on,’” a source explains, adding that if Spotify does get shut out by an exclusive, they might “bury” your act or “not promote your artist and that can be extremely damaging.”

it is an interesting argument and i know the fanbase are split with whether this would of damaged Gaga's streaming position (which is already lacklustre).
but, there are obvious positives that i think were disregarded.

---

i think part of Apple's "exclusivity" and agreement was for Gaga to debut the lead single on their streaming platform 'Apple Music' only; thus provoking Gaga to pass a VMAs performance. the deal could also be part of Gaga not performing at iHeartRadio Music Festival, Global Citizen Festival etc..

and unfortunately, this leads us to today - with possibly no VMAs performance nor an Apple Music Exclusive.

so what's next for Gaga? her team are possibly back to Square 1 - pushing back the release, rescheduling performances and planning new promotional agreements.
not only 'Perfect Illusion' but for LG5.

nevertheless, what do you think about it all?
discuss below!

[VANTABLACK 7,793]

This makes my head hurt.

Waited 3 years for this mess?

[Paulchieffo 1,007]

Honestly this era is going to be even messier than ARTPOP. Bookmark me

[Regina George 59,387]

 

[Vague 424]

I doubt they have to reschedule much.

[Music 15,215]

1 minute ago, VANTABLACK said:

This makes my head hurt 

3 years for this?

it's frustrating.
i'm not sure how well an Apple Music Exclusive could of worked..

the promo would of been there, but other services would of basically boycotted

[ryhanna 3,507]

All of this is blown waaaaay out of proportion

[Mister Gaga 22,930]

you thought the ARTPOP era was messy?

Get ready for the authentic MESS. LG5 is coming

[Music 15,215]

Just now, Mister Gaga said:

you thought the ARTPOP era was messy?

Get ready for the authentic MESS. LG5 is coming

i'm ready.

[REALITY 76,920]

And this is exactly why Gaga and her team promoted the single for "September". It wasn't "September 9th" or "16th", or whatever date people think it'll come on. 

I'm almost certain they said September to have flexibility with this. If she had announced a specific date, people would be in much more of a fuss than they are now about it. 

[Young Pancake 693]

If the contract was already sign then the plan is moving forward like it was supposed.

[ReidOne 12,427]

Great OP @Music. Thank you, sis! 

[VANTABLACK 7,793]

4 minutes ago, Paulchieffo said:

Honestly this era is going to be even messier than ARTPOP. Bookmark me

The ARTPOP era started off so flawless tho there was so much hype and everything was on point . Applause Looks, promotion, photo shoot . 

But unfortunately luck was not on her side and it just started to fall apart peice by PEICE 

[Music 15,215]

Just now, ReidOne said:

Great OP @Music. Thank you, sis! 

thanks! glad you enjoyed it, haha

i'm bored and a tad annoyed

[Iwontell 7,312]

"Alleged deal"...all this is wild speculation and I remember HDD being wrong about their infos a handful of times before...so I'll just wait and see what happens...I'm just as chill about it all as I was yesterday...